Remember when I told you, that I fell in love with something other than a dress?

I literally noticed Swarm last week when I bumped into one of these chairs at Anthropologie. I became instantly enamored by this inventive furniture, which for me is like a dream come true! I felt like shouting in store, look everybody there’s a cloud on this chair!

Then, I did some digging around online. As it turns out, Swarmhome conceived by Leslie Oschmann is a home furnishings and accessories studio based in the Netherlands. Just look as this charming applique dresser she has created. I think I’m actually blushing.

Not only does Leslie update furniture, but she retouches vintage paintings by adding patterned papers and fabric.

I just love this next picture of the whole collection of chairs made by laminating paintings onto the surfaces. I wouldn’t mind taking home the dog as well.

Bow wow! Seriously.

I fell in love with the textile design on this dress at Anthropologie the other day.

I’m not exaclty one of the Anthroplogie models, but I wanted to show you all how it looks in person!

I plan on going to a Labor Day party this weekend and wanted the perfect party dress. I think you can dress this one up with heels or down by layering a tissue T underneath. I love textiles that look Eastern European.

It wasn’t the only thing I fell for that day…more on that after Labor Day! Have a sweet one!

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;)

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!

I came across this funky fabulous headboard at a yard sale and decided to give it an upgrade. What attracted me was it’s solid wood frame and carvings set into it’s shapely design.

I immediately applied a light coat of stripper to peel of the varnish and glossy finish. Next, I went to my sander and buffed off the what was left of the coating. Once the wood was clean and bare, I oiled it to hydrate the wood and keep out the dust particles. What’s left was only to apply two thicks coats of latex semi-gloss paint. I was lucky enough to have some left over from a previous project. After apllying to generous coats and working paint into all the crevices of the wood, I used a polyurethane spray sealer to protect the paint job.

In the future, I hope to take more photographs of the process for all to see. Also, expect to see many of my furnishings up for grabs. This one in particular is already sold, but I couldn’t resist sharing the process in case some of you find old wooden headboards. You may find that a coat of white paint really freshens things up!