Tuesday, April 30, 2013

before and after

there's a used furniture place near our new house.  a nice person who is also a mid-century fan recommended that i take a look when i had a chance.  i have been there several times with no luck.  recently, however, i hit the jackpot.  the set was an old stanley furniture bedroom suite.  it had a full-sized bed (we gave that away because who wants a full-size bed these days?), a tall dresser, and a long dresser (which we will use as a side board in the dining room), and a mirror.

here is the "before", still at the store!


it's kinda hard to see the detail, but each drawer has its original white paint, an applied wooden disk, and a spade shaped pull.  the pulls are made of some sort of pot metal, and were brass plated (and not useable in the state they were in).  we thought the wood was walnut in the store, but once we got home figured out it was mahogany.

it was definitely a labor of love.  the former owner was a smoker, so the whole thing had to be stripped and sanded to get rid of the smell and the yellowing.  john worked on the dark parts, on which he applied several coats of danish oil.  then a few coats of wax.  i took care of the white parts, which were sanded, primed, and spray painted with white gloss enamel.   the pulls needed to be brushed clean and then sprayed with metallic silver paint.  we also filled the drawers with cedar tongue and groove panels.

the best part?  all pieces were $300!  the worst part?  it took FOREVER!!

now the "after" (only the low dresser is pictured), in our new dining room.  now it's ready for accessorizing (my favorite part!)  

and i know, the cords need some work.


Friday, April 12, 2013

holy crap! holy grail! porta power!!

this place is surreal.  this place is unlike any place i have EVER been.  this place is porta power.  and it's in denver.  and if you live in denver (or are visiting), and you love junk...or old buildings...or an assault on the senses, you MUST go!!  oh, and if you do go, you also must wear old shoes.  the floor is not at all sanitary.  and you may want to remove them for a good wash once you leave!  i swear it is all worth it, though!!

my friend, and fellow collector of junk, and antique shop dealer amy, told me about the place.  (amy has a great shop in littleton called "the pink attic cat" you should also check out!!)  she said it would be like no other experience (and gave me the shoe warning--thanks, amy!!), and it was.  i'm gonna post some pics here for you to enjoy.  i couldn't get instagram to work for some reason, which is a bummer because these shots would be so cool with filters...but you can still enjoy!!

didn't buy anything...but the wheels are turning!!













Tuesday, April 9, 2013

new digs

new living room

i promised myself that i wasn't going to post until i was settled, but i figured since we close on the new house tomorrow, that it was okay.  i also told myself that i wouldn't post until i was making some meaningful artwork, but with my studio packed, it's pretty tough.  i will mention that my brain is on overdrive after a long hiatus.  i think i needed the time to recharge after a few years of non-stop work.

so, above you will find an interior photo of the new house.  it's in northwest denver.  yep, the fwegers are moving to the city.  we spent a few weeks on a monumental house search, eventually losing 3 old homes in the crazy denver market.  we also had a contractor look at 3 more old places, hoping that a few swipes of the magic wand could turn them into our dream homes.  ugh.  one problem after another, including a bad foundation, a home so chopped up from previous remodels that it was unsavable, and one more that sold as we were standing inside with the contractor.  

as you probably already figured out, the new place is actually new!  our first new house!  we are very excited to have something brand new after 6 places that we re-did with our own blood, sweat, and tears.  imagine!  everything in working order, without repairing or replacing!!  wheeeeeee!!!

the color scheme

this is a little study i did on a wood block, working out the colors for the new place.  eventually i plan to maybe recreate it on a larger canvas to hang in the house.  i am obsessed with orange...and green...and grey...and white!  so there you go, a sneak preview of what is to come artistic-wise and decor-wise.

i'll keep you posted!

did i mention that i got all of our patio furniture powder coated orange and grey???