A project for a friend

A friend of mine saw the desk I had made from the old door and asked if it would be possible to make a dining table in a similar way for her.   I jumped at the chance to create something unique.  I managed to again pick up a door via eBay that was taken from an old workers cottage.  It was made with tongue and groove and in good solid condition.  The door was a nice light latte colour which I though would look nice if a little was left after sanding to add character.  What I discovered when I started sanding was that there was at least three different layers and colours of paint underneath.  

The bottom layer was a dark teal blue which after hours of sanding still left the timber blue.  Hmmm.... I think I need a belt sander.  I could now see some of the lovely grain in the timber however when I wet it to see what it would look like with a clear varnish, it came up a peachy pink.  Not quite what I had envisioned.
So I decided to pay a visit to the hardware store and pick up some stain.  I chose a walnut stain as I think it was nice rich colour.  I used a similar method to what I did with the bookshelves utilising some white and grey water based paint with a dry brush to create the aged affect. 

I finally finished sanding the door and although it looked a little blue I thought it would come up ok one I added the stain and paint.

I now needed to select some legs.  To continue with the industrial feel to the table I thought metal legs would suit best.  We toyed with the idea of using galvanised piping for the legs however some of the parts proved difficult to source and the cost was building up quickly.   In the end we went with some square brushed steel legs which looked good and were simple to fit and nice and strong.

This how the table looked in my friend's home.  I think it looks great with the Tolix chairs.

The study nook

Ok.. so with the desk completed I needed to sort out some storage. Hmmm... shelving was the answer but having never fitted shelves before I didn't want to over complicate things. I discovered some shelving in a hardware store that seemed simple to fit.  I needed some timber for the shelving and after hunting a couple of demolition stores, gumtree, ebay and kerb side pick up I ended up settling with some pine from a hardware store. This was a bit disappointing but at this stage I don't have the tools to cut hardwood or the skills.  To add character to the timber I stained it with a walnut stain and using some grey and white water based paint gave it an aged look.  A couple of hours with a tape measure, spirit level and a brand new drill I managed to fit the shelving ...and it was level!  I also fitted some little wire baskets for my jars of stationary supplies and notepads. All that remained was giving my vintage metal filing cabinet a new coat of paint.  I chose a teal colour for the cabinet which worked really nicely with the coffee coloured drawers.

Now for the fun part, putting it all together.  After adding all of my storage containers, in-trays, red headlight lamp, my mother's old typewriter and other stationary suppliers,  it was complete. Yay!!!

New Projects

Well it's been a while since I've taken the time to dive into another project. Over the past few months though I have had the opportunity to finish a couple of things. I picked up some old school desks and have given new life to one of them.  As it had a laminex top I decided to use chalkboard paint on the top which I thought would add a fun element. I then spray painted the legs a spunky red to give it some colour. Finally I also added a little bit of stenciling to give it some more personality.

I have two more little desks to so so I might do a little more experimenting with the other tow.  This little desk has now gone to a new home to be cherished.

Another project for the house I am working on is our study nook.  We have two alcoves next to each other in the house which I'm not really sure were designed for.  I think they would make a perfect study nook and built-in bookcase.  So that the filing cabinet fits in the nook as well I decided to make a new desk.  I really liked what I have been seeing on Pinterest in regards to upcycling an old door and re-purposing it into a desk/table.  I managed to pick up an old door taken from a Queenslander that someone was selling on line.  It was covered in a dark brown paint and when I started to sand it back I discovered lots of character underneath.  I kept some of the metal work, including a hinge and a keyhole plate which I placed on the top when I had finished.  I had to cut the door down so it would fit perfectly into the nook.  Once I had sanded enough of the paint I polished up the timber with some cabinet maker's wax.  I love hairpin legs however wasn't able to find any second hand on line or at a reasonable price new.  I ended up getting these hairpin style legs with castors, which were relatively easy to fit. Here is what I ended up with.

I am really happy with the result.

Why upcycle?

I have always had a passion for saving things from being thrown out and have quite often had to stop and take stock of my stuff... do I really need all of this and why am I keeping it? In recent times I have been trying hard to reduce the amount of purchases I make and buying second hand where possible, especially when it comes to furniture.  I also have a love for all things vintage and retro.  I love the mid century designs, colours and style. As exciting as it is to visit those super sized flat pack stores they just don't make furniture like they used to.

I very much enjoy working with timber and creating something with my hands.  I loved woodwork and metalwork in highschool and often would follow my dad to the garage to see what he was doing and make book ends and door stops from scraps of wood and left over paint.   

We create so much waste as a planet of people and although I have been a part of this I would love to see more of a conscious change in myself and in others.   In Brisbane we regularly have a service provided by the council where hard rubbish is collected from the kerbside from each suburb.  I must admit it does feel a little like Christmas for me with all of the interesting items placed on the kerb.  There have been times when I have pulled up with the kids on board and grabbed a piece a furniture and placed in the boot.  The trash and treasure market stall holders also do this so you have to get in quick!  I'm pretty sure I'll need a van if I keep this up and it's a little embarrassing trying to jam furniture in the car only to discover it doesn't fit!  The kids always wonder what the heck I'm doing as well and I'm often trying to explain that I'm not stealing, I'm recycling.   I'm sure it won't be too long before I have two little helpers assisting me to load the car.   For now I'll have to resist as the garage cannot fit any more "projects".  It overwhelms me how much stuff we throw out and I can't bare the thought of a perfectly good piece of furniture being crushed in the rubbish collection.

So a couple of months ago I decided to start up-cycling.   I don't think you can call it refurbishing furniture because I'm not restoring it to its original condition.  I commenced this new adventure with a couple of purchases I made on eBay and Gumtree.  Wow... it was so much fun! I now have 4 projects on the go and have sold 5 pieces so far . Here they are.

This desk had a plastic laminate top and a thick layer of a cream coloured paint.    I stripped the timber back by sanding it, painted the top with chalk board paint, put new handles on the drawers and lined them with wallpaper.

I wanted to try something new with this next project and decided to give some stenciling a go with acrylic paints.  It did take some time and patience but I was pretty happy with the end result.

I just love this little map desk.  It was surrounded by a pale coloured plastic laminate which didn't really look that great so I used a black spray paint to frame the map and help highlight the colours.   Some sanding, new handles and some more black spray paint and a funky new look.  Again I lined the drawers with wallpaper.

I wanted to try some stenciling again and picked up some new stencils from a craft store. I was quite happy with the finish, however it didn't sell so well on Ebay with only minimal watchers. :(

Some more stenciling and a little bit more colour I think gave this desk a fresh makeover.

I am certainly learning as I go and fine tuning my self taught skills.  I also have a minimal selection of tools so I guess I'll be asking for hardware store vouchers for Christmas and Birthdays...YAY!!  Well I think I need to get stuck into the projects again, its been a couple of months.  This time I will try to remember to take before and after photo's!