I suppose I should change the name of this project to project 48 since I’ve skipped more than a few weeks? Eh, never mind we’ll keep it at 52 since I like the way that sounds.
Today I wanted to share a little project with you that I worked on last summer/fall. If you know me at all, you know that I love antiques, vintage nicknacks and repurposing furniture. I get it honest. My Momma is an antique dealer and she’s been known to completely transform furniture that most would take straight to the dump into something vintage enthusiasts would fist fight over.
I tag along to the auction with her as often as my schedule allows. Unlike the day I purchased our $30 dining room table, the day we found this I wasn’t really looking for anything at all.
We didn’t bid on it, because I didn’t know if it would fit in our living room. Instead, it was sold in a lot with a few other pieces of furniture for $20. The woman that purchased it wanted the other pieces in the lot and not this piece… so we bargained with her for a few minutes and finally settled on a price. $7… yep. I still didn’t know if the piece would fit in our living room, but if it didn’t for the price of a super fancy latte, I didn’t care. We loaded it up and took it home to the farm to begin it’s transformation.
After sanding, painting, replacing the backing (a job for Dad… bribed with a bottle of wine) and replacing the feet… then having some fun distressing it with the sander and a hammer, I was satisfied. I knew I wanted to distress it before I even painted it, because it was hardwood and a pretty heavy, sturdy piece.
The moment we brought the final product into the house I knew it would become one of my favorite spots in the house… and it has.
I absolutely love how it transformed the room. It’s so much brighter, more open… and generally more polished.
When we returned from our Italy vacation I knew I needed somewhere to display a few of the thousands (literally) of pictures we took while we were away. And now I have the perfect spot. I absolutely love how the gallery wall turned out… it’s not perfectly balanced, which I love. I imagine that someday we will get tired of these pictures, but for now I love looking at these pictures and reminiscing about our trip.
The photo that hangs directly above the TV is one of my favorite images ever snapped of us. My Sister-in-law snapped it during our gondola ride in Venice. Doctor by day, photog by night… her composition was absolutely perfect.
There you have it, folks… a little project that transformed our living room for a mere $24. Here’s the breakdown: