Nancy's Stairwell

Sometimes it's the teeniest things that make the most impact...

This was Nancy's spiral staircase at her new condo...

It's to the right of the fireplace in her living room.

 Sort of an awkard little space....

And to the right of the railing, the previous owners had this chair, 

but its too big for the space, and juts out in the walkway.

 And this really drove me nuts......
The top of the pole......

I mean,
is this attractive?? 

From the get go,
I knew I had to do something with this.

 AFTER:
I purchased a decorative wood finial meant for a curtain rod, 

which I screwed into the little wooden cap, after I stained it to match. 

Then I expoxied to the metal pole. 

Now it's sculpture!

 And, speaking of sculpture, that's what this chair is! 

The perfect piece to place in that little corner to make a statement.

I found it at West End Antiques.

 I added a pillow for comfort...

Here's the stairwell now,
with Nancy's antique clock and freshly painted walls.

Stay tuned for the full living room reveal!

A Lamp Story

Here's the story of a little cast off lamp. 

(Thanks, Katie!)

BEFORE:

  And.......

AFTER:

 I painted it in a custom mix of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

 Then I dry brushed all the detail with Old White.

 I spraypainted the old rusty brass with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze.

 Then distressed and added a stain.

 Found the perfect shade......

Ta dah!!!!!!!! 

Sold to my client Nancy, who has excellent taste!

Nancy's Master Bedroom

My client, Nancy, is all situated in her new Fan condo.

And we're about 99% finished with the decorating. 

Yay!

Too much to write all in one blogpost.  

So I'll start small, 

and save the dramatic for last!

BEFORE: 

This is how the bedroom looked when Nancy was considering purchasing the condo...

AFTER:

 And here it is now:

 Nancy purchased a new bedroom set in deep espresso.

Above the bed hangs a metal sculpture 

of a gingko branch that came from her previous home. 

That, and the headboard, really help fill out the wall.

 I picked this fun fabric at u-Fab (where else!) and made throw pillows for the bed.

Now there's a real focal point to the room.

 Nancy wanted to use this lingerie chest beside her bed, but it didn't match.

 I painted and added new hardware, 

and now it looks like part of her new bedroom set.

 I took her little maple console.

 Remember, it had this laminate top.

 I painted it to give it an old world feel......

A totally different vibe than the rest of the furniture...

makes the space so much more interesting, 

don't you think?

 It's right as you come in the back door, 

so it's a great place for keys, etc.

 I used the same fabric as the pillows 

to make a gathered panel for the back door..

...and to reupholser her slipper chair..

 That looked like this...

 AFTER: I simplified the lines...

 Removed the skirt and added this cute onion fringe....

And piping.

So sweet.

One room down....

Watch for posts about the rest of her home.....

coming soon!!!

And thank you, Nancy, 

for entrusting SheShe with your new home makeover!!

It's been so fun, 

I wish it could last forever.

But I'm sure you don't!!!!! 

Trash to Treasure: Can this old console be saved?

My client, Sharon, had this old console in her storage shed...

right next to the lawn mower and tomato cages...

Someone had given it to her...She wasn't sure whether it was

worth saving, so she had me over for a consult.

 Are you kidding me? 

I LOVE this piece........

 Great columns on either side...

missing shelves but that's no problem...

 And the wood has some issues, 

but heck, I'm painting it so that doesn't matter...

Sharon wants to use the piece in her bedroom instead of a

chunky dresser that blocks the walkway.

 Great art nouveau rug.......love the colors and the

arts and crafts feel...

I suggested painting the piece in an off white and linen pallette.

Time to get cranking:

After cleaning and sanding the piece, 

I used my jigsaw to cut shelves.

Two on the right and one on the left. 

(You know how I hate symmetry!)

 I painted the piece in a two tone treatment of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 

in French Linen and Old White.

 Here it is after distress sanding.

I lined the front of the door in this

Thomas Paul dragonfly print.

 Here it is all waxed and setup in Sharon's kitchen.

(I waxed it in her kitchen, so decided to stage it there 

for photos and so she can get the "wow factor"

when she comes home and sees it.)

 Great storage, 

and she can hide lots of icky stuff inside...

 And put all her treasures on display!

So functional, and beautiful. 

And just think,

it almost went in the trash!!!

 I loved setting it up so much,

I had to do it twice!

Looking forward to seeing where it ends up in your great home!

Thanks, Sharon.

Goodbye, West End Antiques........Hello...(details to come!!)

Well, I did it.....

I gave my notice at West End Antiques this week.

 I'll be doing away with my little booth there end of the month.

I'm sad, but also excited to try something different.

(Although it won't be as convenient...)

For anyone interested, they are great people to work with! 

Very accommodating, very supportive.....

My tiny little space was way in the back, 

and although I always made a profit,

I just think I got lost over there...

I think I need to be....

a big fish in a little pond!!!

So......

I'm moving on.

Details to come of where my new space will be...still finalizing.

But for now, my booth is 20% off til the end of October.

So get over to West End!

 And ask for SHE!

Operators are standing by;)

(And PS, don't forget I also have a great space at 

Greenwood Antiques and Uniques in Greenwood, VA.

If you're heading up to the mountains for the fall foliage, 

stop by!  

From Richmond, take the Crozet Exit, turn left onto 250.  

Turn right onto 690 and go one mile.)