Tag Archive | "Tables"
Accentuate the Positive
When it comes to reinventing vintage casegoods, nobody does it better than Toronto's Burnett. What shop owners Cathy and Gordon Runge do with a bit of black, white or gray paint impresses the hell out of me; they don't merely revive shabby tables and cabinets, they reinvent them. I grilled Cathy for tips on how to tackle such a project and here's what she had to say . . .
Full post and comments...Learning to Refinish? Start with Teak
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
If you're at all interested in tackling a refinishing project, keep your eyes open for a teak piece in need of some TLC. And never let a little damage stand between you and a piece of teak you might be considering for your home -- it's a snap to remedy if you just follow these simple steps. Just sand and oil, no staining, no worries about streaks in your top coat, never a problem.
Full post and comments...Inspired by a Master
Friday, July 8, 2011
It goes without saying that I'm no Jean-Michel Frank. But I was so inspired by the French designer's eponymous monograph by Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier (Rizzoli) that I decided to give my humble IKEA Fornbro tables the Frank treatment with custom upholstered tops. Of course, my tops are swathed in man-made vinyl rather than Frank's preferred parchment or shagreen, but nevertheless, the treatment has given them a real lift. The tables feel quite luxe despite the bargain nature of the surface material. The vinyl wipes clean in a jiffy and I'll never again have to worry about nicking the surface with a glass.
Full post and comments...Lousy Styling, Great Tip
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Apologies for the sorry styling of this pic but it was taken on the fly at yesterday's wildly successful styleNorth Garage Sale just before a sweet young couple carried the table off to their new loft/condo. I bought it on Craigslist after several price drops because the brass plate and the original dimensions of the piece were conspiring to keep buyers at bay. The mint-condition marble top was beyond luxe but the table was 28" square and 21" high, which meant it was too large for a side table but too high for a coffee table. Enter my cheap, easy fix; I took the legs to my local Home Hardware where they cut them down to 15" for just $3 per leg. My $12 outlay doubled the value of an item that was previously unsellable.
Full post and comments...Spray Paint Like A Pro
Monday, April 11, 2011
You don't have to be a DIY champ to know that a quick coat of paint can completely transform a piece of furniture. But spray painting can be frustrating if you don't do it right and this past weekend I learned a few tricks that I'm happy to pass along. My biggest discovery is the existence of custom spray nozzles, which utterly transform the process of do it yourself spray painting. See the wickedly smooth, slightly reflective top on the IKEA side table, below? There's no way I could have gotten such a professional looking result without the help of custom spray nozzles available for just 50¢ each at Curry's Art Store.
Full post and comments...
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Sunday, August 7, 2011
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