My Free $3,000 Dresser

The other day I was flipping through the latest issue of Elle Decor, when I spotted this...

It's the "Button Down Chest" by designer Bunny Williams. Price: $3,000

I did a double take. Why? Because I happen to have this dresser. This dresser has been in my family for  years, and recently, my brother gave it to me to use in my son's bedroom. For FREE.

I painted mine with chalk paint ...

Before I painted it, it looked like this...

Strikingly similar to Bunny Williams' ...

Don't ya think?

According to Elle Decor, Ms. Williams was "inspired by a midcentury bureau with reeded detailing and playful drawer pulls." I'm willing to bet my dresser was her inspiration. Okay, well, not my dresser, but you know what I mean :)

Bet my brother is going to be sorry he let me have it.

Oh. And look. I even have a matching dresser in another bedroom, that I painted red...

Do you think if I painted both pieces black, I could sell them for 6 grand??

I'd probably have to change my name to Bunny Williams first.

So, I guess the moral of this little story is to hang on to your old stuff. You never know when a world famous designer will be inspired by it.

Happy Hump Day!!

House Tour: Family Room

Thirteen years ago today, I gave birth to my first son.

He was 10 days overdue. My husband was out of town when my water broke and had to race back in the middle of the night. The baby's heart rate dropped dangerously low, and I was rushed into emergency c-section surgery.

I was panicked. My husband was panicked. My parents said they aged 10 years. It was quite the event.

Turns out that the cord was wrapped twice around my baby's neck.

You see, people... it's been chaos from the very beginning :)

Luckily, everything turned out okay, and we now have a teenager. Gulp!

Little did we know back then, that we would go through the childbirth process 3 more times and end up with a family of 6.


Since this day marks the beginning of our family life, it seems fitting that I should show you our family room.

Here are a few "before" pictures of the room when we bought our house 6 years ago...

BEFORE

BEFORE

BEFORE

And here is the room today...

The changes we've made:

• painted the walls Benjamin Moore "Mayonnaise"
• painted the baseboards, door and window trim Benjamin Moore "Mayonnaise."
• removed the dark wood blinds
• purchased a sectional, so we could all have a place to sit :)
• recovered the two chairs in lighter fabrics
• had the zebra print and coral pillows custom made
• painted the quilt ladder
• accessorized

On the "to do" list:

• replace carpet with hardwood floors
• do something with the dated built-ins/wet bar area (stay tuned ... I have some things in mind)
• maybe someday make a decision about painting the wood. I am soooo indecisive about that!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a terrific Thursday!! 

Sharing at Tuesday's Treasures

House Tour: Sunroom

Good morning! Just loaded 3 kiddos on the bus, and my little guy is still sleeping, so I thought it would be a good time to take you through the next room in my house tour.

The sunroom is one of my favorite spots in the house, because well, it's so darn sunny! Located just off the family room and the master bedroom, the sunroom is the perfect place to soak in my daily dose of vitamin D.

This is a shot of the room when we first bought our house 6 years ago...

And, here it is today...

It's a large room that I've divided into 4 different "sections."

There's a sitting area...

The kids' art area...

A play area...

and a dining area...

I'm thinking about painting this little dresser. It holds all the kids art supplies.

I'm keeping an eye out for an area rug for the sitting area. Other than that, this is a happy place, and I'm pretty happy with the way it is :)

Thanks for checking out this stop on my house tour. If you missed the other rooms so far, you can check them out by clicking on the links below...

FOYER
LIVING ROOM
DINING ROOM

Have a great day!!

Sharing at Tuesday's Treasures, Wow Us Wednesdays

Colorful Chairs

I spotted these chairs at a furniture resale shop today.

Let me clarify. I spotted these chairs on the store's facebook page. I wasn't there in person. I was home with my kids... one of whom has pinkeye, and two who have stomach bugs. And school starts tomorrow. Good times.

Anyway, I'm helping my friend make over her living room, and I thought these chairs would be perfect. I'm envisioning them spray painted in a fun color. Maybe yellow. Or orange.

I wasn't sure this picture would convince her of how fabulous these chairs are, so I e-mailed her some inspiration pictures.

via

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onekingslane

Aren't these chairs fun? I think they'd be so happy in my friend's living room.

Not sure if my friend is convinced, but I sure am! What about you? Do you see the possibility in them?

Dining Armoire

When I showed you our dining room in my last post, I mentioned that I'd someday like to replace my hutch.

I'd really like a larger, painted armoire like one of these...

Kathleen Burke Design

Belgian Pearls

Chateau Domingue

froekenjaeger.blogspot.com

thepapermulberry.blogspot.com

It might take me a while to actually come up with something like this. The darn price tag usually gets in my way. Do me a favor and let me know if you spot one for a screaming deal :)

Hope your week is off to a great start...