I just found the most amazing vintage bench. A neighbor brought it back from her grandmother's estate in Pennsylvania. It did need a little TLC before it was ready for its debut at Unlisted.
I worked on it last week and today it had its first showing!
Here's how it looks in our current space:
Did you know you can follow us on Facebook to get the latest news on the items we're bringing in to the store? You can also follow me on Instagram, but you'll also get a fair share of food, dog and travel photos too!
Back to the bench...It really got me thinking how perfect it would be in an entry way. I always like to provide some sort of "landing place" in an entry way. This way there's a place for guests to place a purse or even a place for you to leave mail or keys. So I turned to Pinterest and some of my favorite blogs.
Here are a few of my favorite ideas for how to style this.
First, keep it simple. Add this to a narrow hall under a few family photos. Easy as that!
Or add a couple very simple pillows for texture and color. Hang a big mirror above so you (or guests) can check their reflection before heading out the door.
And this is my favorite. Form and function all in one! Add a couple baskets for hats and gloves...maybe shoes if that's your thing. Some simple hooks above can house coats, hats or a seasonal decorative item.
What do you have at your entryway? Right now I have a console table with a lamp, a clock and a big mirror above. Hmm, maybe I should rethink selling this bench. I just love it!
Karli's birthday is coming up soon. Almost every year she gets something homemade or refinished from Mom and Dad. I guess it is just important to me that her gift is something made or remade with love. This year will be no exception.
She is getting a New, Old Farm Table. She has a dining table now. In fact it is one I repainted for her ten ?? years ago. It is black and still in good shape......she may be selling it. She has been saying she wanted a larger one and she wants it to be white. She also likes the look of distressed, recycled wood on top. Great.....
I staged a house for resale last month and was partially paid with furniture. One piece was an old farm table that had been in the owner's shed for years. At one time the top had been covered with oil cloth. That had been removed, but the old tacks were still buried in the wood. These had to be dug out. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the top had then been recovered with Contact Paper...........why do people do that? The legs were dirty yellowed cream paint. Other than that, it was in great shape.
I did not have great success trying to pull or scape off the old Contact Paper which had probably been on since the 1970's. I ended up using the blow dryer to heat up the Contact Paper, making it pull up easier. I still had to do quite a bit of scraping.
Then I discovered underneath the Contact Paper that the top was painted the same yellowed cream. Oh NO.....Karli wanted a dark wood top. So out comes the stripper. Did I mention that I love to STRIP!
This old table had been used for years as a "utility" table for craft projects, planting, and as a surface for small home repairs. But, Karli said she wanted distressed. Dwight kept asking when I was going to get out the big sander and wood putty. I kept reminding him that this table had history and character, both of which would remain. Karli and Brent wanted a table that could be abused, one that had that rustic feel, kind of a Pottery Barn look.
I did repaint the frame and old legs white, (Karli's choice now), but I distressed them. The top got stained dark, leaving some old paint down in the pits. It then got 3 coats of Satin Polyurethane, (sanding with steel wool between coats.) Here is what Karli's New Old Farm Table looks like now:
And here is Karli's New, Old Farm Table at her house.....
(She would like me to let you know that she'll do a full post with the final look of the room soon) Happy Birthday Sweetheart! Kandy
