Passed on through the generations...

I received a call recently from a wonderful woman who had some old furniture in her basement that she wanted me to take a look at.   They had once belonged to her husband's aunt and she was considering giving them to her daughter, who just moved in to her first apartment.  

They were extraordinary pieces of furniture…two dressers, two mirrors, a vanity and matching seat.  Beautiful pieces with hand painted floral motifs and gorgeous hardware.  I saw past the scratches and nicks; past the mold and mildew and found myself so excited at the prospect of working on them…making them beautiful again.  

We discussed many options for refurbishing the furniture, which included both painting and restorative work.  They were looking for something a little less formal and a bit lighter, but they did not want to paint over the hand-painted floral motifs on the drawers.  What to do…?   I suggested that I do restorative work to the top and the drawers, but paint the frame (the body) of each piece.  I also painted the vanity seat and upholstered it in a soft green to draw from the hand-painted flowers and work with her bedroom decor.  Below is the vanity before the painted mirror was reattached.

Gorgeous, feminine, updated and reclaimed.  A piece of history, passed down through the generations.  I am so lucky that I got to be a part of it.  

More to come...