orange powder coat! (and some grey)

 before smith and hawken closed their retail stores, we purchased a very heavy set of patio furniture.  our plan was to buy it at smith and hawken since they were known for their quality.  we also thought since they were a staple in the garden furniture industry, we could easily add to our collection as we needed or could afford.  

fast forward a couple of years later...the retail stores were closed, and the brand was sold to target.  yes, target still carries a style like the one we bought. but the quality is seriously undermined, it's made in china, and the chairs weigh at least two-thirds less than the ones we have.  we were seriously bummed.

our imminent move had me asking how to deal with the set.  should i sell it and start over?  i was worried that we would get nothing for the set.  you can buy a set at target that looks almost identical for about 10% of what our set cost.  (seriously!!!!)  i knew if we tried to sell it, we would get nothing.  and to replace it with one as heavy would be expensive.  

the black finish was getting a bit oxidized after many years on a south-faced deck.  and the traditional style of the pieces was just not right for our more modern space.  so i got this idea to get them powder coated.  i called around, and found that it wasn't horribly expensive.  and the finish will last a really long time.  so off they went.

tony, the guy at premier coatings, came to the house to pick them up and bring me a color chart so i could choose the colors.  when i looked at the chart it was mostly boring blacks or severely dull colors. so i asked him, "do you have anything in orange??"  he actually laughed at me (in a good way), and explained that he had more colors, but didn't expect patio furniture to need the crazy ones.  off he went with the pieces, and a few days later the new (crazy) chart was in my mailbox.

here are the new crazy orange chairs, paired with a grey table.  there are two more orange chairs that you don't see, and a grey side table that's hiding in the rear of the photo.  i am reallly excited.  i think the color kinda makes them modern, and now we can add other furniture to the collection and tie it all together with color in the fabric cushions.  that's the idea anyway.

they are going on our roof-top deck.  and the good news is that they will definitely not blow away like their target imposters!

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.