The Decoration

What could be better than one bench?


*****


A pair of benches!

Last week I mentioned that my Carpenter was building a couple of benches for one of my clients, and here is how they turned out...

I love all of the knots and wood grain that shows through in them!

Gorgeous!

We came up with the design based off of how we wanted them to look and function...

I am extremely pleased with them and I was actually a bit sad to see them leave our garage! But they look great in my client's entryway/living room and I think they will be a wonderful asset when it comes to hosting the large gatherings that she puts on for her extended family!

Benches are a great option for portable, yet beautiful, seating when it comes to entertaining!

I used

Minwax Wood Finish

in Dark Walnut #2716

and

Minwax Wipe-On Poly

in Clear Satin

I cannot say enough good things about the Wipe-On Poly!
It was so easy to apply and I love the look that it created on the benches - a hand-rubbed finish was exactly what I was looking for!


We actually like them so much that we're considering making two more and using them in place of our 4 chairs at our kitchen table!

Stay tuned!

There may be more benches to come!

This morning I headed over for day two of Austin's striped bedroom! These stripes were a lot of work (9 hours for the whole project), but totally worth it! I think it looks great and my client loves it, so I am thrilled!

Yesterday I painted the large, white band in throughout the middle of the room and the blue on the top and bottom of the walls. We let it dry overnight so that I could come back and tape it all up for the stripes.

First thing this morning I measured out all of my lines with the spacing that we had decided upon and then taped it up. This took about an hour total.

Then I painted over all of the seams so that none of the colored paint that I was going to be applying would seep through onto the white. Since it was only a thin layer it didn't take long for it to dry and then it was onto the yellow stripes.

I painted the first coat of the yellow and then painted the blue up to the tape line. Once I had finished that I was able to go back and put on my second coat of yellow.

Once the second coat of yellow was on I was able to take the tape from the center off. The fun part! Looking good!

I put the second coat of blue on the walls from floor to tape line and ceiling to tape line. Then I was able to rip off the rest of the tape. More fun!

The lines came out crisp and clean! The 9 hours of work included two coats of every color as well as measuring, taping, painting the seams and clean-up.

I spent the day painting polka-dots for two of my youngest clients, Emma and Sophie.

Client's Need:
Polka-Dots!
Inspiration found in their favorite polka-dot dresses.

Progress:
A sneak peek at the room..
The polka-dots are finished!

Tomorrow I will finish the hand painted quote for the wall.

I'll post more pictures of the room when the project is complete.

Client's need:
A bench with cubbies and a matching shelf with hooks for her entryway. She has three kids and needs storage for shoes, coats, hats, backpacks, etc. Found our inspiration....

Finished Product:
Success!
My husband built these pieces and I finished them. She's happy with the results and so are we!

Image courtesy of potterybarn.com

Client's need:
A desk for her office.
Inspiration found...

Success!
My husband built the desk with turned legs and a drawer. I finished it in white as the client requested. I think it turned out beautifully and the client is happy!

Image courtesy of potterybarn.com