Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Painted Gray Furniture Inspiration

Mine and Zach's master bedroom is pretty much put together for the most part, but there are two pieces of furniture in there that need some attention.  One is the chest of drawers that our TV sits on and the other is my bedside table - which was free! My father-in-law picked up this pretty piece from a neighbor who was going to just throw it out:


The wood has more vibrancy in the picture than it does in person, but I'm still on the fence about painting it.  The chest of drawers with our TV on it on the other hand, is in desperate need of some paint and new knobs (sorry, no picture - but I'll be sure to include one when I do paint it!).

I've been seeing lots of gray painted furniture around Pinterest and the blogosphere and I really love the look of it paired with gold accents or knobs.  Here are a few pictures that got me thinking of painting the chest of drawers gray:






I'm excited to transform the chest of drawers with a can of paint and some new knobs, and I actually already picked up some primer and Rustoleum glossy oil-based paint in 'Smoke Gray.'  I just need to pick up some knobs at Hobby Lobby when they have them at 50% off.  I'm thinking along with line's of something like this, this or this.

What do y'all think?  Have you painted anything gray lately?

Monday, July 7, 2014

Currently Crushing :: The Parsons Bookcase

Happy Monday!  How was everyone's 4th of July?  We spent ours in Zach's hometown of Guntersville, Alabama.  We saw wonderful friends and watched the fireworks on the lake.  After this weekend, I plan to restyle our bookcase in our living room, and although it isn't a Parsons bookcase I completely wish it was.

One of my favorite looks and pieces is that of a Parsons bookcase.  The lines are so simple and a bit of a modern touch, but are still a traditional look.  I love seeing them in all sorts of different colors - from white to blue, red to yellow, purple to green.  What's even better is how people display their books, collections and keepsakes on them.

Here are a few of my favorites...




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Hope everyone's Monday is off to a great start!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Link Love

1  ::  I could totally see this stool working in a multitude of rooms (indoor + outdoor!).
2  ::  This bathroom redo is spot on.


3  ::  This recipe looks so fresh delicious - perfect for summer.
4  ::  Absolutely love this lamp finial and it comes in lots of colors!
5  ::  Loving this cozy living room with its amazing gallery wall.


6  ::  DIY gel nails at home with no UV light required.  Sign us up!
7  ::  I'm going to find a way to use this pendant in our house.
8  ::  How gorgeous is this beauty?!


9  ::  Is it bad that I want to make one of these for myself?
10  ::  This stuff works wonders and I use it every day.

Happy Monday!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Drab to Fab: Farmhouse Paint


I've gotten hold of another piece of furniture, and I've been dying to to try this Farmhouse Paint

Farmhouse Paint is similar to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint; it sticks to just about anything, and you don't have to sand or prime the surface before applying it. The difference in the Farmhouse Paint is that you don't have to wax it after applying. I've never used chalk paint, but supposedly, the waxing is the hardest part. 

R.B.'s mom, Belle, gave me this old cedar chest that's been sitting in her garage for awhile. She thinks it was her grandmother's, so it's pretty old. 


It has this cool art deco look to it, but it was in need of some major love. 


First, I had to wipe down the whole thing to remove all the dust and spider webs (eek!). I used a wet towel first and then mixed some white vinegar with hot water and wiped it down again. That made a world of difference. 

I picked out the Vintage Buff color in the quart size ($32) from local shop, Quite the Pair. They gave me a tip sheet and sent me on my way. They do offer painting classes if you want to practice and get hands on experience, but I was ready to get right to it. 

The first coat of paint acts like a primer. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong because it seemed to dry super fast. But, after two more coats, things got easier and looked much better. 

This is after three coats. 
I think two coats would have sufficed, but I wanted to make sure. 


After letting it dry completely, I started sanding. I used a 220 grit sandpaper to sand the whole thing. This helps give the paint a smooth finish. I then used a more coarse sandpaper to give it a more distressed look. 


You can distress it as much or as little as you like.

I decided to add a little more dimension by applying a gold leaf rub to the decorative arches. 

Sorry for the blurriness. 
I got this Rub 'n Buff from Hobby Lobby. I used my finger to apply it and then sanded some of it off. A little goes a really long way. 




I plan on using this in the sunroom for storage. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the final product. I may go back and distress it a little more on the top and front. But, it works for now. 

Overall, I really liked the Farmhouse Paint. It's easy to use and offers really great coverage. It also comes in several different colors, and they have a metallic line coming out soon!

What do you think? Have you tried the Farmhouse or Chalk Paint? 

Friday, June 6, 2014

Get the Look

Happy Friday!  When I first saw this image a year or two ago, I fell. hard.  I have a major crush on this living room, and if I could marry it I would (but I'm already married, duh).  If we owned our own home and didn't rent at the current time, this is exactly what I would want my living room to look like.

found via pinterest, but if someone knows the original source, please let us know!

I figure I can't be the only one who likes this look - if I am, then I need to get out of the blog business.  So, I've put together a remake of this room from items found around the web.  Hope it helps anyone who, like me, wants this living room in place when I wake up tomorrow morning.  Get to work little magic elves.




***Don't forget that our Wicks & Willow giveaway ends TONIGHT!  So if you haven't entered yet, you better hop on it!  We'll be announcing the winner on Monday!***


Monday, May 26, 2014

Link Love

Last week, I ran across several things I'm loving (what's new, right?).  So, I thought I'd share some with y'all!



1 ::  This post has me thinking I'll be going bold the next time I paint a room.
2 ::  I purchased this shirt over the weekend and want to buy about 10 more.
3 ::  This solution is great if you have a short window and want the room to look bigger.



4 ::  This guest room update has me itching to redo ours.
5 ::  I'm a huge fan of gingham print, and this outfit is absolute perfection.



6 ::  I'm finding a piece of furniture to do this to asap.
7 ::  I'm super jealous of this Craigslist find.
8 ::  These DIY storage boxes are cute enough to have in every room of your house.



9 ::  I'm loving these spring table settings.
10 ::  Thinking this would be a great addition to our living room.

Happy Memorial Day!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Estate Sale Shopping

Y'all.  We made it to Friday.  Give yourself a pat on the back.  Because you I deserve it.  Ok, now on to the post.

One of mine and Maeci's favorite activities is checking out estate sales.  We spotted a good one on EstateSales.NET and went to check it out on Wednesday.  If you haven't used this site before, you absolutely need to check it out.  You can sign up to get updates on the new estate sales every week in your area (and any other area you choose), and majority of the time there are photos that go along with the details of the sale.

The sale Wednesday had some great antique chairs!




The chairs were all beautiful...and had a big, beautiful price tag that went with them!  Sometimes, we know the sales are going to be a little pricey when we go into them, but we still love checking things out and you never know what treasures you might find.

There were also LOTS of gorgeous rugs...




As much as I loved them, I think Zach might have made me live out in the storage shed with the rest of my rugs if I brought another one home.  I also thought this table and the blue and white planter on it were fab...(not to mention the rug!)...


We picked up the planter to check it out (and the price) and although it was only $40, we noticed another small price tag on the bottom from when the owner must have purchased it that read "$19.99" and a little made in china sticker.  Kind of lost its luster after that!

These little bamboo accent pieces were pretty cute, and I could totally see them spray painted and set next to a fireplace to decorate the space, or even add a little cushion to the top and use it as a small ottoman...


Aren't these little gold rimmed bowls great?


There were also a couple great pieces of furniture..

 and don't you love that bowl?!


Although we didn't take anything home with us, we definitely still had fun and saw some great pieces!  Do you guys love going to estate sales?  Or have you been hesitant to try one out?

Also, be sure to 'like' Zelda + Madeline on Facebook - once we reach 300 'likes' we'll be having another GIVEAWAY!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Living Room Changes

Happy Monday!  When we moved from the historic district to the more suburban area of town back in November (note: we're renting), we had to rearrange things in our home leaving several rooms not quite as I would have liked them (read: all of them).  At the moment, I'm really missing the details of a historic home.  I decided to mix a few things up in our current house, and although I can't paint the walls (which is absolutely killing me) or make any changes to the actual house, I can add some furniture and decor that is a bit more eclectic making the space look less cookie-cutter.

If you saw our Woodstock Market post from last week, you saw that I picked up a "new" rug that totally stole my heart.  Before the rug graces the living room with it's presence, I thought I would share a few pictures of what the state of our living room is right now.


I felt like things were beginning to all look blue.  Blue rug, blue lamps, bluish pillows, another blue lamp...


I liked the rug, but felt like with all the blue this might be the easiest item to switch out at the moment.


(Ugh, the color of that carpet is awful.  And the fireplace.  Thank goodness we're only renting.)


Also, homeowners, landlords and apartment complexes - why do you feel the need to paint walls that horrible off-white yellowish color?!?!  Just stop it.  There are a million things I wish I could change about this house if it were mine.  Can you tell I've been watching too much HGTV?

Anyways, now that you've seen the living room's current state, I'm excited to get to work rearranging a few things and adding a few items!  

Friday, May 16, 2014

Drab to Fab

Kelley and I love turning old furniture into something new. The easiest way to transform your old, boring furniture into something new and fabulous is by painting it. Paint makes such a huge difference, and it's fairly easy to do. 

R.B. has had this old armoire since he was in high school. He used it in college, and it's been sitting empty in his guest bedroom ever since. Instead of just throwing it out, I decided to paint it. And, I figured if it turned out horribly, we could just get rid of it.



Shout out to R.B. for trusting me to paint this inside the house!
I forgot to take a picture before we removed the hardware, so here's a close up. 


Before I started painting, I rubbed Klean Strip Easy Liquid Sander Deglosser over the entire armoire. 

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The deglosser works like sandpaper, but it's much easier and quicker to use. I rubbed two coats over every nook and cranny, and I think it really helped the paint adhere. And, it's made for indoor use. So, no chemical side effects, and it even has a pleasant minty smell.

The deglosser dries in about 15 minutes, so I was able to get right to painting. 

And, here's the finished product!

I need help with my photography skills. I don't know why this looks so yellow. 

I'm really happy with how it turned out. I used Behr Deep Royal High Gloss paint for the armoire and Rustoleum Gold Metallic spray paint for the hardware. I also sprayed a clear gloss over the hardware, just to protect it a little. It took two coats of paint, and let me tell you...painting woven fake wood is not enjoyable. Those doors were almost the death of me.

When I move into R.B.'s house after the wedding, we're planning to turn a very small bedroom into a walk-in closet (which I will add to the list of things I promise to document on Z+M!), and I plan to use this piece in there. But for now, it's just sitting sadly in an empty room. 

What do you think? Have you used high gloss paint on anything? Would you use such a bold color, or do you prefer something more subtle?