Photo Dump/Around The House

More Painting

I finally did something I wanted to do for five years, something that would make a lot of vintage purists (and my mother) cringe: I painted my Grandparent's wooden hutch black with wall paint, painted the hardware silver and changed the knobs. The before photo makes it look much better than it really was! I always wanted to paint it but held off, mainly because it was my Grandparent's and it's a nice piece. They had it shipped over from Holland when they came to the United States in 1947. Dropping a full bowl of soup on it and my husband leaving rings from the bottom of wet glasses was the kiss of death. I'm really happy with how it turned out, it's much more "me". It's much darker in person (true black, not grey) and I think it really brings out the detailing and the leaded glass window. I know I'm endlessly complaining about people who ruin old things for "upcycling" or whatever they happen to call it and a lot of people will see this as ruining it so perhaps I'm not one to talk. I'm on this big kick of changing things so I can actually enjoy them (see the kitchen shelf post) rather than shove them aside, which is exactly what happened to this piece since it didn't really go with my other things. Now it's proudly displayed in the center of the living room, the very first thing you see when you walk in.

Kitchen Shelf

I recently did a little makeover on the shelf in my kitchen. I didn't realize what a difference it made until I saw the before picture while looking for a different picture on my computer. It really looked like crap before!

Now:

Then:
What a difference a coat of paint makes. I wasn't going to paint it because it belonged to my Grandparents but what's the point if you can't enjoy it while you have it?

Around the House

And finally, the most important thing found in the house: