Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Creating A Kitchen Nook

Creating our kitchen nook goes down as one of my favorite projects ever.  Maybe it's because of the time it took to put all the pieces together or maybe it was the grand finale project of refinishing my childhood table that made me so happy. There were quite a few steps in getting the nook to where it is today. For those of you that like a good makeover story, let me take you on this journey so you can see it right from the beginning. 
We bought an old cape cod that was set up so that the the dining room room was smack in the middle of the house.  The chandelier was centered perfectly in the middle of the ceiling - which meant you needed to walk around a table and chairs to get to the kitchen and the family room. The dining room is small so options were limited.  If you look at the pictures below you can see how you have to work through this room to get to the others.  I kept thinking to myself that this is not going to work for an active family and it just doesn't have a good everyday flow if we keep things as the house was intended. 

 

I wasn't keen on this as is, it just didn't make me happy.  So we decided to create a nook that pushed everything against the wall under the window in order to create a nook.  A dining place that sits out of the way. First we needed to sand and stain the floors then paint the walls. 



Then we added cabinets.
 In my search for a kitchen table, I realized that my parents had our original table from when we lived on Locksley Lane in their basement!  It was an old Ethan Allen table, with lots of wonderful memories, that fit perfectly in my new little space. And it had a bench!   Don't judge the stain on that table, I fix that later.  :)  A cushion on the bench under the window, chairs and a rug.   BTW, we had those same little shutters in my kitchen on Locksley Lane...so for now, they are staying.  An upper window treatment will be on its way.
You can see the room starting to take shape.  The chandelier in the center of the ceiling needed to be moved.  It was a battle to decide if the original chandelier should stay or go.  I liked it, but it just wasn't big enough.
And, I wanted something a bit more up to date.  A friend of mine encouraged me to hang paper to replicate the size of what I was looking for.  (Genius idea - after two chandelier failed attempts)

Then I found a chandelier that kept to the original crystal idea, but was more up to date. Loving the chandelier, but the orange cherry stain on that table.....had to go. 



All in all, it was a total transformation.  Moving everything over and re-centering the chandelier over the new center of the room, created a whole new space that works for us.  Here is a look at how we walk through our dining room now.  Much much better.  Now when I walk into this room - I'm happy.

Happy transformations!

Paula




Thursday, August 31, 2017

Fabulous Brown Chairs get Makeover

 My friend asked me to "do something" with these chairs....  
Like a lot of older and antique chairs, the dark brown wood just doesn't fit into our lives today. This must have been an awesome dining table in its day because the carvings and detail were pretty amazing.  

When working on older chairs, know that if they are mahogany, or if a deep stain was used, it will probably bleed through your chalk paint.  It's a simple fix.  Before painting or even trying to paint dark furniture like this, give it a quick spray of shellac.  This will seal the stain and you can get on with your painting quickly.

I started with an ivory color and then added touches of pinks and a very soft green.  Gold paint and gilding wax gave it the glitz it needed to bring out the detailed carvings.
Such a pretty transformation.  <3

Have a great week!

Paula

Monday, August 7, 2017

Little Round Table Gets a McKenzie-Child's Update - And A New Name

A friend of mine had this little round table that she asked me to paint.  I just loooove me a small round table!  I think round tables break up a room and add so much character.  This little table was chalk painted and was cute.....but with a few changes I knew she was going to be fabulous!
My friend's new color scheme incorporates lots of blues.... To start with, I painted this table in a rich navy.  I used General Finishes Milk Paint for the first time and I have to say - I love the paint.  It went on very smooth, had a wonderful texture and provided great coverage.  I will definitely be using this again. And....it's cheaper than Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  The original top was a plain white - but in order to be fabulous, we needed to add some real character (checks) and then some gold highlights.
I apologize that I don't have very many before and during pictures, but you can see the transformation from the picture at the top to the one here at the bottom.
A nice semi-gloss finish and this pretty lady is ready for her new name.  I've decide to call this one "Lady Sings The Blues".  I think it's fitting.   She went from cute....to fabulous in just a few days.

Happy Painting!


Paula