So, we finally got around to finishing the guestroom/office. This room is actually used for a number of different things. We use it for our office and guestroom and Bjorn also uses it for painting and creating music. This is the only room in my house where every piece of furniture is antique or vintage. I added some modern touches with the bedding and some of Bjorn’s artwork. I will be the first to admit that I am neurotic and compulsive when it comes to decorating. Everything has to be “just so,” but I am not the type to have matching sets of ANYTHING. You will never see a full living room set or bedroom set in my house. I just don’t think I can really show my personality with standard, mass-produced furniture. I like mixing old with new, playing with patterns and colors, and honestly, I like having things that I don’t see in other people’s houses.
A new year calls for a new start! I was tired of the horrible table that I had in the kitchen. Sure, it looked good from far away, but in reality, it was a cheaply made table. I had purchased an antique table to use for the wedding that was more “me.” I decided that I wanted to use it for the kitchen table. This table is solid wood – not particle board. There are really interesting gears underneath to make the table expand. I also really love the legs of this table. It’s very unique and I felt that it would fit in better with my style.
I was tired of the living room layout. The shape of our living room makes it difficult to find a way where our furniture can be arranged to allow everyone to sit comfortably to talk or watch TV. I think, however, that I have finally found the right set-up. I’ve also hung up the old movie reels that Bjorn and I found at Salvage Chic. I put a bench by the door to allow us to take our shoes off when we come into the house. I think that it looks much more comfortable and inviting.
–Marie
I know, I know. It hasn’t even been a full year since we moved into the house and painted the bedroom. A couple of weeks ago, I woke up and decided that my bedroom just didn’t feel “cozy” enough. The rest of my house is full of rich, deep, colors. There are reds, burnt oranges, dark purples, and soft yellows. Where did my gray bedroom fit in? The answer is – it didn’t. So, off to the paint store I went. We decided on a dark green. I knew that with that particular shade of green, I could use a lot of reds, yellows, blues, and oranges in the accent colors.
I painted the room (Bjorn got all of the high spots that I couldn’t easily reach) and almost instantly, it felt like a room that actually belonged in my house. It was a great excuse to order new bedding and curtains (even though the ones I had already still would have worked). So, online I went. I found several new duvets that I loved, but I did have to at least ask Bjorn what his opinion was. The one we decided on was one of my favorites, so I was happy. The curtains cost me close to nothing because I had a Crate and Barrel gift card! They are neutral and will fit with whatever changes I make in the future.
I also decided that I wanted to create a new nightstand. I wanted a place to keep some of the books I look at frequently when I’m reading in bed. I wanted something rustic and worn to give my room a more “lived in” feel. I headed to one of my favorite antique stores (Chapel Antiques) to find some inspiration. What I found was an old wooden crate with metal trim. I decided that if I put it on it’s side and attached legs, it would be exactly what I was looking for! I went to Lowes and bought the legs that I needed. Luckily, I had some soft, antique-y looking, yellow paint that would be perfect for the legs. I got to work on the table and it took a total of 15 minutes to put it together and paint the legs.
I swapped out my old antique table/bench and put an antique trunk at the end of the bed. I wanted a place to store extra sheets and pillows. Over the bed, we hung some photos I had taken (and one that was taken by my cousin, Becky) on some of our many camping trips. One is from Acadia National Park, one is from Vermont, and the other is from Plymouth. I also hung two antique sewing drawers over the bed and placed two really cool owl candles inside of them.
Overall, I am very pleased with the changes I made.
Before:
After:
This is the table that was created using an antique crate and table legs.
My fantastic mother-in-law found pretty much the exact shelf I’ve been looking for! I wanted a place where I could display all of my antique apothecary bottles.
I wanted to paint the shelf a color that would fit with the other colors in the room and allow the bottles to stand out as well. I picked up a very deep purple color.
I am not and never have been the “matchy-matchy” type of person. I seek out things that I enjoy and I worry about how they will “fit” later. I do tend to be drawn to a “warmer” feel when it comes to colors, fabrics, woods, and just all-around ambiance – especially in a room that I want to be inviting and comforting. I love the wood of the Morris chairs and the colors and patterns of the fabric on the cushions. I think the only things in my living room that are not antique or vintage are the couch, TV, and TV stand. I also love displaying the art work of Kathleen, Bjorn’s sister, (she took all of the amazing photos in the “book nook”) as well displaying some of Bjorn’s paintings.
I love my black cabinet. It holds my collections and all of my books. It’s probably one of my favorite finds, ever.
A good friend of mine is getting married. I offered for her to use some of the vintage milk glass, antique glass bottles, and vintage dessert stands and bowls. It wasn’t until I got everything out of it’s various places around the house, that I realized just how much I had!
Bjorn and I decided that we wanted somewhere to hangout in the yard at night. I figured, why not try an outdoor fireplace/fire pit area?! So, I went to the Mill Store and picked up a couple of unfinished Adirondack chairs and painted them the same color blue as the garden bench I painted earlier this summer. Painting the chairs took FOREVER, but it was well worth it.
Bjorn’s mom had an extra chiminea, which was fantastic! We went to Home Depot this morning and bought some weed barrier to keep things from growing. We put that down and used giant staples to stake it into the ground. After that, we went across the street to Richmond Sand & Gravel and got a yard of natural stones. They brought it across the street to our house and after about 10 wheelbarrow trips, we got it to the backyard.
This is where we will be eating dinner tonight. 
I found this awesome old military trunk at Reed Hollow last weekend. I already have a great trunk table that I made before we moved here, so I decided to make one to sell. I added legs and painted it with a cement color paint. The point of this type of paint is to make the trunk look “worn.”
Below are the before and after pictures of the trunk. Kristy is going to look at it and let me know if it fits with the rest of her apartment. If not, it will still be up for grabs.
I found this amazing antique barrel chair on Craigslist. It was in pretty rough shape. The woman who sold it told me that she took it out of an old estate sale about 30 years ago. She had painted it black around the time she bought it. So, after 30 years, the paint needed an update, for sure. I found this really interesting shade of gray and decided that it would be a great update for the chair.
Before:
After:
–Marie
I get so excited about finding things that I have been wanting forever. When I came across this 1910 ice chest on Craigslist, I was ecstatic. The woman just wanted to get it out of her garage and the price was amazing. So, with a lot of help from Bjorn, we went to her house and loaded the 300lb ice chest into my little Yaris. Now that we are moved into the house and I have a spot for it, I was super excited about getting it moved upstairs. So, once again, with help from Bjorn, it was moved into the house (with some make-shift ramps and A LOT of pushing). We will be using it to store some extra pots and pans and kitchen stuff.
The antique white chest on top of it is a birthday gift from Silke. I think I will be using the 18 drawers for spices! On top of that is a lovely, handmade bowl from Lindsay, Josh, and Lila (also for my birthday). It’s pretty amazing! The framed image is actually a vintage Sanka coffee advertisement from the 1960′s. I fell in love with it at Salvage Chic and had it framed yesterday. The plant is actually being held inside of a vintage milk glass pedestal bowl. I just bought this today at Something For Your Dust!
I love finding all of these little treasures and making them fit together!
–Marie
