A Love Affair With My New Hutch

I have this huge bare wall with vaulted ceilings in my dining room. It was just screaming for something, but I wasn't sure what. Then I found some inspiration on Pinterest (go figure) for beautifully refinished china hutches. I don't have any china, but something tall with extra storage was perfect for that bare wall. So I found a beauty on CraigsList. This one was extra special, because it still had a working light underneath the hutch! Bonus! Now, I forgot to get a good before picture, so I found this one on the internet which you can tell isn't the exact same one, but gives a good idea on how truly ugly this thing was.

I did manage to remember to take a before picture after I tore it apart but before I started priming. It has that extra-ugly fake panel wall stapled to the back - I have future plans for that. I knew I wanted to go bold, but it had to blend with the warm sage green I already have in my kitchen - so burnt orange sounded perfect!
 I will say this was my toughest project yet, primarily because of the surface area and corners/crevices to paint around on the hutch. A few new pulls and I'm beyond thrilled with the final reloved design!

A Hulk Smash Dresser

So I found this really ugly dresser at a local thrift shop.  It was perfect; surprising to many who don't see it's potential! I wanted something tall for my sons new big-boy room, so it wouldn't take up too much floor space. I bought it and brought it home, only to discover it was a little more damaged than originally thought. A large chunk was missing off of the corner, and the drawers didn't slide in and out very well. It needed a little TLC even before I could begin to paint it. Thankfully, the knobs were salvagable with a little paint, so I saved myself some time and money there.

I wanted to do something bold, and with my idea for a Superhero-themed room for my 2-year-old, a bright green was just the trick. We now call it our "Hulk Smash" dresser!  I love how this reloved design turned out!

Jewelry Chest & Vintage Dresser

It has been a busy couple weeks finishing projects, and now is the fun time where I get to show them off!  Both have sold already, which is fantastic, and now I'm doing a few for my own house!  More pictures to come on that.

First was a very 80's style jewelry chest. I wish I would have gotten a couple better before photos, but it was a dark wood with a dingy pink felt on the inside.  Most of the drawers had stains on the bottom - who wants that?!  In hindsight, I overpaid for this because I bought it sight-unseen from Cedar Rapids, and the lovely Craigslist gal I was buying it from didn't disclose all the stains/problems.  Lesson learned.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I painted it a beautiful glossy black and treated the handles with a black metallic finish. I lined all the drawers with a fun coordinating pink/black patterned material.  The end product turned out great! Perfect for any gal's jewelry.  If I would have had room for it - I would have kept it for myself!

My other project was a gorgeous 1940's antique Dixie dresser.  This was a steal at $50 AND came with a matching mirror and two other small dressers/stands - more on those in the next post. But my client only wanted this dresser (without the mirror).  I have to admit, I had a hard time sanding down the beautiful mahagony, and priming it when it looked so nice as is - but the end product turned out even better.  It definitely pays to find a solid, quality dresser when refinishing things like this.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

More detailed pictures to come .....

I have learned that it's better to re-do those beautiful antiques in a way we would want to see them/keep them, than to secretly look at them and feel frustrated - wishing they matched our furnishings better.  Look how fantastic the end product can be!



And Away We Go....

Welcome to Reloved Designs by Lisa!  It all started thanks to my Pinterest addicition, and here we are. I had to twist my husbands arm when I showed him a picture of an old beatup dresser on Craigslist, and tell him he needed to help me go get it because I wanted to "fix it up".  Well that project ended up being so much fun, and resulted in a lot of interest - so I decided to start up my own little "bisney"  (business and hobby combined).  Who knows what it may bring, but as long as I'm enjoying the ride, that's what counts.  See pictures below of my first project - more on the way!  Thanks for your support.

Here is the before ....it was pretty ugly.

 Here is the after. It took a couple weeks - but I went slow and easy.

It turned out beautiful (if I may say so).  We had hoped to keep it - but just didn't have the room.  Thankfully it found a good home.