CasaSugar

Before and After: A French Provincial Dresser From Drab to Fab

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:00:28 -0700

Su Casa member leahlarocca found this incredible French provincial dresser on Craigslist. It has a beautiful shape, but its grubby yellow finish was dated and drab. She wanted a show-stopping piece, so she ended up spray painting it silver and painting the trim gold. Now the dresser is seriously glamorous. Want to see the finished product? Then read more.

I love it! Do you have any before-and-after projects of your own to share? Add them to my Su Casa group!

Before and After: Renovating Family Furniture

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:00:29 -0700

Su Casa member Melissa Kathleen recently updated a piece of furniture that had been in her family for decades. She writes, "When my family and I had to move my grandmother out of her apartment, we didn't know what to do with all of her furniture. When I saw her old chest she kept in her large bathroom, I loved the shape and wanted to re-finish it." Curious as to how Melissa Kathleen's chest looks after its makeover? Find out when you read more.

Melissa Kathleen gave the old chest a thorough sanding. Then, she primed it and covered it with a few coats of paint. Another great update she added was changing out the drawer pulls for something more contemporary. She says, "I love my new chest! And the best part is, it's been in my family for about 60 years!" From the looks of it, I bet this stylish chest could easily stand the test of time for another 60 years, don't you think?

Have you joined my Su Casa group? Showcase your home makeovers, or just ask for advice from other members about your latest home project.

Guess Who Designed This Chest?

CasaSugar — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:30:00 -0700

I recently watched Sex and the City: The Movie again (still love it!), and noticed this chest of drawers in the office of Carrie Bradshaw's editor at Vogue. The dresser was designed by a very influential American interior designer of the early-to-mid '20s. She wrote an inspiring, and quite popular, decorating book in 1939, called Decorating Is Fun! Can you name her?

Crave Worthy: The Conran Shop Napoleone Cabinet

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:00:34 -0800

Antiques are beautiful, but sometimes I can't resist a modern interpretation of an old classic, like the the Conran Shop Napoleone Cabinet ($4,950). Lacquered with glossy green, the timeless form of this seven-drawer chest takes on a lively and witty attitude. Sadly this cabinet is astronomically out of reach for me, but a girl can dream, can't she? If I were the proud owner of this royal French piece, I'd fill it with Hermes scarves, vintage leather gloves, buckets of baubles, and some extortionate lace. How about you?

Casa Quickie: Sticky Drawers

CasaSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:30:24 -0800

Aging isn't an easy thing to do. For antiques, the phrase "things get better with age" is nearly always true when it comes to aesthetics and market value. But sometimes they do need a little love to get their groove back. When it comes to a chest or bureau with sticky drawers that no longer slide open and closed easily, did you know that the antiaging remedy is as simple and household-ready as a candlestick? Just pull out the chest drawers and grab a piece of wax or an old candlestick that's down to its last legs. Rub the wax along the tracks where the grooves of the drawers will run. Now, put each drawer back, and they should slide in smoothly.

Before and After: From Dull to Punk

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:15:43 -0800

For some home decorators, music is a way of life, and that means that music must become a part of their home decorating scheme. Take Craftster member Anarchy_Onions for example. As you'll see, she isn't shy about incorporating her musical tastes into her home. I love it when people have a definite idea about what they like and dislike, so I admire Anarchy_Onions's moxie!

Anarchy_Onions started off with this plain-Jane dresser.
To see how she switched it up, read more.

She explains, "I saw something like this a long time ago that someone was selling and I always wanted to make one. When I redecorated my room, I got the chance. The third panel is a bit crooked, but overall I dig it."

For all of you who might not know who these characters are, the man is Sid Vicious, the bass player for seminal British punk rock band The Sex Pistols, and the woman is Nancy Spungen, his girlfriend. While this dresser may be way too punk rock for your taste, you've got to give Anarchic_Onions credit for a job well done!
Source

Etsy Find: Chroma Lab Fruit Stripe Dresser

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

I love people who aren't afraid of color. Take, for example, Laurel's Rainbow Bright Home. Thanks to her fearlessness of color, her home shouts personality . . . the kind of style that simply can't be replicated. But, given that I like my color in small doses, I'd be more likely to fill my house with items like the Chroma Lab Fruit Stripe Dresser ($480). Its turquoise acrylic satin polyurethane topcoat is certainly bold, but its slivers of watermelon and lemon color are hidden until you open the drawers. The colors aren't always competing for attention, but you know they're there.

Less or More: Laser-Cut Dressers

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:44 -0800

For the next installment of this game, take a look at each of these laser-cut dressers and see if you can answer my questions about them.

Take the quiz

Would You Use Alphabet Blocks as Drawer Pulls?

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:15:51 -0800

I spotted this photo on AT:SF, and I think it's such a clever, cute idea. AT:SF recommends using alphabet blocks as drawer pulls in a child's room, though I think it would be fun to spell out a cheeky word or phrase on an adult's dresser, too.
Source

Crave Worthy: Pink Mother of Pearl Inlay Chest

CasaSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:45:26 -0700

When I see the Graham and Green Pink Mother of Pearl Inlay Chest ($2,726), I think I revert to the part of me that used to play with Barbies for hours on end, that spontaneously drops $100 on facial scrub and nail polish in Walgreens, that wears stilettos to an occasional Sunday diner breakfast. Regardless of the fact that I might fill this mother of pearl inlaid dresser with gym shorts and ratty T-shirts, there's a romantic, feminine quality about it that simply makes me love being a girl. Unfortunately, there's little place for delicate, estrogen-loaded furnishings in my bedroom, but it pays to dream right? Maybe one day I'll have my very own walk-in closet, and my man will concede to letting me order it from the other side of the pond.