This old buffet has a story.
My dad made it in a college woodworking course way back in the 1970's.
My mom told the story of being newlyweds with a husband in dental school.
They were living frugally to say the least, and a big splurge was when she bought juice at the grocery.
Their only piece of nice furniture was this buffet that my dad made.
This was a fixture in my house for as long as I can remember.
Recently, I've been looking for a buffet-ish thing to put across from my dining room table.
Then I came across the old buffet in a back room of my dad's house, piled with random stuff.
In the drawer were some cub scout patches from decades ago.
Obviously it wasn't really being used, other than to collect dust.
I thought I should be the one to put it to good use, but the brown just wouldn't work in there.
So I got brave and asked my Dad if I could have it, and uh..... refinish it.
He's sentimental about this old piece, so I was kind of expecting a "no."
But he said YES!
So I took off the hardware.
And I sanded and sanded. There was a thick lacquer I had to get through.
Then I cleaned the wood with TSP.
I knew I didn't want any shade or brown or stain. So I thought I'd paint it white.
Then after tossing and turning at night, and feeling brave, I decided to step out of my black and white box.
I wanted to bring some blues into this room, so why not do it with this old buffet?
I picked the "Martha Stewart" shade, Tidewater.
It is practically a neutral color, the way it blends with gray undertones.
But I'm still claiming it was a bold color choice!
I used some of the same hardware, some new.
I spray painted it all (so it would look the same) with the special kind of rustoleum that paints metal.
Now this old buffet has stepped into 2010 with a fresh updated look.
It is also functional, and serves as storage for my extra dishes and serving pieces.
I love walking by and thinking about how much my parents enjoyed this buffet for so many years.
I think that furniture with a story is the best kind of furniture there is!
I'm linking to:
Labels: painting projects, refinishing