here is a pair of before and afters done recently for a lovely client and her precious daughter. she had the desk made for ellie, a budding artist, who is in the process of big-girl-ifying her bedroom. the small side table (one of a pair) was a brilliant find my client made at a local junque shop. both mother and daughter were after a little gloss and glam for their pieces.
for ellie’s desk – a little worried about those knots showing through – i primed with zissner’s stain-blocking primer, smoothed out the cracks and gaps (but let the grain still show) with wood filler, and then sealed the bottom, inside of the drawer, and all other unseen surfaces with clear polyurethane. (it’s key to do this on a new piece – to seal every surface – to ensure that some parts don’t absorb more moisture from humidity than others, causing warping and/or cracking.) after base-coating with modern masters’ silver, i topped it with a high-gloss polyurethane…ellie can now createcreatecreate, and her desk can be scrubbed clean. she chose a pull from my grab-bag of hardware: a sparkly, rhinestone-studded number from anthropologie, to complete the look.
my client was looking for a way to add a bit of shine and light to her beautiful living room, which is full of soft, deep colors and surfaces. she earned a gold star on her chart by researching and choosing a color…i love a delightfully decisive client who shows up with her own sample pot! the bottom of the table was stamped and marked:
does anyone know how to interpret? anyway, to get the gloss she wanted, i called emmett fiore at fine paints of europe. he (obligingly, of course…he is not my crush for nothing, you know) mixed some hollandlac brilliant in her choice of behr’s cornerstone 330e.2. after cleaning and sanding the curvy little table and doing a little repair to the filleting around the top…
…i primed it with fpe’s enamel underbody and then applied two coats of the paint. she asked for a tiny bit of gilding wax rubbed on to some of the edges as a finishing touch.
as i was working, the combination kept reminding me of something…i finally realized it is our (old paris 2nd empire?) china, collected and given to us by my lovely mother-in-law, the original mrs. jones.
The Devoted Classicist says
I think the “3502 Mahy” written in chalk is a delivery address for the little table. Although not as common as some other street names, Mahy is not an usual last name so the street was probably named for a family that had owned the land. I am viewing this on my iPhone but the stamp is a Union Made label that I cannot make out otherwise; it is not unusual, but probably indicates that the piece was not made locally.
stephanie says
and that, devoted classicist, is why i am devoted to you. thank you for examining the details with me! now, about that china pattern…is it “old paris, 2nd empire”? or did my sweet mother-in-law just conjure that up?
The Devoted Classicist says
Stephanie, while I am skeptical that the dinner service is 19th century Old Paris based on what limited part I am seeing, it would not diminish my joy of using it even more often.
stephanie says
the devoted classicist: a gentleman and a scholar.
BoxwoodTerrace says
That little table is lovely in that smooth, shiny finish. Amazing too that the gold detailing comes from a bit of gold tinted wax. I’m off the purchase! Thanks for the link!
Deborah
CAT says
I love Dr. DC also….
and beautiful Mrs. Jones
Nancy says
It means mahogany and the number is the style number of the piece.
stephanie says
thanks, nancy! i love knowing what all of it means, and appreciate the info.
Helen Morris says
Oooooh lovely pictures as always, Mrs Jones.