Life has been hard lately. Not just for me, but for everyone. Life has been on a roller coaster of emotions and the world is on a spinning chaotic trajectory. My own work has been invaded by chaos and loss.
About two weeks ago we loss one of our Councilmen. and many of our staff have losses during this time as well. Our lives and hearts feel heavy and weighted down. Being a community leader during a time such as this is a great opportunity, as well as a great burden and a heavy load to carry. We are all weary, our steps have become a robotic march through daily events to try and make it through the day.
Fortunately, my home is a safe and warm place to recharge after the events of the week.I am always happy to return home and relax.
Over the weekend, I went with my mother to Home Depot and picked out and installed some new floor vents for her. While at her house she passed on a beautiful 1940's dressing table to me, and I was excited to begin the refurbishing process.
First, what is a dressing table?
A dressing table is basically a smaller more portable vanity. Ones like this one was originally designed to have small ruffle curtains around the base.
Opening the drawer pulls out the little arms. These arms would have had curtains on them and you could keep makeup etc underneath. I could have added ruffle curtains back, but I chose not to. I wanted to use this piece as a small letter desk in the living room underneath the mail shoot. Perhaps one day for my daughter I will add a mirror and curtains again and give her a small vanity.
The Process
The table top was a GORGEOUS wood stain and it had weathered very well over the years. However the legs were severely scuffed and scratched. I decided to paint only the legs and leave the top untouched.
I started by sanding the legs and drawers in preparation of painting. After spending a long time sanding I cleaned the legs and started painting. I chose a creamy white.
After painting, I decided to change the hardware on the drawer. The original glass handle was original, and while it was beautiful, it didn't go with the new look.
Pardon my dust covered hands from sanding. Like I said, the glass knob was beautiful! I will save this handle for a future project, but for this piece it had to be changed.
I changed it to a small porcelain knob with a roman numeral clock face on it. I think it goes really well.
The Finished Product
The picture is a bit dark, but this project turned out great in my mind. Now we have a small letter desk underneath the living room mail slot. We get our mail delivered via shoot on the front porch. There's never a walk to check the mail, it's already sitting for you in the living room. :)
I will be adding a small wooden chair with the desk I think, and perhaps a tray to catch the mail. For now, this project is done and a welcome relief from the chaos of life.
I hope that you all are taking care of your mental health, and know that you are doing the best you can during a difficult time in history. Have
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