John B's Desk: Before and After!

After - Back

After - Front

Before - Side

Before - Front

Finally I remembered to take before and after pictures! Poor John B's vintage schoolhouse desk was quite a wreck when I first got a hold of it - it was an alley find that had definitely seen better days! The finish was thick and worn, the joints loose to the point of being dangerous, but what appears to be the original vinyl was still in really good shape, although really dirty. I took the whole thing apart, cleaned the joints, stripped, sanded and restained the frame, then reassembled it, sprayed a clear satin lacquer, and cleaned the vinyl. I am not entirely sure of the wood species, but I think it may be hickory. The wood really glows now and this little desk has been restored to its original glory. I just hope John is a lefty, since it will be pretty hard to use if he isnt!

$300 - sold

Upholstered Bench - $250 FOR SALE

I really need to start remembering to take "before" pictures, because this was quite a transformation! The frame for this bench was found abandoned in an old storage unit. It had no seat or fabric at all, it was just the legs, which were covered in a dark, gloppy stain.

The frame was stripped, and refinished in a red paint with a black glaze over it. Then I applied a polyurethane that had very fine gold dust powder mixed into it. The fabric has a rather glittery gold sheen to it, and this sort of tied it all together.

Etched Glass Door

I was part of a showhouse for a school back in the 90's in Springfield, Massachusetts. This was originally a house that had been transformed into housing and offices for the school. This door was part of the room I did. The school was great - they gave all of us carte blanche to do anything we wanted. The glass was too bare and I hated the thought of a curtain - it would be too easy to get dirty or torn - but at the same time there definitely needed to be some privacy. I ended up modifying an Art Deco design I found and etched the glass. I wish this photo was better, but my photography skills and camera were awful back then. The squares at the bottom of the glass are signs the Showhouse coordinators put up to direct visitors on the outside of the door.

Carla's Bath

I always curse myself for forgetting to take "before" pictures, as this room was quite the transformation! The walls originally had a mini floral wallpaper with a border (shudder) and the window had lace curtains. This very tiny powder room was so close to being really funky, cool and amazing.

The black tile, turquoise toilet & sink, and fantastic glass-chips-set-in-clear-acrylic countertop were all existing, and such was the inspiration. She collects vintage posters and accessories so I designed the space around the Parent Trap poster. A soft colourwash of turquoise and white went on all four walls, and the small bit of wall under the black tile was painted in a saturated turquoise the same colour as the toilet. The shutters were custom made with faux stained glass insets.

Modern Guest Room

Here we have a small guest room done in white and black. Three walls are upholstered in black fabric, the third wall was left white and sheer curtains placed across. A white twin bed, white metal cabinet and black leather chair are used for furnishings. The mirrored cabinet doors help make the room seem larger than it is. The three light unit above the bed is custom made from glass salvaged from a broken chandelier found in the alley.

Faux White Marble Table Top

This client had a dark mahogany leather topped table that looked great in winter - too heavy, dense and massive for the space in summer. I had a piece of 1/8" plywood cut to the dimension of the top and painted it in a faux white marble with a high gloss polyurethane topcoat.

$200 - this item has been sold

Red Marble Top Side Table - $225 FOR SALE

Vintage side table with asian-influenced details. Black & gold mottled faux finished base, painted faux red marble top.

Faux Slate & Rust Cocktail Table

One of my most favourite projects. For a client that loved the outdoors and gardening, I created a piece that showcased two "outdoors" elements.

Faux slate painted top and a rust technique on a wood coffee table.

$800 - This item has been sold

Faux Marble Fireplace Surround

Custom built mantle with faux painted green marble surround to fireplace.

$250 - this item has been sold

Custom Cocktail Table

Custom cocktail table designed by me, built by Weber Furniture Service, Chicago, IL.

Whitewash stained, satin finish, open pore on white oak, with polished stainless steel accents on legs.

$3200 -This item has been sold

Yard Sale find Secretary Desk. Original finish was a glossy dark walnut stain with square wood knobs. Piece was stripped, sanded, given a 3-coat antique glaze faux finish on the body & interior, and new glass knobs were added. The detail is strips of moulding painted in different hues of gold, umber and distressed white.

$650 - This item has been sold