Trifecta of dressers

It's been a very busy couple weeks in the studio! Lots of stuff coming and going and with my husband gone for a few days of fishing last weekend I found myself fully devoted to getting these three great dressers finished!

This first piece is finished in a nice crisp white. This number is simple and I love it for that reason alone!

Dresser number two is a curvy little serpentine piece. The hardware was updated and it was painted in Duck Egg blue. 

And the last dresser is this handsome number, with the stunning hepplewhite drawer pulls. I finished this in a custom mix of Annie Sloan Napoleonic Blue and Barcelona Orange...those two colors make a rich navy color. YUM!

All three of these girls are different and will hopefully find great new homes!

Thanks for looking--have a great weekend!

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

Fresh. Simple. Classic. Dresser.

The official start of summer is upon us so it seemed it was perfect timing to break out the white, old white chalk paint that is!
 

 

I've had some really great luck finding gorgeous dressers lately...making it relatively easy to transform a piece like this into a show stopper because it has so much class already.

Painted in Annie Sloan Old White and finished it with clear wax, this girl is stunning. Not much distressing here, just enough to make it look gently used and comfortable. The drawer pulls are original and aged to perfection.

Here are some more pictures and closeups of the finished product.

before

Thanks to all those who have served our beautiful country.

Happy Memorial Day!

-Crystal

Reclaimed Industrial Console Table

Our latest project is a stylish, industrial console table.

Handcrafted from steel and reclaimed barn roof boards, this industrial lady is a real gem. I came up with the design and my {fabricator} husband brought the project to life.

As a last minute addition, we added the cross member on the back of the unit. This gives the piece a little added style while not compromising the function.

The saw blade marks on the planks coupled with the nail holes add to the overall character.

The wood and metal frame have been sealed for protection.

Although it will be tough to see this girl off, her bags are packed and she's ready to find her new home.

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!

Spring Boutique Round Up

Last night we participated in the Wilds Boutique in Prior Lake. This was our first time at this venue and what an energetic and lively group of shoppers we had. I can say for certain that we will be returning this fall for the holiday boutique!

For those of you that couldn't make it to the show, here are some of the products that we had for sale last night and a glimpse at our setup.

 

 

Boxwood looks great year round in my opinion. This shabby frame and wreath was the first to sell at the sale!

Blue, yellow and white totes made from reclaimed barnwood and old banister spindles are great little gifts for mom, teachers or neighbors for May Day.

I came across a ton of stamped tin awhile back so I used some to make these wall pockets. I had seen some pockets similar to these on pinterest and they were so cute that I decided to make a small iteration and some bigger ones. The small ones are fun in a grouping and the larger ones are a great alternative to a wreath on a front door.

I also used some of that chippy stamped tin to make some great magnet boards out of vintage frames. These came with a set of three handmade button magnets.

Succulents were a big hit this show. And they require little to NO maintenance, gotta love that!

Arrows seem to be all the rage lately and I had to jump on that wagon and make a few out of some reclaimed barnwood and trim boards.

 

I just love the face that was reveled when we cut this reclaimed beam in half! Creepy or cool? I think it's super cool!

A gigantic thanks to everyone that came out last night and supported local businesses. Your continued support is critical in helping our little business grow!

Have a fantastic day!

~Crystal