But they are usually very expensive unless you inherit one.
My woodworking skills are zero. I was one of those girls that the boys would help me in woodwork and I would do NOTHING and get an A.
Anyhow this beauty was out the front of flats around the corner and it was solid, heavy and in good condition. I know it was heavy as I dragged it a few hundred yards!
Ok so I went to a hardware store and bought two finials and added them to each post. Then I found at a garden store the scroll work and put that in the very middle to give it some height. Now you could use all kinds of things to decorate it... they look odd and added on at this stage. Mouldings are fairly easy to find to add a sculptured element.
Once you have built up some height and prettiness then it's paint time. My standard paint is ceiling white. I don't sand, nothing, just paint. If you're lucky you will get a slight crackle effect which looks very aged and I love. This happens if something has oil or varnish in it and to me is desirable and I wouldn't want to prevent it. A couple of coats later it's looking good. Then using fine sandpaper I sand all the sharp edges so some original wood comes through. When your'e happy it looks right rub some beeswax into those areas to high light them. Since I have found good old vaseline works for this too.
I really like it and it has made my bed look much better. The cost all up was well under $100, it was this high because of the wooden feature, but a bargain overall I think.
Looks great! Love your attitude to painting it, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Especially with finds like this I don't worry too much, whats the worst thing that can happen!? The good thing about Shabby Chic is its very forgiving! If its not perfect its even better!
DeleteAnnabel great tips on using Vaseline instead of Beeswax, and ceiling paint as well. It's affordable, and your bed looks fabulous!
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