Tru(meau) Love- A recession friendly version of a French classic

Trumeaus have long been a popular decor accent, but with the recent rise in popularity of Swedish and French design, their popularity has soared. They can be quite pricey, however, especially larger ones. A decent reproduction starts around $500, large reproductions can cost up to $2000, and as for antiques---the sky is the limit. I've recently found a way to make a more affordable version of this classic.
First, the base. I started with this great salvaged door with its beautiful layers of peeling white and cream paint. (note--the key to making this project budget friendly is finding a well-priced door-in some higher end architectural salvage yards, doors can be several hundred each. But if you keep your eyes open, similar doors are availabe at non-profit "green" projects were building materials are recycled, flea markets, and sometimes for free at re-modeling/building sites) The weathered finish was one of the things that really made this project. A similar finish could be replicated on a newer door with a faux paint technique. What made the door suitable was the fact that it was divided into 2 panels, one large and one sigificantly smaller.

I then had my contractor replace the bottom panel with glass and add crown moulding to the top of the mirror. (His too-helpful assistant almost derailed the project--he was getting ready to caulk, putty, and sand the door down to a smooth finish--he couldn't believe I wanted weathered wood and peeling paint). Depending on how handy you, a friend, or your spouse is, except for the mirror cutting, this could be diy (note: the door is actually inverted--the smaller panel was originally the bottom of the door). The mirror actually looked really good at this point. If you are going for a simple, country look, all the mirror really needed to be finished at this point is some minor antiquing on the added crown and a coat of dark wax to seal it.

For this client, however, I wanted a slightly more formal feel, so after removing all actively peeling paint, I gild and distressed the added crown and the small trim around each panel. I then did some handpainting on the center panel with the client's favorite motif, the fleur de lis. I finished it all with two layers of dark paste wax buffed to a sheen. If you did not want to paint the top panel, other options would be to add a carved detail, replace the top panel with mirror as well, or search for a small oil painting in similar dimensions to the top panel.

From Curbside to Bedside: How to refurbish a street find

Below is a pic of the great little nightstand I found abadoned on the curb when neighbors down the street moved out: It was a great find, because my guest room presents some difficulties. It's a small room, 12 x 14, made even narrower by a closet that juts out into the room. In it, I have a queen bed, which is too large for the space. However, I already owned the bed when I moved in with Thomas, I love it, it was relatively expensive, I didn't want to get rid of it, and we often have couples staying in the guest room. My intial decision with the bed placement, below, was to shove the bed into the corner to preserve floor space, and I used a small bench as a nightstand, both because of its diminutive size and because I really didn't have another home for it. Neither solution really worked; it was awkward crawling over another person if you shared the bed, and the stool offered no storage.

One day, while walking Cleopatra, the sweetest ,cutest dog ever, I stopped this little cutie on the curb. Sure she was a little battered, but at a little over 12 sq. inches, she was the perfect size, and the deco styling was a sure fit for our 1930s house. Furthermore, It was solid wood construction, and the veneer was intact except for a couple of very small chips around the edges.

The first thing I did was to thoroughly clean the piece with a 0000 steel wool pad soaked in mineral spirits to remove dust, gently sand down imperfections, and give a clean working surface. think of it as a gentle wood exfoliant. In the pic, you can notice the imperfections in the varnish on the top (the lighter patches of wood).

Next, I used a stainable wood filler to fill in the chipped door edges.

After applying, I sanded down the filler.

Next came multiple layers of stain and polish. I planned on keeping the finish in a similar tone to the original finish, but darker. This was for a couple of reasons. One, stain is like haircolor; it's easier to cover variations, mistakes, and inconsistency if you go darker. Second, while I didn't care if the nightstand's finish matched the bed exactly, I did think a darker finish would be a better complement.

First step, after patching, was to spot stain the worn areas in the finish, the stratches, and the putty with sedona red (which I already had left from another project) in order to blend the lighter patches with the rest of the finish.

Second, I lightly sand with superfine steel wool, and then did a couple of coats of a mix of Minwax Polyshade Special walnut mixed with Colonial Maple (the mix was also left from another project). I used the polyurethane with stain because the piece had originally had a laquer layer that had worn through in places. By using a poly, those unprotected areas would be given a layer of protection. I also needed the mixed colors to get exactly the color I wanted: a reddish tone with darker brown undertones. If you are looking for a certain effect or trying to match existing finishes, mixing is the way to go. Just remember to write down proportions as you are experimenting so you can recreate the perfect stain in larger quantities.

Third, because I wanted the piece to have a more authentic finish, I again sanded the entire piece with steel wool, and applied 3 coats of dark wax with a steel wool pad.

The piece in progress, after blending the lighter areas:

In place:

Since the stool was also narrow, I was able to squeeze it between the bed and the window to create a second nightstand. It's a little snug moving between the bed and the closet, but the benefit to having two nightstands is so much greater.

It's the perfect size for an alarm clock, a couple of books, and a small bouquet.

It was missing a pull, so I found a co-ordinating pull, painted it to match the original and added a broken beaded tassel for interest:

And for an extra touch, I lined the bottom drawer with a remnant of a favorite fabric:

Since I already had the stains and other materials needed for the makeover, my total out of pocket cost was $1.57 for the clearanced drawer pull. Considering the fact, I just saw a similar piece for $75 in a consignment store, I think it was a good deal.

Cheap Chic 2: a floral centerpiece for $10

I've caught the spring cleaning bug late. But now, that I have it, I've been looking around the house thinking about what I'd like to change (everything), and what I can afford to change (maybe a light bulb). All joking aside, I do intend to make some changes to the house--primarily a purge of extraneous crap (i.e. all of Thomas's things...mine are treasures, I swear), some painting, and some slipcovers. However, after making my intial to do lists (I love to make lists...actually doing the items on said list-not so much), I was so overwhelmed, I decided to smart small by cleaning the dining room, which is the smallest least cluttered room in the house and bringing in some fresh flowers for the table. Since money is tighter around here than last year's girdle, I did it with things I already owned and a couple of supermarket bouquets.
My inspiration: a white bowl (wal mart) filled with some green pears with touches of yellow ( faux, and a gift) that complement the orange stripes in the dining room and echo the pale green of the adjoining kitchen. Plus, light, bright green and white just feel like summer, especially with yellow accents. I wanted a large arrangement, but I don't have a large vase. So in order to create a large scale arrangement, I placed the bowl of pears and two white vases on a small pale green wooded tray to create one large centerpiece.

The materials. Variagated ginger leaves from the garden, yellow aster, lemons to jazz up the friut bowl (key tip for using faux friut and flowers...add some real items and it elevates the fake), and some white flower whose name I don't know but that I've used before and know lasts for a long time in a vase. I purposely kept the palette limited: green and yellow to echo the pears, white to echo the vase and to add freshness. Btw, ginger and split leaf philodendrums are great plants to put in the garden: they are super easy to grow, and their greenery looks great alone or in an arrangement, and they can last for several weeks if you change the water every now and then.

First, I like to start with the greenery, in this case ginger leaves, to give the basic structure to the arrangement. I also usually follow the pyramid rule in arrangeing flowers. In this case, it means the tallest point would be in the taller vase in the back.

Nest, I added the filler flowers, cutting the stems to fit the vase, and removing all greenery and blooms that would be under the level of the rim.

Next, I add the main white flower, again trimming the stem to fit the vase and stripping extra leaves and blooms. After that, I piled the real lemons over the faux pears.

Voila, an arrangement for $10, using what I already owned, that should last for a week to ten days. I will also use the lemons for cooking, lemonade, or a twist in my martini. In fact, my motto is, "If life gives you lemons, make a martini."

This angle shows how the bright green of the arrangement picks up the avacado kitchen.