Well, I’ve been working on this Little Red dresser all week! While, I liked her charm and character, I wanted to create a more feminine piece. Plus, she was really banged up!

I opted for a dusty violet paint color that I mixed by hand. I also taped of all of the iron detailing and buffed it gold using Rub n’ Buff. I prefer the antique gold because it is less shiny!

The piece already had great curves. Wanna peak inside the drawer?

I found these knobs at Anthropologie and chose them for the shape, color and texture. There are tiny bumps on each one, which kind of reminds me of a sea urchin! This picture shows how plum-y she can look depending on the light.

I’m still workin’ on her. What do you think of the new shade, is it a keeper?

So, I bet you would’ve never guessed that I’ve been hiding out in my studio all week, since I’ve been back, working on this vintage, soon to be antique, Secretary’s Desk. When I got it, it was a sight for sore eyes! My neighbor thought that I would enjoy restoring it and fixing it up more than he would, so…I got to work!

I loved the shape of this piece especially. I thought of a dark wood Jacobean desk with shiny gold knobs, I had seen a while back.

Inside there is plenty of built-in storage, aplace to hold papers, letters, books, a envelopes. For a stationery lover or a writer, this would be a dream!

I almost put shiny gold knobs here, but when I came across these brass pulls, I changed my mind. I had to include this photo because of the blue light in the background. I buffed and shined the surface of the wood with Howards Feed in Wax. It is a natural way of sealing wood and does not emit any harsh fumes. The wax simply penetrates the grain of the wood and hardens. Then, the surface can be polished to a high shine! I prefer this method of finishing wood these days.

Overall, the color of the desk is dark, rich, and stately; but in direct sunlight the stain becomes warm allowing the wood grain to stand out.

Why don’t they make more beautiful carved wooden furniture these days?

I would buy it;)

It is rare that I find the time to promote my PinkPianos shop on Etsy. Perhaps, now that I am on vacation in Kentucky, I can really get to work!

It has taken me some time to launch, but keeping the doors open I have had lots of lovely visitors trickle on in which makes me happy.

My shop is a bridge to all the furniture and design work that I do. Here I offer home accessories, vintage finds, hand painted knobs, along with original artworks. As always, custom pieces are available simply email me at hilary.hahn@pinkpianos.com to talk about what you envision.

Just look at what the creative people on  The Wedding Channel did with peacock feathers.

Isn’t that sweet?! Then, there’s also hair clips, bookmarks, and I’d love to see a peacock feather garland!

Well, I’m going back to relaxing and catching up on all the blogs that I love to read. I promise to share inspiration from my visit to Kentucky before I leave and to post the final pics of the Girls’ Room Metamorphosis for those of you that have been following.

What could you make with feathers?

I’d so love to give you a peak at my latest inspiration and current DIY stencil fab project.

I came across these amazing graphics via DesignAmour.

There are so many talented designers out there, I love to discover someone new each week. They have so much going on over there, check out round two of the moroccan graphics, I found there.

What really grabs me are the colors along with symmetry and composition of the designs.

I’d love to find tiles along a similar vein for a bathroom that I’ll be working on soon!

Now for a peak at my current DIY project…

Here is the large square mirror that I inherited from a friend. As much as I liked it’s original finish I wanted to enhance it.

I know it looked cool in it’s orignal form, but I just can’t wait to layer in some more colors and details. I promise to show you when I do

Friday, I will post a finished product along with pictures of a huge art hang that I just did at a Melrose residence. Stay tuned

If you stop by often then you know how I love found objects and a good facelift.

I dug this black and white fabric that I am storing in my garage for a client. I decided to use a pinch of it to recover this sturdy wooden frame. It was missing a seat, so I simply traced the shape onto plywood then cut a new one. Luckily, I had some extra foam and batting to pad it and make it plenty comfy. I chose the glossy black paint to add a modern feel to the retro plaid. For now, she’s sitting pretty in my shop.

Make sure to stop by Wednesday, when I’ll announce the 1-year blogaversary giveaway.

It’s already June, 1 year, and time to celebrate!

I don’t care if Monday’s blue…

This week has been such a beautiful one. It started with the misty rain and ended with a sweet redo!

This table used to be yellow with rustic country charm. We had been using it much like a garden table filling it up with plants, watching as it quickly became dusty with soil. This little table is an antique, but was in no condition to be restored. I still liked the grace of it’s lines and the keyholes. A collector once told me it was probably a 1920′s wash table with a mirror attached. I always saw it’s original potential.

I think I like the pale pistachio paper and pink birds even more against the white.

I’ve been building a replacement for the garden, inspired by this tiny photo.

Now, I wouldn’t dare to set a dirty potted plant on this lovely white!

For custom pieces, please inquire hilary.hahn@pinkpianos.com.

Happy Friday, folks!

Here’s a taste of what’s going on in my studio!!

I loved this chunky wood table in baby Eva’s bedroom.  The natural wood top was beautiful, but as a piece it just didn’t fit in with the room’s decor. Plus, it had a few blemishes to be taken care of.

In an effort to give it a second life, I’ve been washing it with sage accents and a glaze of white.

Stay tuned to see how it looks with it’s partner piece, a cream sofa and chocolate n’ white furnishings.

I can’t wait to show you Eva’s  updated room!

Traci’s chair had been handed down to her. It had a strong frame and was built beautifully. I was up to the challenge of restoring her heirloom piece. Here it is before on the left. We loved the original colors of the silk on the seat.

When, I came across this gorgeous Sunbrella silk at right, I knew that we had found our new fabric! We both agreed on it immediately. To add comfort, I added an extra sheet of polyester batting to the existing cushion, being mindful not to make it too fluffy! Here you can see the beauty of the wood from the side.

That is one chic restoration piece, does anyone know what period it is from exactly? My guess is a Thomas Sheraton piece.

Looks like it is going to be another full day. Pop in later in the week for a DIY project and inspiration!

When my neighbor Marca, showed me these 2 incredible hand carved fish tables, I knew I was interested in the project. They were selected by her from a prominent antiques dealer and friend years ago. Although the beauty of their carvings each had withstood the test of time, the table tops and bases needed to be restored. We decided to refinish and recreate them with a decorative flair based on a watercolor painting within the room. You can see the artwork way in background, just to the right of the window.

I know, I’ll grab an extra picture of the painting tomorrow!

Here you can see them as they are further embellished in my studio. I used combination of color washing and gilding to renew the surface. As you will see the oxide red and burnt orange really complement Marca’s own decor. As for the bases we chose a deep blue.

The pair can be used a serving table side by side or alone, when she entertains!

We  really wanted something unique, so we chose to abstract the mossy green lilly pads on the table tops. Whenever, painting on the top of a table, I think about how best to protect the finished artwork. I accomplished these through sanding, painting, and marbleizing techniques. They were then sealed with an oil based polyurethane glaze. Luckily, Marca had glass tops cut for added protection.

I love the how the green orange and blue tie into the room. Next up is the blue  and white mantle that I will be marbleizing!

We are looking for a swatch that will bring in a little gray and white.

Which one do you like best and why?

This is the story of a chair.

It belonged to my neighbor, who had purchased a whole set, but upon her big move she left this lil’ beauty behind.

I’m sure some of you are thinking “I own this chair!” , and it is  a popular type of Windsor loop-back reproduction commonly sold at Target amongst other places;) So, I decided to try my hand at stenciling and making this piece a little more one of a kind.

Another inspiration to revisit stenciling came from a Storque article on surface designer Lena Corwin.

Here is what Violet looked like after I stripped and sanded all the white paint off of her seat.

Not too shabby! I like the look of her with the oiled and sanded natural wood. Ahem…you may also notice the amethyst curtains that I hand dyed this week!

Next, I cut flower shaped stickers from contact paper. I did this by tracing the design onto the contact paper, then applying them to the seat of the chair.

This method of stenciling can be used to create a wall mural too.

To do this yourself, you simply need:

• A wooden surface
• Roll of contact/self adhesive paper
• Scissors
• Paint and roller
• Brush for touch ups

I decided to let the natural wood show through the surface, so I didn’t need to do a base coat of paint.

I am pleased as punch with the final results.

Ain’t she a beauty?

If you have similar stencil projects you’d like to share, send over the pics to hilary.hahn@pinkpianos.com.

Next Monday, I will be sharing the work of a talented artist along with an interview here!

Until then, XX!