A Story to Tell |

I’ve discovered a new interest. Furniture. Yes, you read that right.

These days, I am finding my love for furniture that I never knew existed. But I’m not talking about brand new showroom furniture; quite the opposite, actually. I’m talking about antique-shop treasures, garage-sale steals, and by-the-curb finds. Pieces with character, with personality, with a story to tell.

As tastes in furnishings and fashions go, mine tend to run on the plain play-it-safe side of things. You could say that I’m an IKEA regular. But over the years, I’ve begun to scour home decor magazines and read blogs about interior design. I’ve started hearing about chalk paint and upcycling, shabby chic and repurposing, gel stain and van Gogh paint. Terms like distressing, built-ins, and Napoleonic Blue have become part of my vocabulary. My interest has been piqued.

I’m still very much a newbie, but now I have a couple of pieces in my home that most certainly have memories already attached.

My kitchen table and chairs.

I found these at a garage sale, and since we don’t have access to a truck, my husband and our neighbour actually walked this set the two blocks home. They went from looking like this:

To this:

It’s amazing what a new stain colour and paint can do.

But I most definitely did not complete this transformation myself. Instead, I hired a wonderful painter who specializes in custom-painted furniture. But regardless, my creative spark was ignited and I began to see the possibilities.

My son’s dresser.

We were recently given a beautiful dresser from my husband’s Aunt who passed away. With sentimental value built right in, my five-year-old and I completed a great weekend project.