Antique Side Table Chooses Life
3 Materials
The argument goes like this:
"I'd never paint an antique...I think it's a crime to paint any wood furniture."
"Well, if nobody wants it and it's destined for the trash, why not update it to fit today's modern look?"
"It's a tragedy to paint it. Besides, it will just have to be stripped!"
"It's my piece of furniture, so I'll do what I want with it."
"It's a tragedy, I tell you!"
The debate will go on forever with no one convincing the other side - because we're all different. Some adore old, antique, hard to find original pieces. Some adore old, antique, hard to find original pieces painted.
That one word, "painted" is what freaks out many of those dyed in the wool antique lovers.
My take? Obviously I'm the painter person with no qualms about painting a piece of wood furniture. Hey, life is short and we ought to enjoy the things around us. Our home IS our castle and our tastes have their own unique flavor.
It's OK. Really. It is OK. It's just wood.
A piece of our history, you say? Yes it is. For me, it's a piece of history with a coat of paint on it. To fit my preferences. I just don't like old stuff...unless it's my DH of course...LOL. I liked my mom. She was old. But my furniture? I like it to look a certain way and that's OK. Just like it's OK if you prefer only the wood look.
Variety and uniqueness make the world a more interesting place!
So here is my little antique I got from an estate auction:
"I'd never paint an antique...I think it's a crime to paint any wood furniture."
"Well, if nobody wants it and it's destined for the trash, why not update it to fit today's modern look?"
"It's a tragedy to paint it. Besides, it will just have to be stripped!"
"It's my piece of furniture, so I'll do what I want with it."
"It's a tragedy, I tell you!"
The debate will go on forever with no one convincing the other side - because we're all different. Some adore old, antique, hard to find original pieces. Some adore old, antique, hard to find original pieces painted.
That one word, "painted" is what freaks out many of those dyed in the wool antique lovers.
My take? Obviously I'm the painter person with no qualms about painting a piece of wood furniture. Hey, life is short and we ought to enjoy the things around us. Our home IS our castle and our tastes have their own unique flavor.
It's OK. Really. It is OK. It's just wood.
A piece of our history, you say? Yes it is. For me, it's a piece of history with a coat of paint on it. To fit my preferences. I just don't like old stuff...unless it's my DH of course...LOL. I liked my mom. She was old. But my furniture? I like it to look a certain way and that's OK. Just like it's OK if you prefer only the wood look.
Variety and uniqueness make the world a more interesting place!
So here is my little antique I got from an estate auction:
From what I can tell via research, it was manufactured between 1912 and 1933 in Jamestown, NY at the Empire Case Goods store.
It was beat up, the finish was crackly and just wasn't pretty.
It needed help to live again and I was willing to revive it!
I mixed up a few paint colors (OFMP comes as a powder) and found that at different times of the day, depending on the lighting, it can look plum, brown or even gray.
Here it is lookin' brown. I call this piece Pepper after my mom since she loved plum. I wish she was here to enjoy it!
The original knob was too yellow after I cleaned it up, so I bought a new silver knob at Hobby Lobby.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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3 of 532 comments
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Now that's art work. Colorful, yet discreet. You brought it back to life and then some.
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Thanks!
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I love it! Came out amazing!
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OMGosh I love it. It is so pretty.
So you know if there is a paint I can use without sanding scratches first.?
Also, what the name of the color you used?
How can I become a OFMP Brand Blogger.
I have so many antiques projects and I am just getting started on them and I would love to be a OFMP Brand Blogger. Starting from the beginning would be the perfect time don’t you think?