Vintage Store Counter Island

Say hello to Mavis! She’s a vintage general store counter. Isn’t she beautiful!? (Thanks to my friend Jamie at @RubbishFarm she’s merchandised in the cutest way, too!)

As I created a plan for our new home, a huge kitchen island was a must for me. And me being me, I didn’t want some off-the-shelf shiny new thing, I wanted a piece with character, a statement piece. I pinned so many various islands on Pinterest and Houzz and the couple that made my heart soar were old store counters. People have done some amazing things with them and they fit right in with my industrial/French cottage/farmhouse design plan. However, they did not fit right in with my budget. These things are spendy!

Like most things I want, I knew what I wanted and knew if I was patient, I would come across the right thing, at the right time, at the right price. And viola! it happened one evening while checking FaceBook!

Jamie @RubbishFarm finds the best stuff and offers it to us (at great prices, too) during her barn sales. She posted a photo of her latest find and it was exactly what I was searching for! Within minutes of her posting it I responded I loved it and wanted it. It took a little while to secure it–and actually Mike surprised me with it for my birthday!–but, she is ours and we have big plans for her. (And I really am not in the habit of naming furniture, but Jamie thought she deserved naming and I agree.)

I’ve kicked around so many design ideas and in the end I’ve decided I do not want to hide one inch of this amazing cabinet, so rather than add a bank of cabinets to the front (paneled) side, we are going to build-out a frame, supported by two chunky posts (also a RubbishFarm find) to double the depth of the countertop. When finished she will be a whopping 9’x4′ and have seating for six.

Mavis will keep her beautiful patina and I’ll match the frame and legs to her, as well as tone down the green on the paneled side. Just a little tweaking and a couple heavy coats of matte poly to keep her, and us, safe.

One contentious issue has been the top. It has an amazing, chippy, patina, but I need a work surface and no matter how much sealer I put on it, I wouldn’t feel comfortable cutting, chopping, and rolling dough on it. Besides, trying to match the original wood to create a larger top wouldn’t be easy either. I think it’ll get a new life elsewhere where food prep contamination isn’t a concern.

It appears the back/open side once had sliding doors, but we’ve decided we like the open look and will incorporate bottom drawers something similar to these to give us easy access and organization, but keep the open look.

The upper drawers will house knives, cooking utensils, etc. so we will have a more closed look–something we can secure from eventual grandchildren–but we are considering some type of crate design like the following. These details can come once we get her in place.

We will also incorporate a small prep sink and while I found a darling galvanized one, I may continue my look for a vintage brass sink or bucket we could retrofit.

Since our primary countertops will be a marble-look, I’m probably going to use an artificial soapstone on this piece, if I can get one that is more gray than black. Other options include a thick butcher block or even concrete.

The beauty of repurposing a piece is that the options are unlimited and the end result is what works best for the user. I can’t wait until we get our hands on Mavis and start her transformation! You can bet when it happens, you’ll see it here.

Have a beautiful day!

Tina

A Quick Round Stool Update

I love finding discarded and/or thrift store finds that only need a few minutes of love and attention to totally change them into something fresh! As I embarked on my camper redo (still progressing on that), I knew space was limited, as would be seating, so I was looking for anything that could serve double-duty.

I came across this little stool for less than $5 and knew it would be the perfect piece to create an extra seat, an extra surface for items, AND to bring in a bit of whimsy to the place. (Keep in mind I’m going for a mid-mod vibe).

I began by flipping it over and removing the screws that held the seat to the frame. Once the parts were separated, I took the base outside, gave it a very quick light once-over with sandpaper (it has a weird plastic coating), then freshened it up with gold spray paint.

You see my fancy paint booth there? If it’s a still day, I often spread a tarp on which I paint, but if there is any wind, I try to contain as much of the overspray as possible, just so I don’t end up with paint on the driveway, cars, or even on the plants. Obviously, neither is necessary, but simply my preference.

As the paint dried, I returned to the cushion. Placing my fun, fuzzy fabric face down on the table, I then placed the cushion–also face down–on the fabric. I pulled up one edge of fabric to get an idea how much excess I needed for stapling. In this case it was about 3″ so I cut a rough shape about 3″ beyond all edges of the cushion.

To attach the fabric, start by placing one staple through the fabric into the wooden cushion base. Next, pull the fabric taut directly opposite that first staple and place another. Then complete the process for the two sides. Once you have four cardinal points adhered with staples, you’ll focus on the area between two of these stapled points. Place a staple in the center of two of the cardinal points (work within one area at a time), and then, alternating between the fabric on the right then the fabric on the left, pull the fabric up, work in the excess and place a staple. You want to keep your fabric taut, but don’t pull so hard that it becomes crooked or you steal the excess from the opposite side and leave nothing with which to work.

Rotate the cushion 180 degrees and do the same for the opposite side. Continue until you have all the fabric stapled securely. Once you’ve finished, feel free to cut off the excess.

At this point, my base has dried and is ready to reattach. I reversed the process…place the frame upside down onto the cushion base, and reinstall the screws.

Viola! A cute little stool, side table, (but not suitable as a lamp table), fluffy butt piece for the camper!

Until next time, stay calm and project on!

Tina

20-Minute Chair Update

As you come to know me, you’ll find that I’m constantly redoing, moving, or otherwise changing things in our home. Sometimes they’re big changes, but often they’re small, but meaningful–at least to me–changes. My 20-minute chair update is one of those small changes that has made my day-to-day life much more comfortable!

My office has morphed about a zillion times. At one point it had carpet and a huge banker’s desk–and I still don’t know how I managed to have that in here comfortably! Right now I have two refurbished bookcases/display units flanking a small antique game table and I’m using an antique sofa table for a desk. It’s a bit narrow and sometimes annoying, but it allows more overall space in here so I’m learning to adapt.

With that desk/table I had been using a leather rolling task chair which threw off the entire French vibe I was going for. Besides, it wasn’t really comfortable. I needed a new chair, preferably one with a French feel. Oh, wait, I have a few of those! I first tried a painted on that goes with the book cases, but it was too matchy-matchy and not really that comfortable. Next I brought in my favorite one from my wine room (yes I have a wine room, don’t judge me), but it was too large. Of course, if I were to remove the big dog crate from my office I would have plenty of space, but I love Pippa’s company and Pippa loves laying on top of her crate to look out the window, so I must figure it out another way. I realized the perfect french chair was the one that I just gave to Goodwill last month–isn’t that always the way!? I had one last chair to try and just like Cinderella’s slipper, it’s perfect…nearly.

The wood tone and style go perfectly with the desk and game table. The issue was it’s a stationary chair and was a pain with my constant up and down. So, staying with the French theme, I ordered a set of the cutest little brass wheels (seen above)!

When they came I was so impressed with their quality! They’re definitely solid brass and I have no fear of them collapsing under me. Let’s see how we made mama happy with this little project…

First I pulled out the chair glides (really they’re these big thumbtack things) by slipping a putty knife under the edge and prying them up enough to pull out with a hammer.

Next I got out the drill bits and drill, then someone else took over (did I mentioned this happens all the time).

Mike had to use his fancy micrometer (right?) to measure the size of the wheel post–I would have just pulled out a drill bit that looked about the right size and if I could put the wheel post into the empty bit hole, then I’d have the right size bit. Anyway…

He measured the length of the post against the drill bit so he’d know how deeply to drill the holes, then proceeded to drill in the center of each foot. (The glides actually left a nice pilot hole so we were able to skip that step, but I’d suggest first drilling a pilot hole so you don’t split your wood).

The holes are large enough for the posts, but not so large that the wheels slip out. Mike wrapped the brass with a piece of tape, then worked the posts into the holes with a pair of pliers.

Next we screwed in the little brass screws on the collar of the wheels (sorry, forgot to get a photo), turned her upright and put her back in my office.

I now am at the right height for my table desk, but more importantly, I no longer fuss and cuss every time I have to scoot my chair in and out. Twenty minutes in the shop leads to happiness for hours!

The Champagne Taste, Beer Budget Utility Sink–Part 2

When we last left our hefty sink twins, they looked like the above photo. They’re vintage Kohler sinks from the 50’s, and I feel the need to bring them back to their glory!

Having picked them up in a raging snowstorm from which we were anxious to get home, I didn’t even give them a good once over. Once we got back home and Mike set them up for me to work on, I was a little saddened by their condition.

I had done quite a bit of reading and YouTube watching about cleaning old porcelain before getting them. I armed myself with just about every item and product mentioned and was ready to find the true beauty within!

There is a LOT of conflicting information about cleaning porcelain out there. You’ll see I have a bristle brush, salt, baking soda, scrubbies, Bar Keeper’s Friend, Clorox Cleanup, Greased Lightning and an array of cloths, safety gear and even some steel wool. As porcelain finishes can be scratched, I wanted to start with the mildest and work toward the heavy-hitters if needed.

I started by using warm soapy water (Dawn, of course) and wiped both sinks out. Unfortunately, that did very little to help their cause. I had some work ahead of me!

It was time to amp up the efforts. Next I wet the inside and sprinkled my Bar Keeper’s Friend everywhere and gave it a good scrub with the soft scrubby. I was actually getting somewhere! Where though, wasn’t good…I soon realized there was far more dried paint than I first saw AND one of the sinks actually had a huge blob of dried concrete. I was sure the sink had been damaged and I made a poor decision by not inspecting them.

Over the years I have seen Mike use these little yellow sticks for many purposes. I asked him if he had “one of those magic yellow stick things” I could use. He promptly provided me with a plastic scraper–yeah, that’s what I said–and showed me how to use it and resharpen it. That little scraper is A BOSS! It did a bang-up job scraping off all the paint and I even got most of the concrete off, but did have to ask the muscles to come help…Mike just has more strength than me.

After this step, I remembered the little stick I use to clean the ring from inside my toilets–porcelain toilets they are–so I knew it was safe to use on the sinks. It’s another wonder stick! This is called a Pumie Scouring Stick. It’s literally a pumice stick designed to remove stains and buildup. I eventually wore mine down to a nub, but wow! Look at the difference already!

I finished removing what I could with the Pumie and then turned to the Clorox CleanUp. I sprayed and let sit, then rinsed. No discernible change. I was almost there…what would work?

I realized the porcelain was already scratched/damaged, and therefore decided I was going to risk using the steel wool, despite advice to the contrary. I started with just a little water and steel wool and was getting results without damage. I then returned to the Barkeeper’s Friend and steel wool and was giddy with the results!

However, like I mentioned, there was previous damage. One sink isn’t too bad, but the other is missing quite a bit of the porcelain from the bottom. My next step will be to prep both sinks for new paint, but for now, check out how gorgeous they already look!

The Champagne Taste, Beer Budget Utility Sink–Part 1

I start my day with a cup of coffee, a blanket, and Pinterest and/or Houzz. Preparing to build a new home gives me a valid reason to do so, too!

One of the “must haves” in our new home is a large butler’s pantry. While they have significant utilitarian uses, our desire was born more from needing a place to house and display our growing Pyrex and Fire King collections.

In designing said butler’s pantry, we decided one long, open space to serve as mud room, butler’s and laundry serves us best. We knew we wanted/needed a large utility sink to use in cleaning up after projects, washing garden-fresh produce, and of course, laundry duties. However, it couldn’t be any regular sink! I’ve had my heart set on a vintage sink for years, but until now had no practical place to utilize one. Scouring Pinterest I came across the sink pictured above (Caldwell from Re’s Parish Collection) and just knew THIS was the sink I wanted. I followed the link to Etsy and found out this sink runs a hefty $1305, and doesn’t have the stainless edge guard I’ve seen on Kohler sinks.

Once I’ve made up my mind, I don’t give up until I’ve found a way to get what I want. I knew $1300 for a sink wasn’t in the budget, nor was even some of the less expensive brands nearer the $900 price point. Besides, a NEW sink doesn’t tell a story and we love pieces in our home with a story!

Fast forward and another morning online: on a whim, I typed in “vintage sink” on FB Marketplace. Lo and behold, a woman had not one, but TWO authentically vintage Kohler sinks and her price was $130 each! Now we’re talking: my chance to get a champagne taste sink on a beer budget!

I pitched the idea to Mike–of course I included the inspiration photo and prices–and we made a plan to go pick up some sinks! The couple selling them had purchased an old schoolhouse and were in the process of renovating it. After approximately 60+ years in service, the sinks were taken off the wall the morning we picked them up. Can you imagine how many dirty mops, paint brushes, and other items saw the insides of these sinks!?

They were dirty, but the backs of them were in great shape, the traps were intact, and the stainless rims show wear and tear, but again it is character and we love them. Unfortunately, it was about 2 hours into the cleaning that I found one of the sinks has lost most of the porcelain in the bottom.

Here are the sinks when we got them home.

In Part Two of this Sink Saga, I’ll tell you about the cleaning; Part Three will (hopefully) be how I successfully paint the inside; Part Four will be the exterior refurbishing; and later on Part Five will be showing them (at least the one I’m keeping) off in their glory!

Thanks for checking in! Keep your champagne tastes flowing and enjoy figuring out how to get what you want on the beer budget.