Oval Table With Glass Tray

Oval Table Before Restoration

Oval Table After Restoration

I found this gem at a local estate sale. It had a bit of water damage on the bottom of the legs, but otherwise in great condition. I thought there was something unusual about the table, and I was correct. I had noticed it had handles on the sides of the top. "Aha!" I thought. The top of the table

Display Cabinet

Display Cabinet

This display cabinet is my very first restoration project. I bought it at an estate sale nearby. While it's not an antique, it's a great reproduction and I particularly liked its cabriole legs and clean lines. It had a broken door, but otherwise, it was in great shape. I repaired the broken door (at the pivot point) and added a mirror to the interior back of the cabinet. Then I refinished the exterior with red mahogany stain and gave it two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane.

I ended up selling to a woman who had just moved into a house and needed a little cabinet or table for her living room. She was so happy to have found the perfect little cabinet and especially loved the mirror in the back! I also painted the tarnished gold knobs to a shiny silver, which I felt tied in nicely with the mirror. It also added a little "bling," giving this display cabinet a touch of elegance, while maintaining its functionality. Is it any wonder I get excited when I find these great little pieces of furniture??

1960's Desk Refinished

Desk with New Handles

I came across this desk last summer at a garage sale. It was solid maple, but in need of refinishing. After carefully stripping the old varnish and stain, the desk had started to take on a brand new appearance. In the interim, a friend had told me, "I'm looking for a desk." I told her, "Well, you're in luck, because I just bought one and am working on it now!" She couldn't believe it. I sent her the photos of the desk, and she said, "I love it. I want it." So, she selected the new handles for it and brought over the stain, which she chose as Early American. I completed this desk and had to modify the original holes to accommodate the new handles. I've discovered that furniture made in the 50's and 60's have a different standard for handle hardware and the ones sold in the stores don't match. Luckily it was less than an 1/8" inch off, so I was able to make her new handles work. She's using this desk for her son's computer and like many other pieces I've restored, it has a new chance at life. Unfortunately, I can't find the "before" photos of this desk, but you get the idea. It looks great!

Old Chair Repurposed

Garden Chair Before

Garden Chair After

My husband, Jim and I love to shop in Antique and Resale stores. Sometimes I stumble on something that inspires me to think outside the box, or as in this case, outside the garden! I saw this forlorn, ancient barn-wood style chair sitting in front of an antique store in Lexington and just had to have it. I wasn't sure what I'd do with it when I bought it, but the chair seemed to call out to me, "take me home, please!" It was raining and the chair was wet.