Out of the wreckage...

I arrived at Elaine's house to provide her with an estimate for painting an antique cabinet.  She was warm and welcoming and I enjoyed seeing her home and her beautiful furniture pieces...each with its own story.

I had an opportunity to get to know Elaine a little, through her furniture.  She had mentioned that her house had been horribly flooded last year, during Hurricane Irene and that her home and much of her furniture had been destroyed.  Elaine was in the process of restoring and redecorating, which can be a long process.

After a while, Elaine mentioned that she was going to be getting rid of 2 old cabinets that had been damaged in Hurricane Irene.  They required too much work to repair and restore them.  Elaine graciously offered the pieces to me and I said "absolutely" before even looking at them.

At first glance, they were beautiful and had so much potential.  Gorgeous oak with beautiful hardware.  When I carried the first piece up from the basement, slats of wood were sliding right out from my grip as the cabinet slowly came apart piece by piece.  By the time I was at ground level, all I was left holding onto were 6 pieces of oak and a drawer.  I put them in my car and gathered up the remaining pieces, determined to get the puzzle put back together in my shop.  The second piece wasn't much better.

The rebuilding and repairing was so much fun and so rewarding.  I've always loved mechanical challenges and these rendered such beautiful results.  The first one I painted "navy gray" and heavily distressed, giving it real country cottage appeal.  
The porcelain knobs are beautiful and add so much character.
The second one is in the works and will be up soon...  

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