Dumpster Diving...

You drive past a pile of old furniture left in an alley, next to the garbage bins.  

Your eye spots a dilapidated old dresser... 

You, 

A:  Keep driving, but think about the dresser and its possibilities all day, 

B: You stop, load it into the back of your car, take it home and it sits in the garage for the next two years until you toss it into your alley, 

C: You bring it home and restore it into a new creation worthy of Pinterest, or 

D:  None of the above.  

 Who wants that old junk anyway?  

Crate and Barrel or bust!  

I come from a long line of dumpster divers... 

One of my most prized possessions 

is an antique pie safe my grandfather rescued 

from a trash heap...  

My grandmother lovingly refurbished it 

to its original glory and now it takes an honored place 

in our dining room... 

My mother discovered an old armoire in the basement 

of a home she was selling for a client... 

When she asked to buy it, they gave it to her for pennies 

and we stripped, scraped and sanded 

that massive piece of furniture to the bare wood... 

My dad lined it with mirrors and glass shelves 

to create a really beautiful liquor cabinet... 

Rejected furniture catches my eye, much like lost puppies 

or a hot dress in the store window...  

If the piece speaks to me of anticipated beauty, 

I have to stop...  

Being realistic, I usually sigh 

and keep moving on...  

A small house and limited free time prevent me 

from bringing home most strays... 

 But my parents came upon a bonanza a few months ago...  

They found a dining table and chairs 

along the side of their neighborhood street... 

The home owners had purchased a new dining set 

and discarded this one... 

It had a very eighties design and varnish...  

The upholstered seats were tired and stained...  

However, there were good bones there....

Something to work with ... 

Apologies.... I cannot find the "before" photo...

Trust me when I say the set was U G L Y!

With the inspiration above and below, I made a plan to sand down all the pieces, 

stain the table top and end chairs 

and to upholster the seats with super durable coordinating fabrics...

 

I painted the four side chairs and the table legs 

a dusty blue and then antiqued them with a coffee glaze....  

The whole process took about six months 

because I did not have the time to do all the work at once.   

The real blessing was getting to use 

the air powered tools at the factory...  

Talk about saving time!  

I like using big boy tools, too...  

The painting guys at the shop were a huge help, 

as they taught me how to operate a spray gun... 

After clear coating most everything 

and several rubdowns of mineral oil on the table top, 

it was finished...  

It probably took me about twenty hours of labor, 

but it was worth it...

Hmmm....Jack was 19 hours of labor,
but I got to have drugs with him...

I digress...

Voila'!

I have a custom set of furniture 

that is unique and pretty if I say so myself...  

Total budget was about $150.00...

  

Try and get a dining table and six chairs 

at Crate and Barrel for that!