Fix it up

My current decorating project is my master bedroom. It has a hollywood regency vibe... lots of black laquer furniture, and gold accents. I have been on the hunt for two matching nightstands that would fit into my vision. Below are some photos of they type of thing I was looking for, which I kept around for inspiration.

Available at Pegaso Gallery Design for 3,200.00
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Available at Dixon Lane Antiques for 2,850.00
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Well, my patience paid off. After months of looking, I finally came across a couple of nightstands at  a Denver Gypsy Boys estate sale. 

This is what I found...

YUCK!

They were dirty! They were moldy! And they didn't even have a top surface! In the past I was always hesitant to buy furniture that was damaged, too dirty, or moldy! But I learned that a little bit of elbow grease and know-how can rescue pieces like these, bring them back to life, and save me a lot of money along the way. Since they were in such bad condition, nobody else bought them during the first two days of the estate sale. So there they were still around on Sunday, at half price! Originally 80.00, they ended up only being 40.00 with the Sunday discount!

Let the clean up begin!

A little trick I learned from a professional antique refinisher... just get a bowl of warm water, and add a tablespoon or so of bleach. Wipe down the furniture, and the mold is gone! 

 

WOW! Look at that clean up swell! I followed up with a final cleaning of Pledge. I wiped them down inside and out! For the missing top, Gypsy Vince told me, "Just buy some MDF and spray paint it black." Well it sounded easy enough, so that is what I did. I found some MDF at Home Depot, and they cut it down to size for me. It ended up being about 6.00 a piece. A couple coats of high gloss spray paint and I was done. Thanks, Vince!

Now I am one step closer to my dream bedroom. I have more plans to paint the walls... so I will keep you updated and add photos of that soon!