Vanity redo

Some of you might remember when I showed you the vanity in my dressing room.

Well, it may not look like it in the picture, but it was in horrible shape.

I covered it with all sorts of things to hide the damaged veneer, but it really needed to be fixed. Plus it was kind of dirty looking from sitting in an industrial shop for years. I had polished it, but it never looked right.

Anyway, one day I had enough of looking at it and went to work.

I'd never done anything like this, but I figured the worst thing that would happen is that I would end up having to paint it and if you know me and my hatred of painted antiques, you know that's a very last resort ;)

I started where it was coming up and it was pretty easy going at first.

And then I realized that I was just removing the top layer.

This is about the time when I asked myself what the hell I was thinking.

Many hours later, I brought out the sander which helped get the glued on second layer of the veneer off.

Good Lord.... look at the mess!

I got a little carried away while I was chipping it off, so I used some wood putty to fill the craters chips.

All sanded and ready to stain :)

Although, a stain might have ended up looking better, I just used Briwax, because it's easy to apply and it doesn't make any rings when you set a drinking glass on it.

Much better!

Now for the very sad drawers.

Taking off the hardware was easy peasy.

Before...

After sanding...

And a coat of Briwax.

Drawers before...

Drawers after...

And done!

Well, except for trying to get all the dust and wood chips out of the carpet ;)

Anyway, I think it looks much better.

By the way, I haven't had time to visit all of you or to reply to comments lately, partly because of projects like this, but things are slowing down now, so you'll be seeing me around :)

xo

rue

Dressing room

Most people would never guess that my home has two stories, because you can't tell by the front of the house, but there is indeed a second level built into the side of the hill. In the main upstairs part of the house, along with the kitchen, living room, dining room, etc., there are two bedrooms, one of which was the master bedroom, that I gave to my daughter, and the other is a small room located off the kitchen that I turned into a den/guest room. 

Downstairs, in what I assume was the old maid's quarters, ended up being the perfect place for a master bedroom, especially since it gave me the opportunity to have closet space and it had it's own tiny bathroom. I haven't finished my bedroom yet, because I've been stuck on what color to paint it (and also working on the rest of the house), but after three years of trying to decide, I finally chose a pretty pale yellow and I'll be painting it this Spring.

Anyway, before you walk into what is now my bedroom, there's another little room, which I can only assume was a sitting room for the maid or perhaps a storage room. I painted it a girly, pale, peachy pink and turned it into my dressing room, and I also added a much needed walk in closet.

It ended up being one of my favorite rooms.....

The vanity came from someone that inherited it from their mother and didn't know what to do with it, so he gave it to me for free. It's not in the best condition, because it was sitting in a dirty shop for years, but I don't mind. I just polished it up and left it the way it was.

Aside from my make-up, I added little things that meant something to me, such as pictures of my family and mementos that were given to me by dear friends over the years.

The tag on that little art deco mirror was on a package I received as a gift and I've kept it ever since, because I love what it says and it's a reminder that... 

"Everyday is another chance to make your dreams come true."

I also have a vintage suitcase, that another friend gave me, ready to go for that occasional spontaneous trip.

Here's another old vanity hidden in the corner that my mother gave me years ago, along with one of my very favorite mirrors, which she also gave me when I moved into my first house.

It's obviously too small to use, but I love it, so I just placed an old vanity set there instead. 

Lastly, if the door is ever closed, this little gift from my son, is hanging on the door.

It's not a grand space by any means, but it's a place that speaks to my more girly side and I love it :)

rue