After 3 years of living without a wardrobe we hit the jackpot at the start of this week.
Behold the wardrobe!
It's solid Blackwood (a Tasmanian native hardwood), probably from around the 1920's. Found on good ol' Gumtree website. How good is Gumtree?
It has some nice details but most importantly, it fits a whole heap of clothes.
Inside, the right door conceals shelves and drawers and the left-hand door and behind the mirror is hanging space with a handy shelf above.
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| Mirrored door strategically placed to hide the messiest of all bedside tables :) |
Getting this puppy inside was no easy job. Thankfully, we were able to borrow a big truck from Lyn's work and perhaps even more thankfully, the wardrobe came apart into 4 sections - hanging section, drawer section, base and top pelmet thingamy.
Boy oh boy were we pooped!
The big question now is... to paint or not to paint?
A lot of people would think it terrible to consider painting over solid timber, but I suppose it could always be stripped. I am considering milk paint, but more so I think I need to paint that awful purple feature wall a nice clean white and then see how I feel about it. The room doesn't get tonnes of sun so I'd like to create a light feel I think.
Of course now that I feel slightly more enthused about this room and how we could decorate it (another post on that to come), the boy decides that maybe the hallway should be next to attack. Whatevs Lyndon :)
More on that later no doubt...
Above is the crappiest pic you have ever seen me take, but I had to share it. Here is the little girl being the total life of the party last weekend. She was festooned in streamers and chased and popped as many balloons as she could. A real party animal that Mollsie girl. It made me feel really happy just to watch her have so much fun.
As you can see I have been playing with camera apps.
I love my furry girl just sooooo much. Way too much.
I know I have posted the image above before, but it I've re-fiddled with the filters and thought I'd post it again. We always need some flowers on Friday, after all.
Yay for the weekend. Anything good planned? We are off to an antique auction tomorrow.
Looks like being rainy so keep warm and dry my friends (and enjoy the summer those of you in the northern hemisphere)
Love to you all xx
I'm one of those people who'd say don't paint it..It is a gorgeous piece of antique furniture. Paint over the feature wall first and then see how it suits the space...then decide. Ha! Bossy, aren't I? xx
ReplyDeleteHa! I knew you'd be a "no" vote. He he he. I agree, paint the feature wall first and then decide :)
DeleteI agree Sarah, paint that wall and then see what you think. It's a lovely piece and I know many would say don't paint it but I tend to think it would look really stunning...
ReplyDeleteAbbey x
wow, you did hit the motherload darl! gorgeous piece. i'm no use when it comes to these decisions, i'm always trapped in them myself, and then i eventually give up and do nothing!!! but anita is clever, AND bossy - i'd go with her advice : )
ReplyDeletexx
I'm in the no painting camp, it always seems such a shame when something is inherently a nice piece in the first place...that said, I drool over images of homes with white on whitem just couldn't do it to my lovely old furniture!
ReplyDelete6 months ago I would have said, "paint it", now I am enjoying natural timber grain and warmth. I would do as Anita suggests.
ReplyDeletewow wow wow what an amazing wardrobe.......I always just paint everything but since doing twiceBAKED i'm loving timbers so i think don't paint but maybe do something wow inside do the back walls in a fantastic wallpaper so y have this amazing old skool wardrobe with a little hidden wow factor smooch and so nice to be scrolling through blog land xx
ReplyDeleteOh well done you on finding this beauty. But like the others I just couldn't paint it! But I think you'd know that about me.
ReplyDeleteI know how hard it is to move a wardrobe, believe me!
Molly, she made me laugh, look at her, she's loving the party and the streamers! What fun. Have a great weekend Sarah.
I kind of have a rule about painting furniture; if it's older than about 50 years I won't it, but pieces from recent eras I'll consider it. I'm always happy to paint laminates but tend to leave solid timber. If anything I always consider re-staining it so it keeps the natural timber grain.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess with this piece I'm in the 'leave it' camp too. I think every room can benefit from one beautiful timber piece, and this is lovely!xx
Anna (My Design Ethos)
I can't bear to paint beautiful old timber, even if i would prefer something light and bright. It just seems sacrilege to do so and imagine what a pain it would be to strip it again, if you changed your mind later on!
ReplyDeleteHaving said that I'm sure it would look lovely painted white x
Antique auction - it could just be your week to find more treasures! I think I should comment on the 'paint or not debate' before I read all the comments... firstly, I think your idea of getting rid of the purple wall before deciding is the best place to start. And then if you still want a lighter feel, then like you, I'm not averse to painting a timber piece like this. (Beautiful as it is, and nervous as I would be applying the first brush of paint!) Worst case scenario, it can be stripped. Think of all those french painted armoires and how amazing they look. Either way, you did score big - and it's a great piece for your bedroom. xx
ReplyDeleteoooo such a hard decision ... looks like everyone thinks it 's the right idea to paint that wall :-) ... that would throw a whole new light on things :-) ... still I'd love to see what it would look like painted like I know you would :-) ... if my son were here he do something nerdy on the computer and show you how it would look ... me though, I'm hopeless , wouldn't have a clue how to do that ... god luck, and can't wait to see the wall painted , ha, ha :-) Steph x
ReplyDelete... good luck !
ReplyDeleteOh, it's absolutely beautiful. I vote no on the painting. x
ReplyDeleteOh no! Please don't paint it! Not only will you destroy its value (1920's blackwood in original condition is actually increasing in value) stripping the paint off later will damage the timber! Plus no matter how well it is stripped, some paint you will never get rid of if it is embedded into the timber - this paint will always be visible. In a nutshell - painting a piece like this will not only destroy its value and appearance, it will permanently ruin it despite the (very very expensive) efforts of the best restorer. It is absolutely beautiful as is - please do not paint it!
ReplyDeleteThis is coming from someone who has just spent $1500 restoring a 1930's blackwood chest of drawers my mother painted in the 1970's. The chest of drawers was a wedding present to my grandparents and my mother sincerely regrets painting it (as well as throwing out the original bone and brass handles).
The beautiful colour of the blackwood in your wardrobe, its original condition and also the Deco era beautiful decoration means it is a piece that will increase in value over time. Don't paint it!!!!!
Sarah I have to agree absolutely with anonymous!
ReplyDeletePerhaps if you paint the room in a clean light colour, paint any other furniture and then this absolutely beautiful piece (I have some furniture envy going on here!!!!) would then be the star of the room as it certainly deserves to be!!!!
Oh we are all a bossy lot!!!! xx
NO!! don't even consider it just in case you accidentally do it while sleep walking. Pleeeeeze.
ReplyDeleteBTW, i met a young blonde version of Molly today, looked direct into my eyes and licked my heart. a labradoodle right?
Definitely a labradoodle. You describe them well :)
DeleteI think if you paint your walls white and have other painted white pieces to unify the look you should leave this beauty in it's natural glory.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably surprise you with my comment and Anita will probably give me a what the look next time I see her BUT I think if you think you want to paint it then paint it for sure I think those details on the doors would look amazing with a bit of the old white wash look. I know I am an antique dealer blah blah but our homes are about making us happy and it's just stuff, nothing is so precious etc etc...don't tell anyone but I once cut the legs of a 100 year old untouched never damaged table because I wanted it as a coffee table ha....I no longer have it because I decided I wanted something else about 5 years later. I think test it out somewhere discreet on the wardrobe and if it starts to look fab than go for it! Oh and that Molly is a scream glad she is doing so well and looking almost like her old self. Xxx
ReplyDeleteI won't tell anyone your secret. He he. I was wondering what you might say about this given you are in the industry :)
DeleteThanks everyone, I'm loving these comments. Definitely food for thought.
ReplyDeleteActually I do think you have talked me out of it.
x
Hmmm, It would look fantastic painted a bright colour HOWEVER I'd leave it as is. The wood is beautiful and would fit in nicely with any room. It's such a lovely piece :)
ReplyDeleteMolly is a crack up! I love how she smiles for the camera...she isn't shy is she? LOL
Have a great weekend sweets. I'm doing laundry. Joy.
xxx
don't do that, don't paint it! It would look wonderful in white or cream, but natural wood if it's in good conditions deserves to be left that way. I really love the way total white rooms look with just a touch of natural look here and there. Think about it.
ReplyDeleteOh Molly!! She sure was having a lot of fun. Me too am so happy when I see my furry babies having fun destroying things around. Sounds crazy, I know. Who cares.
Have a great weekend!! Good luck with the auction!
Love that wardrobe! It is lovely natural but as a person who has painted every timber piece in my house white.... all I will say is I have NO regrets!!! Do what feels right and feel no guilt! That Molly is such a sweetie! Happy weekend! X
ReplyDeleteAh Sarah, it's blackwood, Sweets. Enough said. Us Tasmanians *get* it. J x PS You can stroke my blackwood chest of drawers any day ☺.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely on the side of DON'T PAINT! You can't it's an antique, solid piece of wooden furniture. I think it's beautiful as it is.
ReplyDeleteLeave it, and weave some colour in using rugs or cushions or vases etc. I don't think you'll be sorry.
Love that dog! Love her.
At first look I was thinking this beautiful find of yours and it's ornate detail would look lovely with a gloss white BUT the more I look at it and its beauty, my vote is now NO to painting :) I think it is too lovely a piece and is meant to be as is. That said, it's your room and your cupboard so go with your instinct but definitely paint the walls before making a decision. I think with light walls this piece will look even more stunning. I'm not sure on your other bedroom furniture but I'm sure you can lighten up the room without touching your new find. Hope the Antique Auction was fun too x
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely piece of furniture and although I'd be tempted to paint it, I'd probably chicken and leave it as is.
ReplyDeleteHope you got some great bargains at the auction
xx
I know that this is unrelated to the task at hand but your dog is so cool. I thought she was smaller for some reason.
ReplyDelete