Signs + Side Tables

I was doing some spring cleaning in our storage building last week and found that I have a cache of smaller tables that were screaming to get pulled out and worked on. {Well, it might have actually been Paul requesting I make some room in the building...but nonetheless} I think I pulled out 6 tables total: a pair of end tables, two coffee tables and two cute side tables.

The first pair to get a makeover were these lovelies.

Such a great pair of end tables, there were some minor veneer issues that I had to address but other then that, these were really in great condition.

I did a custom blue color mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I'm calling it midnight blue. It's rich and sophisticated and looks appropriate with the original hardware.

The drawers needed a good cleaning but are in fantastic shape and glide in and out with ease.

A couple new signs were created this week as well. 

The first is this large tree. There is something about tree imagery that I just love. And this piece is no different. At about 28" wide it will be a great focal point over a fireplace, on a gallery wall, in a family room or just about anywhere in a home for that matter.

And the second is a nautical inspired little anchor. We live in Minnesota after all and just about everyone lives on a lake, has a cabin or a is lucky enough to have boat. So who doesn't need an industrial inspired anchor to adorn their walls!

 I've got several other table and sign projects in the works, so this will be a busy week ahead too.

Our first Spring sale is scheduled for Thursday May, 12th at the Wilds Golf Course in Prior Lake. Mark your calendar and let your friends know. It will be a fun night out! More details to come as well as some sneak peaks at what we will be bringing to the show.

Best,

Crystal 

Reclaimed + Repurposed Granary Roof Planks

We were incredibly fortunate to come across some beautiful reclaimed lumber last fall. These amazing boards are reclaimed roof planks from a local Minnesota farm, specifically from the granary that was being torn down.

I get so excited {almost giddy} about the character, grain and history of reclaimed lumber. I always envision the boards when they were new and all the labor that went into constructing the structures that they would call home. And then I think about all the storms that they weathered, the brutal snow storms and the intense Minnesota thunder and lighting shows. I'm so glad that we are able to use these boards for another purpose now, it would really be a shame to have seen these beauties burned or sent to the dump.

We have made a few different pieces with these boards as of late, a couple tables and a few signs. The character and color of this wood is simply stunning! {even more so in person}

Here is a 5-foot coffee table/media stand that we just finished with the reclaimed planks.

{I actually found the wire baskets a few months ago and bought them with the intent of building a table that they would fit perfectly under}

This table matches the side tables that we finished a week ago. You can see those tables here.

A closer look at all that character! I lightly sanded away all the rough spots so that the surface is smooth to the touch, while still maintaining the fantastic patina.

Here is a custom sign that I recently had the pleasure of creating for a customer, I used the same roof planks on this piece too. I can't get enough of the contrasting metal and warm chocolate wood tones.

That's all for this girl today.

I have an amazing dresser makeover to share with you next...until next time!

Crystal

Custom Fabricated Live Edge Table

Industrial style has always been a favorite of mine...long, long before it became so incredibly popular.

I had metal street signs incorporated into our decor {that may or may not have been stolen---what? I didn't steal them but someone must have...}, a salvaged metal bread rack in the dining room {I say with pride that I cherry picked that gem out of a dumpster}, and a wickedly cool live edge coffee table that I picked up at the estate sale of my mom's good friend. These are just a few of the cool things that I had in my repertoire as I waffled between primitive industrial, rustic industrial, farmhouse industrial and now a more modern industrial style. In my opinion, if paired with the right elements, industrial can work in any home.

Now that industrial is gaining in popularity {thanks in part to the shows on HGTV and Pinterest}, I'm actually able to create fantastic industrial decor that is 'on trend' and share it with you all! 

Our latest design is a 6 foot, live edge butternut sofa/entry table. It all started when Paul found an amazing live edge slab on one of our junk missions last summer. Once we got it home, I gave my two cents on the design and from there, it was all Paul. He sketched it up, dialed in the dimensions and got to work on the fabrication.

Here are some during pictures of the wood and metal structure. I deliberated on the finish for the wood for too long so I threw the question out to my Facebook family and asked for their input...the response was unanimous...seal the wood with a clear coat and leave it natural.
Brilliant call people! Brilliant!

I'm thrilled with how the warmth of the wood compliments the metal frame...pure bliss in my mind!

 Paul repurposed this awesome mesh to create a sleek shelf. I love the modern flair it gives the table.

 How about the character of that live edge slab! Knots, saw marks, and even what appears to be a bullet lodged into the wood.

Photos. Don't. Do. It. Justice.

Thanks for taking a look at the latest UP project. Remember, we do custom fabrication too! If you have something that you want help creating, just shoot us a message.

Have a great week!

Crystal

Modern Rustic End Tables

Leather tops on tables.

You know the ones...they only looked good until someone spilled a drink or burned a hole in the leather. Well my latest project was a textbook case of yucky leather tables in dire straits and in serious need of a makeover.

 I started by removing the four leather inserts on the end tables.

What was I left with?

A clean slate and lots of potential.

When I removed the leather, I was left with a slight dip on the tops. I've seen a lot of makeovers where people use yard sticks to resurface the tops and i thought i could possibly do that. But I really wanted a cleaner look, something without all the advertisements that you see on yard sticks.

So I decided to use plain strips of wood cut at different lengths. I sanded, stained and sealed each one to create a rustic look and feel. I know it looks like I used different stains on the wood, but I didn't. Each piece of wood took the color differently, a pleasant surprise!

Now the hard part...trying to organize and fit them all in place, It was like a puzzle nightmare! I was sorta regretting my design decision a this point. {'Oh Crystal, you've had better ideas than this', I thought over and over in my head!}

I didn't throw in the towel, and man oh man am I glad I didn't!

Once I had all of the strips in place, I painted the table bodies with Annie Sloan Old Ochre and Old White, heavily distressing and then sealed them with clear and dark wax. To finish off the look, I tossed the old hardware and updated it with some new chunky silver cup pulls.

A few more shots of the tables.

Despite the moments of doubt and frustration, I'm quite happy with how they turned out.

Well, that's all for today. I hope you have enjoyed this project makeover and I've inspired you to take on a leather top makeover of your own!

-Crystal

Linking up to:
Vintage Inspiration Party
Dream. Create. Inspire.

Repurposed Industrial Merchandise Rack

 We were recently asked to create a custom merchandise rack for a local business. The only real parameters were that the piece needed to have an industrial feel and that it should be on wheels so that it's easy to move around and allows for more flexibility in terms of placement. 

Here's what we ended up creating...

 

And here's how we got to the finished look...

We met with our customer to determine what they were wanting and what the look and functionality needed to look like. After our consultation, I drew up a couple possible solutions and this is the idea that they picked! I'm not the best illustrator, but you get the idea...

  

The base of this idea was to repurpose an old dresser as the main structure and then build a shelving unit to attach to the top. You can imagine how excited I was when the customer said they were all for repurposing an old dresser into the new merchandise rack! It makes me so happy to see that people are open to reusing old pieces and give them a second life.

So into the shop we went to start retrofitting the dresser and fabricating the new shelves. First we removed the two larger drawers and painted the void black. Then we cut some salvaged wire mesh to size and fastened it to the shelves. It's sorta hard to see on this picture but we reinforced the bottom of the dresser with a metal frame and then attached the four casters.

 

Here is a close up of the wire mesh. It has a super cool industrial feel and was going to be perfect to line the shelves and use as the walls for the top structure. Our customer suggested we use different size mesh because 'they didn't like things to matchy matchy' and I couldn't have agreed more. The different mesh is far more interesting to look at!

 

We used a combination of angle iron, square tube and the salvaged mesh to create the framework for the top hutch. We had a couple pieces of fabulous reclaimed roof boards from a local barn that we used for the shelves. Just love how the reclaimed wood balances out so well with the metal!

I painted the exterior of the dresser a dark grey, and lightly sanded the edges so that it looked used and comfortable.

 

Two last things we needed to figure out before this was complete were the handles and what we would use for the top of the dresser so that it was SUPER durable and would withstand whatever was thrown at it!

For the industrial drawer pulls we used some cool pipe and elbow fittings...I absolutely love how they turned out!

 

Now to the top. We were struggling with what to use...paint was just not going to cut it and we knew that...but what would be appropriate, offer the smooth surface we needed and still be durable enough? Metal, of course. So we got some sheet metal and had it cut to fit like a glove!

 

Here are a few more pictures of the finished piece...

 

Thanks for taking a look at our repurposed industrial merchandise rack!

Have a great day!

Crystal

Antique Industrial Chest of Drawers + Dresser Set

 This is a project that I've been wanting to try for quite sometime but I just needed to find the right specimen. Well low and behold, my hubby found this set for me and hauled it home a couple weeks ago-GAME ON!

This set was in awful shape, but it was exactly what I needed for this project so into the shop for a TON of prep work. We had to repair years of damage, literally rebuild a few drawers and replace all the drawer bottoms. Here are a few pics of the progress...

  

 

I had picked up an outrageously cool printers cabinet several months ago and have been obsessing with the finish...this would serve as my inspiration piece...

I love the patina on this cabinet from the years of use...now for me to apply that same feel to my dresser set.

 To get this look, I washed both dressers with Graphite, wiping back the wash as needed to get the desired finish. Using dark wax I was able to achieve the depth I needed and highlight the oak wood grain as well. To complete the look I picked up some 'new' industrial inspired pewter knobs and drawer pulls.

 

 

Antique Industrial---that's what I'm calling this style. 

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

 Have a great day!