MY ADDICTION TO FREE

I'm totally not ashamed to pick something out of the trash. I like to think I "have vision" and if there is even an inkling of rehab and potential, if the cost is $0, I'm likely to throw whathaveyou in the back of my Jeep. Such is the case of my most recent acquisition. Behold:

What? Looks like trash to you?

I spotted this beauty (yes, beauty) while trolling the Free listings on Craigslist. The Free listings are my oasis, and sometimes I get on kicks wherein I check it constantly. Not sure why I do this. Avoidance? Probably. And usually, a total waste of time. But I have had some recent scores, this being one of them.

After a little research I learned I did, in fact, find a gem. A 1963-64 Paoli rocker. You heard me. A rocker. And when it's all done up, it has some value and a whole lot of style. As evidenced here and here. So exciting! But first things first because my Paoli rocker is a mess.

It's obvious the chair has been reupholstered and this bouclé-like nubby fabric has become threadbare in spots, torn in others. Which is to say, it has really taken a beating. I hope to recover it too, sooner than later. I'm actually waiting on quotes from a couple local upholsterers, really hoping it's within my means!

But in the meantime, I'm cool with enjoying as-is. After a serious cleaning of course. The chair was D.I.R.T.Y. So stinky, so hairy, so very dusty. Hence, we set it up in the backyard because as it were, it was not worthy of going in the house.

Determined, I got right to it. First was a serious session with the Dyson. Immediately following was a good dose of steam clean with my Little Green. Then I let it sit outside for two days to get some air.

It still looked shabby but not stinky. And I no longer had concerns about hidden wildlife, ala, Penny's garbage find...

Dying to get to that wood, I brought it to my workspace in the sunroom.

Looks like salad

As all good bloggers do, I referenced Morgan at The Brick House and her tutorial for refinishing wood. Very good tips here but I don't have all of those materials on hand. I had Murphy Oil Soap though so I started there. (In case it isn't obvious, I use old socks for my dust-free cloth.)

Well, actually I started with the light sanding she suggests. Of course the wood had some good scuffs, scratches and paint swipes, etc. I used 220 all over the place. The Murphy Oil was definitely gratifying, nice to see all that dirt come off.

Next, I wiped it down twice with Goddard's lemon oil. I do plan to pick up the Howard's Feed-N-Wax at some point, but I'm happy to end here. It's clean and replenished and good for now.


My terrible patch job. Hilarity. I lucked out with an extra swatch of the fabric. They were using it draped over an arm. I gave it a soak, let it dry, then pinned it over the rip. This is terribly janky but I think it's a decent fix for now. My hope is to prevent further tearing, just until I can get it to the pros.

After all of that, I brought it upstairs to its new spot in our living room. It's filling an empty spot with just the right touch of mid century. I am confident in its cleanliness, enough so that I'll let my daughter sit here.

We can enjoy it as-is and in the meantime, I'll fantasize about what it could be. Do I cover it in a modern pattern, something Skinny Laminx in nature? Or go period with a solid color, be it orange, gold or avocado. I'm leaning toward a greyish yellow in a tight tweed, but we'll see. I don't want to be boring, so nothing too neutral! Save that for the couch.

In all of this, did I mention how comfortable this chair is? The seat is deep and wide, perfect for nursing if I were still doing that. The rocking is the goodness. It's the perfect reading chair with Thora as we can both sit side by side.

I am grateful for this find and for being able to bring back to life a piece of furniture that is over 50 years old. How amazing is that?

Give Table

The past few weeks have been a killer. Lots of work (not complaining) has left little time for anything else. All work and no play, that's me! Not always, just lately. And when I work sun up to sun down for days in a row, I get annoyed. I act put-upon and sometimes I forget to wash my hair (I work from home so this is totally ALLOWED). Anyway, this past Tuesday was a big day with a big deadline. I stressed and worried and worked and in the end, I conquered.

Post victory, I settled in for a little craigslist browse, something mindless to begin my decompression. I always start in the Free section because you never know...

Title: Give Table
Reaction: Interesting wording. Ah, pic included. click!

The ad was quick to the point, some dimensions followed by two blurry photos of two tables. One, an 80's bore. The other, excuse me, some sort of Saarinen-style tulip table? Say what?

I gasp, nearly jump from my seat. Do I need this? I must, it's FREE. Hmm, size is nice. 30" diameter x 28" tall. I bust out the tape measure and check my kitchen table. Looky there, 28" tall. I wrote the author to ask if it was still around. She said yes, please come get it right away!

Now, I just mentioned how much I love my farm table. And I do, I really do! But in working out kitchen layouts I'm having a hard time fitting it in. It's another rectangle in a sea of rectangles, and I was just at the beginning of considering something round for the space. I do have other ideas for my farm table, so... my feelings of guilt are minimal.

We hopped in the Jeep and headed out to Lafayette. During the drive, some time was spent pondering whether the table could actually be authentic. I was totally kidding myself, but man, what a score that would be! We knocked on the door and the cutest French girl let us in. There was our new table, in all its free glory. It's got stains, a chip, some rust. But that silhouette is to die. Don't you agree?

We got it home and I couldn't be happier. It's just the sweetest little thing and is going to be perfect in a kitchen nook. Apartment Therapy has a post where someone had an identical base repainted at an Oakland shop. This is a great option for down the road. For now, I'll just clean it up a bit.

A couple of tiny succulents on top and I've completely forgotten about my deadlines...

Weekend Project | Basement Sink

Overall, I'd say most of the original character has been stripped from this house. The doorknobs, the built-ins, the pink and green bathroom (admittedly, I'm relieved about that one) they're gone. But we still have a few details, the molding, the solid wood doors, the odd cupboard. And down in the basement, this beauty:

Oh, not the stove. That's just nasty. I'm referring to that fantastic, metal sink. This room was once a second kitchen (yeah, I know, someone ate FOOD down here), but now it is being converted into our new laundry room. We've ripped out the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the stove - all necessary actions due to termites, rot, and a ghastly amount of filth. We've purchased a new washer dryer (thank you Black Friday Sears!) and we've gotten a quote from a plumber (whose raised eyebrows at the mention we were keeping this sink only makes me more determined). Now all we need to do is refinish it so it can take it's proper place as the centerpiece of this room.

Yeah, that's bad.

But this is my kind of project. I love bringing poorly treated rejects back to life. It's cleansing not only for the sink, but for my brain. I find this relaxing, active meditation. This is because I'm nuts.

So I started by removing the sink top to get a good look at it. Hmm, this is cumbersome and really dirty. I think it needs to go outside. (Note that every time we pick this up, our gloves become immersed in grease.)

So we brought it out back where I can zap it with the hose. I removed all the doors and drawers, and in the bright daylight realize the cabinet has been refinished before, there is some sadness at that fact. But what relief that they thought to remove the handles before painting, they are in mint condition! Everything else was drenched in 409 and I went to town with the scrubbies.

The sink itself will get a good cleaning and a homemade refinishing. We still have to scout for a new faucet, I think Ace Hardware carries vintage styles.

It didn't take long to realize I was completely kidding myself that I could do this in one weekend. There is a lot more rust than I first thought. It's going to take two days to clean and sand before I can even prime it.

I can't wait to crack open these puppies. That aqua is straight up yummy...