Old Shutters- New Uses

One of the top trends of interior design at the moment is to rethink, renew and recycle! Repurposed shutters in the home are definatley on the "trend hot list" and a key ingredient for a shabby-chic home. I picked up two shutters while antiquing in Parys recently. Actually, if I'm honest- they're not really shutters, they're more like two western-tavern doors - haha (close enough)!

The intention was to use the "tavern doors" to give my plain-jane windows a new look. The job was easy! All I did was sand down and re-paint the old shutters in an off-white shade (I made sure I used a weather-proof paint as the shutters were going to be outdoors) and finally scratched and weathered them using a 180 grit sandpaper to give them a Shabby-Chic look. The hardest part was deciding which window would have the honour of wearing the new accessory. After much deliberation with my friends and family- the perfect spot was found just outside my kitchen window- as a focal point above my herb table. Check out the finished product below and also take a look at some other 

beautiful ideas and uses for old shutters. I'm already on the hunt for my next pair. 

Be inspired!

Creativity with Crates

There's no doubt that the lofty & rustic crate look is currently in vogue and hopefully it's here to stay! I'm definitely a fan whether I'm using crates to pot herbs, to stash groceries or in today's case using them as a make-shift bookshelf/wine rack. Gaz really needed an attractive place to store his most prized wines (uh-hmmm about 5 bottles at this point) and I really needed to create a focal point on (what used to be) a very boring wall! So it was a win-win- YAY! :)

All I needed was some hard wearing crates, wine rack latis, some screws, mounting plates, a drill and 1x husband to put it all together for me! Now all Gaz and I have to do is start collecting more wine to fill up all those empty gaps! Watch this space for more creative crate ideas!

If  would like us to come and "install" a crate bookshelf and/or wine rack in your home- you can email abigail@rightlink.co.za or gareth@rightlink.co.za

Just Darling D.I.Y

DIY: Weathering & Distressing

I've heard people say it's is a crime to paint or re-style an antique piece. I couldn't disagree more, buying antiques doesn't mean that your house needs to look like your grandma's till kingdom come (unless that floats your boat of course). Antiques are classics, yes, and some of them look absolutely gorgeous just the way they are, but updating the piece to suite the style of your home is what REALLY makes them the timeless pieces they are. They can be changed, painted and updated yet still, the design and quality remain incomparable to any of the pieces you'll find in the shops today. I found this amazing little ball and claw coffee table at an antique shop in Kensington, picked it up for R500. So my question is, why spend a fortune on a cheap knock-off when you can restore a quality antique for less? So...I hope that at this point I've convinced you to revive that old piece that's been sitting in the garage for yonks. And with the help of my Darling hubby Gaz, I'm going to show you exactly how you are going to do it...

THE GOAL: Make sure you have a vision in mind before getting started. Get your thoughts together and decide on a colour and theme that will suit the rest of your furniture. For example, I have two awesome weathered egg-shell butlers trays in our lounge and so the goal would be to mirror the same look for the coffee table.

Egg-Shell Butlers Tray

The Coffee Table Before...

1) First things first, get the furniture back to its original raw state by sanding it down either by hand or with an electric sander.

2) Wipe down the piece with a damp cloth, allow it to dry and then prime the wood. We bought Dulux's Universal Undercoat. Properly preparing and priming the wood means that if you ever wanted to remove the paint and restore it to its original state-you could.



3) Note- Gaz and I chose to show the colour of the natural wood when we weathered the piece but if you wanted the under-color to be different i.e grey or green, then you would need to apply 2 coats of your first "under-colour" now.

4) Next, paint 2-3 coats of your main color. Gaz and I used Dulux's PearlGlo- Water Based Enamel in Almond White and we chose a matte finish. I would definitely recommend using a water based paint as opposed to an oil based one, it's just a lot softer on the eye and it's also easy to distress,weather and sand. Another tip- use a small sponge roller as opposed to a brush for a flawless, streak-less finish.

Before Weathering

4) Allow the paint to dry thoroughly - about 48 hours. Ps. Dulux actually recommends letting it dry for 7 days...but who has time for that?

5) Now here is the tricky part-the weathering! We used a 180 grit sand paper to lightly sand and weather the piece. Don't go overboard as I can guarantee you'll be tempted to just carry on and on! Sand a small section at a time and then step back to check your work. Remember the best look is when the piece really looks like its been naturally worn so only sand in places where you genuinely think that
would occur i.e raised edges, corners etc. 

6) If you are refurbishing a dining room table, coffee table or bedside stand (Anything that would have a lot of objects continually being laid on it) then I would recommend using a sealer over the wood to protect the paint from further scratching and chipping. Make sure you get a quality sealer as the cheaper ones tend to dry a yellowish colour. Also, get a matte sealer as I find the shiny finishes cheapen the look. Gaz and I are using this coffee table as a temporary TV stand- LOL- so we decided not to put a sealer on the wood.

Excuse my Toes ;) 

The Coffee Table After! :)

Contact us if you would like us to re-furbish your antique for you :) abigail@rightlink.co.za