The McClellan Buffet - Custom Refinish Before & After

This piece belongs to my cousin who inherited it from her mother-in-law. It had some wear and tear on the top along with repairs that needed to be done here and there but oh was she worth it! She cleaned up just fine!

Notice all of the key holes throughout the cupboards and drawers. If you look closely can also see them on the vintage pulls on the doors. The wood embelishments come together in such detail and gives is such a unique flair.

You can see the green trees in the mirror's reflection. Soon these will be vibrant colors of orange, yellow, and red.

My alarm is set for 3:00 am. Yes indeed you read that correctly. Three o'clock in the MORNING. Faith and I are heading to Disneyland and she has been dancing around the house all day in excitement. We will be sharing the fun with my mom, two sisters, my sister-in-law, and four more kids all under the age of four. It is going to be crazy and fun so it is going to be crazy fun! I know some great memories will come of it. My little sister texted me today and said she was sick with excitement. Whenever we are having a bad day we always say, "We should just go to Disneyland." It is the happiest place on Earth you know.

Grandma's Buffet - Before & After

Look how filthy dirty this old buffet is and the years of dust it has been collecting! This is my grandma's old buffet that I distinctly remember sitting on her red shag carpet in her basement. She moved out of her home several years ago and my dad has been storing this piece along with a pedestal table for quite some time.

My mom at one point decided to paint this red and put it up at the ranch house in one of the guest bedrooms to store a flat screen tv. Then the last time she took a look at it she decided this piece needs to be restored and not painted and displayed on one of the main walls next to the kitchen. I couldn't agree with her more.

The after pictures do not show the hardware as she was still playing with a few options. She ended up putting the original wooden knobs back on instead of going with an updated look. We tested a few different knobs but nothing worked quite like the original hardware.

Because this is a family piece we decided to go ahead and have our little one model the piece for us. Little does she know the history she is standing by and the stories it could tell.

The old beveled mirror is still in great shape. I asked my dad about where this piece came from and he called my grandma for a refresher! When my grandparents bought their first house some sixty years ago the sellers added this piece in with the price and left it for them.

We searched and searched for a maker and a date and came up with nothing.

All I know is that I pulled Old Maid playing cards and ping pong paddles out of the drawers and cupboards. I believe my aunt had some of her music sheets stored here and I loved to sit and listen to her play the piano. My grandma had an old player piano but sold it with the house as it was too difficult to get it up the narrow stairs of her home.

I am so happy we had the chance to restore this piece and know that it will be in the family for many years to come. We delivered it this weekend and spent some time with family. There was much fun had by all. Even if we only got a few hours of sleep!

The little girls claimed the playhouse and quickly made "NO BOYS ALLOWED" signs to make everyone aware who was in charge.

The big boys would try to sneak up there but the girls would kindly let the boys know what the signs said and then decided that cute boys were allowed. And my nephew Zach is very very cute.

Here is another cute nephew who was exhausted by the day in the sun and cuddled up with his shoe. There were lots of "jeep" rides, four wheel rides, and motorcycle rides.

We saw some competitive flag football games and

enjoyed the warmth of the sun on our face and the wind in our hair. It was good weekend despite only a few hours of sleep. :)

The Christoffersen Buffet - Before & After

What better way to brighten up your dining room than with a country buffet with window paned glass doors, bun feet, and a set of extra drawers on top! How about we paint it white to accentuate the great lines and give it an updated look!

We refinished this piece for my brother and sister-in-law and what a wonderful piece it is! We kept the original hardware which consisted of knobs and two dangly pulls. I always suggest using at least two types of hardware because it gives better dimension and outline of the drawers and doors.

The glass doors gives a clean look and is a great way to feature dinnerware and any family collectibles you treasure and want displayed.

The additional drawers on top add yet another level of depth and provides for storage of flatware and dinner linens.

I am not fond of furniture pieces that are flush with the floor. It mats the carpet and feels extra heavy with little height. The popular bun feet work well with their circular element against all of the straight lines of the piece.

Up next we are working on a family treasure as well as a vintage dresser with a mirror and a few custom pieces thrown in here and there. We are also working on our next Studio 5 segment as well as a few home projects (I think I always mention those but the home is a never ending project!) We plan to enjoy the last few weeks of summer before school starts and head to the pool a few more times and perhaps back to our local amusement park. I do look forward to the upcoming months as the fall season is my absolute favorite.

The Cutler Buffet - Custom Refinish Before & After

Before Would you believe me if I said that we ended up with two of these very same exact buffets from different owners and living two hours apart! Crazy, eh! Of course when we originally picked it up I bought it with the intention of keeping it and putting a tv on it but it was one inch too big. So instead it went to one of our loyal clients and was finished in a beautiful rich red.

After
We matched the paint color to the red in the fabric on this fun vibrant chair. This buffet has great details with the legs and all of the lovely elements at the base. The color that we originally picked was drying a bit light in color so Mike mixed a touch of black which made all of the difference!
We do not keep the original hardware often but we have both times on this piece because they blend well with the wood design that surrounds the knob.
We tried on some black knobs but they just did not look right. But when these went back on it was ALL right!
The construction of the back of this buffet shows its age. There is no piece of plywood stapled on the back. No way.
I do not have much red in my home but this piece certainly makes some rearranging tempting! Its rich color and elegance may have me changing my mind.

Happy Wednesday!