Meet my new linen closet and the porch of projects
July 20th, 2007 by ariana
So yesterday I posted about tearing down the upstairs hall built in and how that necessitated buying an armoire to keep our linens and extra bath products in.
Never one to pass up an excuse to shop, I have been obsessively scouring craigslist and ebay for weeks!
Finally, a few days ago we hit gold – or so we thought..
A couple only 10 minutes away were moving and selling an antiquey looking armoire of the perfect dimensions to fit in the hall and also the perfect configuration for the use we intended – two large drawers on the bottom, doors that open to reveal two more drawers and two shelves. It had cute hardware and was already painted white which was important (because I need another painting project like I need a hole in the head ) and it was reasonably priced at $200.
Here it is:
Looks great right? Totally chippy, shabby and cute.
Ah yes, well, pictures can be totally deceiving and is the reason why I’ve been dissapointed in some way by every piece of furniture that I’ve found on ebay or craigslist.
What appears in the picture to be shabbilicious paint chipping off is in reality a very tacky faux crackle finish job applied by the previous owner…in dark navy blue. It looks great from a distance, but up close, the navy blue is really unconvincing and there is just WAY too much of it:
I know its really hard to tell from the pictures, but trust me on this one, it’s ugly and needs to be painted (yes, of course it does..)
Which brings me to the next topic of the day…readers, I introduce to you The Porch of Projects!
Left Side of The Porch of Projects
Here we have the new armoire, and the craigslist dresser and vanity…
Right side of The Porch of Projects
Here we have the right side of The Porch of Projects, also known as “The Interior Door Painting Studio.”
So next time I post about some great little cottagey item I’m eyeing on ebay that just needs a little coat of paint to make it perfect – FOR THE LOVE OF GOD stop me before its too late!!
Hmmm… that is too bad about the disappointing paint job. This is why I get nervous about buying things sight unseen. But at least you’ll be able to make it lovely with a little elbow grease. I wish we had room for a nice big armoire! I love them.
This entry made me chuckle. I can relate! When we bought the house, I thought to myself that we would never even use the garage for storage. We didn’t have that much stuff…
Well, right now there is a dining table, coffee table, two end tables, and an armoire waiting to be refinished and/or painted…
Dulcie, believe me I should have sworn off online shopping a long time ago..but I can’t seem to stop myself. Is there a craigslist addicts anonymous support group I can go to??
Kimberly, I’m so glad I’m not alone – In fact I think your list o projects is longer than mine! Please let me know if you discover any great paint colors or techniques as you make your way through all that furniture painting..
good luck with the many many projects!!! the new piece looks very nice, and yeah the ugliness does not show in the pictures… what we have done with the antiques that we would want to change the color is… NOTHING! hahahaha! since we are in a VERY tight budget right now, we decided nothing would be painted in the time being… so we just arranged them in the place they belong to and we’ll get to paint them someday… and you know what? they don’t look bad at all, since we are seeing them in the context of the whole room along with the rest of the furniture… so maybe your armoire could stay that way for a couple of months…
Antibride,
Unless your hiding them somewhere I haven’t seen a single item posted on your blog that needs a color change. They all look divine as is to me.. but like I said, pictures can be deceiving so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt!
I would put it upstairs as is for a while.. but the problem is I don’t know how we’re going to get it up there in the first place – let alone twice. Its HEAVY.
Have you thought about simply stripping the doors, sanding them down, and waxing them, instead of painting? I know it might sound a little odd, but it’s done fairly frequently in renovations here in New Orleans and, depending on the overall style of your house, can look absolutely fabulous.
Hi Bubba,
There isn’t really any natural wood in the house.. the doors need to be white, but that’s a really interesting suggestion.. I haven’t heard of that method before. Thanks!
I love your porch of projects. I don’t feel all alone with my porch now.
I have this problem too. I have sworn off shopping until I finish one project. My husband might kick me out if I drag another diamond-in-the-rough into my house. I just found your blog, and I absolutely love it! You have a beautiful style.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, your armoire might look great if you cut out the door insets and put in chicken wire, like on this website: http://bp0.blogger.com/_oazgG4.....C05285.JPG
or on this website: http://photos1.blogger.com/blo.....IM1284.jpg (sorry for the long links)
Another thing you could do is paint just a little gold on the ridges of the doors and the curves.
Please post pictures when you are done!
Heather,
I actually did finish it this weekend.. it came out pretty good! I couldn’t take pics this morning because it was too dark, but I plan on posting them tomorrow. Thanks for your advice!
[…] start with the armoire/linen closet.. the first refugee from The Porch of Projects has been painted and relocated to its new home in the upstairs […]
Somewhere in your blog you talked about the chest that you were working on that you wanted to add the small decorative pieces to to cover the wood putty fill-in. I wanted to recommend the following web-site to you, along with their catalog. I received their color printed catalog in the mail yesterday, which I can peruse kind of more easily than sitting in from of my computer scrolling from page to page.
http://www.vandykes.com
It is the site for Van Dyke’s Restorers. You can find TONS of stuff there, so take a peak and have their catalog sent to your home. You won’t be sorry!
Love your blog….you could be my twin…separated at birth!
Have a great day!
Vickie in Dallas
Thanks Vickie!
I just ordered the Van Dyke’s catalogue.
I ended up ordering the appliques from ebay and the seller is taking forever to ship :(
I may just start painting without the appliques because I really want to get the vanity set up already!
:)
[…] weekend I finished the last project on The Porch of Projects, the Craigslist Vanity & […]
[…] with the completion of the vanity and dresser makeover, the enclosed front porch was free of painting projects and ready to become a Porch for the first time since we bought the […]
hey i just would like to know if u r selling this closet