Furniture getting ready for upholstering

I inherited my grandma's Queen Anne style furniture. She used to upholster the pieces herself when she was changing her décor, which was often. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The pieces are in pretty good shape, according the the upholsterer and the job will be done easily, for a cost however. Upholstery is hard work, but nothing equals furniture that has history, and a story. Here are the before pictures. I still need to chose my fabric, which is a process you can't really rush.

I also love estate sales. Here is a find from a south side estate sale that will also get an upholstery treatment.

And finally the famous pink chairs! For those of you who have been to our house, you remember these. Some people suggested I should keep these Salvation Army treasures the way they are, but I finally made my decision. They'll get it done too! They are the most amazing find ever!

The "after" pictures will come soon after I find the fabric. The upholsterer is great and should be done with all pieces in 10 days after he starts. Stay tuned!

Latest find for our Moroccan style bedroom

Found on Craigslist last week! Amazing piece made completely of oak. Could not find anything comparable new, had to go vintage. I am in love with it. More pictures of the finished bedroom to come.

A new look for an old secretary desk

So I bought this secretary desk at White Elephant, a resale shop in Chicago, for the benefit of the Children's Hospital. I really like that place and have found more than a few things over the past 3 years.

I wanted to transform its look from colonial to French country, so my best bet was to go with shades of blues, greys and beiges. I am really please with the result. It took a bit of time to sand it down, then I applied a coat of grey paint with a regular brush. After a day of drying, I applied a thin coat of cream colored paint using a wet rag, and voilà!