Several smaller custom refinished projects - side table edition!

I often blog about the larger furniture pieces I refinish, but I haven't updated with any photos or blurbs on the many smaller pieces that I've done.  Sometimes writing up a blog post simply takes too long relative to the time spent on a smaller project, so I figured I'd stretch my time by corralling some of my smaller pieces into the same post!  

These are a mix of custom-order pieces as well as pieces that I did up on my own for re-sale or as gifts for family/friends.  As you can see, I love variety and I enjoy tackling a smattering of different styles from shabby-chic to farmhouse/cottage style, to industrial and rustic.  I have a soft spot for old things, but making them new again is what really makes me tick.  Enjoy!

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To place a custom furniture order or to purchase an existing piece or photography prints, please contact me at sageandbalm@gmail.com and I'll be happy to assist you!  You can also follow Sage & Balm on Facebook and at sageandbalm.com.

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1) An antique side table that was badly damaged in its structure and finish ( it could barely stand up on its own legs):

After: pretty in navy and walnut stain!

2) An old pine trunk that had seen better days...no before pic (it was brown, dirty, chipping and boring!)

After: a pretty shabby-chic trunk ready for use again!

My daughter, lording over her mama's trunk!

3) Two standard cable spools full of stickers, dirt, and permanent marker! And for a future post....my planked out floors which replace those awful white peel-and-stick tiles! *scroll down for a sneak peak!

After: two very pretty industrial-chic side tables! (Only one pictured).

4) A worn-down antique table passed down from grandma to grandson, that didn't fit in with the couple's decor...* check out the new kitchen floor! in these pics!

After: Now pretty and shabby-chic in a gorgeous soft linen colour!

5) A hand-built rustic coffee table from scrap lumber! (No before picture: visualize a pile of wood!)

After: a very rustic coffee table perfect for the porch or living room!  Here it is on my porch - and yes, that orange tile will go one day... :)

6) A hand-built console table made from barnboard and reclaimed wood! Again - no before photo...

7) And last, but not least: a worn down table with good bones, but a damaged finish:

 After: A very bright and restored, yet still shabby-chic table which highlights the wood inlays! (Apologies for the blurry photo)

To place a custom furniture order or to purchase an existing piece or photography prints, please contact me at sageandbalm@gmail.com and I'll be happy to assist you!  You can also follow Sage & Balm on Facebook and at sageandbalm.com.

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Soft blue vintage vanity with tilt mirror and layered chippy paint, original casters & fixtures!

Here is a darling little vanity that I picked up and wanted to makeover.  I really enjoyed its shape, but the previous owner (or someone else perhaps) had painted it a cloying yellow with gold highlights and glazed it with a very heavy (and drippy) hand; likely in the 90's or earlier.  The paint was starting to chip, which I like on some pieces; but I couldn't stand the yellow-brown finish on it, and on top of that, it was covered in unsightly glaze drips that made the piece look filthy.  It was time for a makeover. 

 I started by stripping the table top and sealing it to show off the beautiful natural walnut and maple tones which had a beachy driftwood feel. I left the quirky parts of the top as they were because I like the imperfect look, especially when the rest of the piece has planned imperfections!  Then I thought a very pale and soft blue-green colour - almost like seaglass - would keep the piece from being too overwhelming, and suited the shape and beachy top.  And since I really am a sucker for ultra shabby-chic pieces, I decided to make the finish very chippy to show the layers of colours underneath: just as you'd see on old pieces painted with milk paint or old oil-based paint. I like that the old yellow paint colour compliments the soft blue and dark wood underneath.  After trying to get a more "authentic" chipping paint look, by using the existing chips and making more of my own, the whole piece was waxed to keep in step with the vanity's vintage and give a matte-eggshell sheen.   Would this piece have looked great restored?  Sure....but sometimes you can have fun with a piece too (so long as it's not a truly valuable antique!)  Now this piece is ready for a new home!

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Before: poorly finished, and frankly very homely!

After: a soft, beachy & very pretty shabby-chic vanity!

Peeps of the yellow paint and dark stain underneath compliment the soft blue colour nicely, and give the vanity a layered, time-worn feel.

 Gorgeous walnut & maple sealed in their natural colour state!

To place a custom furniture order or to purchase an existing piece or photography prints, please contact me at sageandbalm@gmail.com and I'll be happy to assist you!  You can also follow Sage & Balm on Facebook and at sageandbalm.com.

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Stunning restoration of an antique, mahogany & maple 1800's lady's/secretary desk

Here is a project that I've been picking away at for my dear "A"!  She inherited this sweet little antique from her parents and has lots of memories using it as a kid.  At some point, someone in her family painted it a few times and while it may have looked good at the time, the years took their toll and the desk fell into disarray.  Now, you may look at the "before" photo and ask why I changed it, knowing I'm a sucker for really shabby-chic pieces: but since this is not my furniture, and seeing how neglected it had been, I still saw the benefit in restoring this beautiful secretary desk.  For one thing: the restoration will add years to the desk's lifespan by keeping it clean, repaired, free of potentially harmful chemicals, and keeping the wood conditioned.  But there is also something to be said for breathing beauty back into a piece that got neglected - perhaps it is a hearkening back to those nostalgic memories one has of using a desk and how a loved one's memory seems to come alive through the connection they had with that special piece of furniture.  It's natural for us humans to form attachments with certain objects: not because we love the object itself, but because we can have wonderful memories and a history behind the piece.  Pieces like this do make me nervous that I'll mess something up - whether it's a colour choice or removing something original or not being able to make it brand new again - even if this isn't my first rodeo!  I do feel the pressure to want the family requesting a restoration to have their expectations met.  But "A" put a lot of trust in my hands and for that, I'm grateful!

 So while this piece was an enormous undertaking to strip, condition, re-stain, shade, re-seal, shellac, paint, repair, and custom work the colours and fixtures to reflect it's "original" state; I really got a chance to connect with "A" and feel how deeply memorable this desk is to her.  Her love for her family and her past is touching and I hope that she will enjoy seeing the desk as it once was.  I am thrilled that I got to have a hand in the desk's transformation from derelict to the stately heirloom that it is once again!  

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Before: I had just started stripping the top!

After; A gorgeous desk was underneath!

To place a custom furniture order or to purchase an existing piece or photography prints, please contact me at sageandbalm@gmail.com and I'll be happy to assist you!  You can also follow Sage & Balm on Facebook and at sageandbalm.com.

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Exquisite antique oak claw-foot pedestal table & mahogany-stained serpentine walnut buffet with drop pulls in-home refinishing

Here is a custom order for "M & S"!  They had two beautiful solid wood pieces which they acquired from an online auction site; but while the bones of the pieces were great, the finishes were dated or in a semi-stripped state!  They asked me to refinish both pieces to look like they belonged in their beautiful century home full of antiques and patina'd treasures!  While they weren't sure of making the table and buffet appear as a matching set, they wanted the pieces to look cohesive enough to belong together in their traditional and lofty parlour (which I might add, will soon be painted out a lovely dusty plum colour!).  We discussed paint and stain colours for a long time, then finally settled on a fully stained buffet with a dark top and shaded base to highlight the gorgeous woodworking and original brass fixtures; and the table would have - as "S" described it - a "patchy" or streaked multi-toned stained top with a antique white base and loads of distressing and dark wax on the clawed feet.  After lots of painstaking and meticulous (but SO worth-it) work, the set was finally finished and      M & S are ready to enjoy their handsome pieces!

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Before: a good start, but dated & unfinished.

After: Stately table and buffet for a beautiful century home!

To place a custom furniture order or to purchase an existing piece or photography prints, please contact me at sageandbalm@gmail.com and I'll be happy to assist you!  You can also follow Sage & Balm on Facebook and at sageandbalm.com.

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