There’s a game I like to play. I call it Musical Trash Finds.
It goes like this:
- Find a piece of abandoned furniture on the curb. Ask boyfriend to help me carry it into the house.
- Find a better piece of abandoned furniture on the curb. Ask boyfriend to help me swap the two.
- Repeat.
It’s a fabulously cheap method of decorating. Bonus: I’m rescuing items from the landfill.
Since I am a puny small gal with jelly arms, this game only requires a judicious eye and the ability to delegate the task of lifting. To Alan. Alan does not enjoy Musical Trash Finds as much as I do. But I do the cooking, so it’s a fair exchange.
My latest icky trash haul rescued furniture piece is a TV console I found on a humid evening stroll in August. Alan helped me shove it into the Jetta and lug it back to our garage, where I’ve been slowly slowly agonizing over it meticulously restoring it at exactly the pace I intended. Ta-da!
You have to see the before for maximum “oooo!” impact:
Yup, I’m in love. Unlike our last TV console, which you can see in my Lavender Living Room, it has shelves! And doors! And cute little inset handles which were just begging to be painted brassy gold!
Because Wally is convinced that all new pieces of furniture belong to him and him alone, he monitored my photoshoot to make sure I didn’t mistakenly think the console was mine. Cats.
The colors are Casa Blanca and India Ink, both in Ace Hardware’s Clark & Kensington line. But oh my god, you guys, primer is so not a joke. Despite thoroughly sanding and using paint and primer in one, that white just would. not. cover. I kept thinking the next coat would be the last, until I finally surrendered after 6 or so coats, bought a separate white primer, and started over. Sometimes you have to learn by doing.
Taping the stripe and triangle detail on the handles nearly killed me. Look at this mess:
But the teeny strips of tape and extra bit of work paid off. The doors needed just a smidge more personality, and the result makes my heart go pitter-patter. The gold is Rustoleum Specialty Metallic spray paint in gold. It’s the best.
It’s not the world’s greatest paint job, but I’m happy with it. Here’s one more glimpse:
What do you think of my rescued TV console? Do you play Musical Trash Finds too? What’s your best curbside loot?