Sunday, December 4, 2011

Aged to Perfection

Three and a half years ago, I came upon a set of furniture (dining chairs, buffet, and cabinet) that I fell in love with.  Even though they'd been stored away for many years and were covered in grime, I could see through the dirt to the wonderful shape and ornate detailing.  The woman that I purchased them from told me that they had belonged to her grandmother, then mother, and at last came to her.  They had even been moved across the country from Pennsylvania all the way to Spokane, WA  (hmm, sounds familiar).  Her mother had painted them many years ago and since she wasn't a fan of painted furniture, I was happy to take them off of her hands. 



Little did I know at the time that these "projects" would take years to complete.  I refinished the chairs and sold them at an antiques show right away and the buffet was scrubbed down and has been used in my former dining room and now serves as our television cabinet in the new house, but this cabinet has remained in the last three garages of our former residences...
Maybe it was all the grime, and the fact that one of the bun feet was obliterated, that held me back from getting it all fixed up again.  It was just too much time to get it where it needed to be and furniture for antique shows and shops took precedence, not furniture for my home.  Now that I'm setting up house and this is the last piece of furniture to finish off the formal dining room, I decided not to wait any longer.  Time to attack the grime...

It took a toothbrush and several hours of scrubbing to get it clean.  I was on furniture auto-pilot...thinking, "re-paint, distress, glaze, etc".  I took a step back and realized that I was about to re-paint and "faux" distress something that has already been authentically aged and was certainly distressed.  Hmm... I should have just cleaned it up years ago. 
I finally got to haul it into my dining room today and dress it all up (that's my favorite part). 

At last, the dining room is complete! 

More of the dining room to come...





11 comments:

Katie said...

Wow love this! I would love for you to link up to my new party, Monday Myriad Linky Party

PJH Designs said...

Absolutely stunning piece. I love it and agree just leaving it as it is was the right decision.

Jamie @ DIY Home Sweet Home said...

Beautiful. So glad you did not paint it. I love your blog. I'm your newest follower. (thought I was following you before but could not find you on my blog list.) Would love you to stop by DIY Home Sweet Home
Jamie
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

P.S. I have a linky every Monday would love you to stop by Monday and link up.

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

WOW I LOVE that piece and I love the beautiful vignette you created on top of it too! Your home is gorgeous I am so glad I found you blog over at Kim's WUW. Just became your newest follower. Martina

PS- stop by sometime!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

PSS- You should link this up to Sherry's No Minimalist Here Blog. Open House Party tomorrow night. Sherry would love this! Martina

Cathy @ My 1929 Charmer said...

That is one incredible piece. It was meant to be left in it's original state, because it is beautiful. It is just a unique piece, you were lucky when you found this one. I also like the beautiful vignette you created above. I have a large twig ball like yours, and now I will be using it. thanks for your inspiration. Thanks for sharing at Sunday's Best.

Tracy said...

That is a really gorgeous piece, and it's perfect just as it is. I love your dining room!

Janel from NellieBellie said...

Wow!! Isn't it great that someone out there creates furniture that beautiful...and you found it! Admittedly, a little jealous. But gosh...that is stunning! I am so glad you didn't attempt to fix it up. It deserves to live as is!

Its So Very Cheri said...

BEAUTIFUL. I love beautiful old pieces. You've been featured. Come grab your featured button.
http://itssoverycheri.com/2011/12/10/saturday-showcase-12-10-2011/

Cheri

Laura at Ms. Smartie Pants said...

I have been browsing around your blog today. What a beautiful home you have and I love your furniture, actually I love it all! The color pallet is so pretty!

Rhonda said...

That is a gorgeous piece! And I love the sconces!

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