Friday, October 16, 2009

Ugly Duckling Furniture Becomes A Swan

Once upon a time, 15 years ago, a much skinnier girl married a bachelor. When they got married he brought a hurking ugly entertainment center with him. The wife hated it. It's shelves were too deep for books and too small for a TV. But the man wouldn't part with the monstrosity. For years she tried to find things that would fit properly on the shelves. Once she tried kids toys, once she re-tried the books, and finally she stuck it in the basement of her house hoping that her husband would forget about it and she could get rid of it in secret.



Over time the lower shelf doors warped and wouldn't open properly and a few pieces of wood chipped off and the shelf got even uglier.

But when they decided to turn the basement into a master bedroom, the shelf arose from it's basement grave to haunt the girl again. And suddenly she looked at it and thought, "Hmmm, maybe I can do something with this." The girl needed somewhere to organize all her homeschool books and supplies. And since she did most of her homeschooling in her dining room she needed it to look nice when company came over and ate at her table. So she bought some black glossy paint and rolled up her sleeves. Then she found some organizational bins on sale. They weren't exactly what she had in mind but the price was so great that she couldn't pass them up. And lo and behold, her butt-ugly, awkward and insanely heavy shelf that she'd been lugging around for 15 years with total disgust, became a Pottery Barn worthy (or maybe Ikea worthy) piece of furniture.


And the shelf and the girl lived happily every after.
The moral of the story?

Before you give up and toss it try a good coat of paint.

22 comments:

Jami @ An Oregon Cottage said...

Love it- you've inspired me to re-think a couple of things around my house.
Thanks- Jami

Laura said...

Great transformation!!! Doesn't it feel good to reuse something you already own???

Your blog has been such an inspiration to me (and my husband :) We are striving to get our food budget down. I don't think we will ever get to $60, but we are hoping for $100. We are a family of eight with one on the way.

Enjoy your weekend!
Laura :)

Jennifer said...

From questionable to classy... Love it!

Linda Shifflett said...

That is absolutely a fantastic idea. You are an inspiration to everyone.

cassandrasmom said...

What a great job!!! You can't even tell it's the same thing and it looks great!

Michelle said...

Isn't that the BEST?!?! I love finding new life for something - all the better if it was formerly something you despise. Congrats on seeing beyond its initial flaws.

copperdog said...

Looks great!

Aimee @ The MommyTrade said...

I love redoing furniture like that! My hubby and I re-stained my childhood oak dresser with a deep mahogany and it looks GORGEOUS!

pink and green mama MaryLea said...

Looks like it came out of the IKEA catalog. Love the black. It is AMAZING what a new coat of paint can do for ugly furniture!! : )

Halfmoon Girl said...

looks great- paint does wonders, doesn't it?!

Unknown said...

wow Gayle, your words and lines on how you write this, it makes me want to go look for the ugliest piece of furniture out there and transform it, too, so we may live happily ever after!! thanks a lot for the inspiration, i can't wait to be a wife and a mom, i thank the Lord for your ideas!
-camille

Tiffanee said...

Wow. It is amazing the difference. Love it!! Please visit my blog and receive your AWARD!!! Follow the directions and share it with others.

Lori Barre said...

transforming an antique chunky dresser into a computer hutch. My mama bought me a sawzall and I bought some knobby short legs for it. Thanks for reminding me to take before and after pics!

Your shelves look great!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, that looks great!

Anonymous said...

I used to laugh at my mother when she'd say there wasn't much a good coat of paint couldn't fix...she was right and so were you! The shelf looks great.

Now I have to convince my kids (my four year old told me not to stop to pick up a great looking wicker chair the other day...I told her we'd just paint it and she asked why we couldn't just go buy a new one at the store. She has SO much to learn!

Good job all around!

Andrea

Lowbudget said...

This looks great. Can you tell me what type of paint you used? I have a small book shelf with missing doors. I would like to paint it and get some baskets to use as well. Thanks!

Gayle said...

I just used the cheapest hi-gloss black paint I could find. It's hard to find and I had to buy it in quarts not gallons. But the good news is I saved some money. It covers differently than other sheens so I didn't actually need a whole gallon afterall. Hi-gloss is thinner and runnier but the finish is so smooth and professional.

aims said...

Wow! My first time to happen upon your blog and I'm sold. This is an awesome transformation and I feel inspired to see some of my eyesore furniture in a new light. Or ... new paint.

Terri Steffes said...

Adorable, happily ever after post!

Rena said...

My husband won't part from the world's ugliest loveseat. He's been moving it around with him since his freshman year of college. It even spent a few years in a frat house. I tried a slip cover, but it's still ugly. In our most recent move, it lost a leg and one corner is being held up by two books. He sits on it every day so I just try to squint and pretend that it's not as ugly as it truly is. Too bad a bucket of paint wouldn't work a miracle on it. Maybe I should start over with the slipcover.

Unknown said...

Great blog, I saw this site with some useful info on Kids Furniture Hope it helps.

Ritkiss said...

amazing makeover...love it!