寶貝熊與貓先生的生活大小事

BEFORE

I was lucky enough to receive a text from a dear friend of mine regarding of her colleague who wanted to get rid of some old furniture quick in the house which was ready to be torn down in months time. 

I was also fortunate to have my dad and my boyfriend who went to pick up this huge solid wood buffet or sideboard and a 6-chair dining set as well on a cold rainy February day for me. 

I pretty much came up with ideas and had a clear vision for the dining set the moment I received it, and the work went underway without any hesitations.  

However, I was honestly overwhelmed by this monster buffet or sideboard for months and had no clue at all of how I wanted to do with it. 

After months of researching, I have made up my mind and decided to stick with the plan I finally came up with and ready to execute with confident and a fist. 

For this piece, there was definitely some signs of usage along the edges of the top surface, so before I even started taking out the sanding block, I used Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler in Walnut color to fill in little dents and holes. 

Even though the wood filler dried out to be another shade of brown color, I was not worried too much about the color difference because I planned on painting the whole piece. 

I had struggled so much and debating a lot with myself on which color to use when painting this piece. 

After months of pick and choose and looking at millions of photos, I have stepped out of my box, my comfort zone and decided to use something bold, loud, wild and in-your-face, a royal blue with a hint of sparkling just like the name on the can, Starry Night from Van Gogh Fossil Paint. 

I actually did a little background check for this piece, which I normally would not do for other furniture after I saw the reward label and the ink mark in the drawer and on the back of the furniture. 

What I found online amazed and surprised me for sure. 

This buffet or sideboard was actually had another term called Credenza and was manufactured by a very well-known solid wood furniture maker Drexel Heritage Furniture. 

A sticker on the inside of a drawer indicates that this piece is made of mahogany and has won the Highest Award of Craftsmanship and Design in 1960.

Manufacturer ink mark on the back of the credenza shows it is from the "Triune" collection and it was the seventh to be manufactured from a production batch total of 60. 

Drexel Heritage Furniture holds a reputation and has been known for crafting quality furniture and unique design. Original price of this credenza would easily be marked at US$3000 with present money.

Drexel's creations also have the potential to retain their values very well. A mahogany credenza like this with excellent condition, even to be sold as is without any updating, the price can be ranged from US$1000 to US$2000.

AFTER

This beautiful credenza made by Drexel Heritage has five doors open up to a silverware drawer and cabinet, a second cabinet and a set of three drawers.

It has been newly painted with Van Gogh Fossil Paint Starry Night color to create classic and elegant presence. Light sanding around the corners and edges was performed and Van Gogh Fossil Paint French Caffeine Wax was applied to produce a vintage look. 

However, couple of the original brass cabinet hardware was missing their parts, I was forced to change out all of them to match.

The brand-new cabinet hardware with similar look to the original ones, combination of a back plate and a knob for grab, was sprayed painted with Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Gold color to brighten up the whole finish. 

Apart from its original designation as a sideboard or buffet, this piece can be worked into living room as a media center, or bedroom as a dresser, or home office/ den as a storage unit. 

If your home is missing a statement piece, this one is it!