Sunday, October 3, 2010

Have a seat....

Good evening my lovelies

What a weekend!! They say there is no rest for the wicked...and of course the other day I felt terribly wicked: I impulsively bid on a 1930's, 5 piece, Queen Anne bedroom suite.  I saw beauty in the lines, rather than the colour.  I imagined great things...I never honestly believed I would win.  But I did, for a measly $160 I won the lot! Then this little can called worms popped open.

I did have a mini hysteria moment, where I tried to blame it on all you gorgeous, talented wonderful bloggers that I follow so closely. 

I was too inspired!!

I was all frothed up in images of shabby, distressed, deco, mapped, freckled, ruffled, greige!! 

But in real life, (not happy creative land where I sometimes escape) I was faced with questions like:

  • where would we put it,...
  • how would we get it...
  • would my husband ever breathe normally again?

 Well now I would like to say a big thank you!

Thank you!!

Thank you gorgeous bloggers who inspire me for your sanding, priming, painting, glazing and waxing, not to mention all the eye candy! Because it was SO worthwhile being inspired and thus, impulsive.

Once my lovely had regained consciousness and was "fixing" what I hadn't thought through so clearly, we hired a very big trailer, one step short of a truck, and drove 2 hours towards Sydney to collect my winnings. One word to describe me when we saw them was "chuffed".  The furniture wasn't as oppressive and heavy looking as it appeared in the Ebay photos, but moreover, there were little finds about them that thrilled me to pieces.

The chair needs the least work.  Aside from a minor water stain, the fabric on the chair is in fabulous condition. I had thought it would need to be re-upholstered based upon the original photo, but in real life the pale pink and champagne tonings are to die for.  The pale gold braiding around the edging is still very intact and there are beautiful little brass brad details.  The underneath of the seat is also very complete, finished with a tidy row of pintacks all around the base.  

The frame is as sturdy as the day it was made, with gracefully arched arm rests.  The back is fully upholstered and tilts so that you can get comfortable.  The timber is a darker stain and I am guessing this is to match the rest of the suite which is a dark timber veneer. 

My lovely was actually very taken with the chair: he propped himself up in front of the TV last night and claimed it as his - payment for driving the truck trailer and lugging all the furniture.  It made him feel better, so I let him believe it.









As part of the suite, this chair cost me $32.  Bargain!

The only change I would make would be to give it a light sand, then just a wax.  What do you think?

As for the rest of the furniture, well as I said it is a dark wood veneer.  Guess what I will be doing to those!!  I have some ideas, but time will tell.

For now, here is a little teaser of the 3 door wardrobe.  When I opened the doors, I found these...



Aren't they amazing!!!

So what do you think of my purchase?  I think I did alright - now I just have to splash a little magic...

Hugs to you all.

Cath
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8 comments:

Unknown said...

LU-HUV those metal hooks inside that cabinet. Those are the kind of details that I would go bonkers over! I swear to you, I would never close those cabinet doors again. (In fact, I'd remove them and lean them against a wall for another beautiful display.) Then, I'd paint a huge neon arrow inside that read, "check out these hooks." Ha! I think a very light sand and wax on that chair would be fine but your asking someone who needs a 12-step program for her addiction to painting furniture.

*Drooling*
Jami

Unknown said...

By the way, I wouldn't REALLY remove those doors...they also make the cabinet, but I would keep one open with some darling laundry draped over it to make it look accidentally on purpose. :) And, she told me she wants to be a creamy white with distressed edges...and a very very pale ballet slipper pink or French gray interior. A girl can dream, right?

Rebecca said...

Never seen hooks like that before-!

Jacqueline~Cabin and Cottage said...

So happy for you! What an initiation! I would say you did wonderfully well!

All Things Pretty... said...

Can't wait to see the entire set... you teased us with those hooks.... looks like you might have hit the jackpot! :)mercedes

Unknown said...

My mum used to have a chair very similar to that one, they are very comfy, I remember her redoing it a few times, I love the fabric on that one though.
You have some great finds here, looking forward to seeing how they turn out!

Unknown said...

what LOVELY finds! You have the eye for sure! Thanks for sharing..love your style! visiting from WW.

Heaven's Walk said...

AWESOME!! What a steal, girl! I have to agree with Jami at Freckled Laundry. I would be slapping white or pale gray paint on them all! lol! But then again, Jami and I are both in the same 12-step program...... lol! Happy WW to you!

xoxo laurie

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