New furniture vs old furniture

So, whenever I walk into a furniture store, I can't help myself to be surprised that people are willing to pay 600 bucks for a dresser made from mdf, and live with the fact that a lot of people have the exact same dresser in their living room. I can't imagine paying that kind of money for an item of furniture, surely now that a whole lot of the mainstream furniture stores go for a country look in their furniture. It's so easy to achieve this look with Annie Sloan chalk paint. I mean, even I can do it. So those who know me also know that before I started pimping furniture, my creativity was way beyond limited. I can't sew or knit. Though I'm debating to learn it now that I saw some gorgeous curtains in "Creating the French Look".

But what I miss even more in modern furniture stores is the feeling of hunting. The hunt for a special treasure, an uniquely shaped item of furniture that can be brought to life with a bit of paint. I love having unique furniture. Something nobody else haves. Send me to the thrift or flea market, I will spend money. I love the quality of old massive oak wood, it's an almost psychedelic experience to paint it. These pieces have history, they are built to last. That's part of the thrill. I have a vanity complete with emaille dish which I use as vanity table. It's a gorgeous piece with carved handles and legs. It's from the time of WW2. I can imagine it standing in a local farm house, owned by a young woman, back than. That is part of the thrill, the history attached to a piece.

My living room is a mix of furniture from my grandma, thrift store and flea markets. The only new piece is the couch, and honestly, I have been debating to exchange it against some vintage couch. I might even do that if I happen to find a pretty french style couch. I love old furniture. It isn't that this couch is ugly, don't get me wrong - it's dark brown fake suede. Nice shape too, it blends in nicely, but I can't help myself but eyeing gorgeous french style couches with gorgeous legs. I find myself more and more attracted by the beautiful shapes of french reproduction pieces. Those are also pieces I love to give a make over the most, along with really old oak wood. I have a French style TV cabinet waiting in my workplace right now, but still pondering over the right colors to use. This is also part of the thrill. The debating over the colors. I have obtained a great palette by now, and of course, can also mix custom colors from these.

Plus there's a new project in the wings - I'm trying to get ahold of an old sewing machine table, one of these made from cast iron, to paint it and add a custom tabletop to it.

Lots to do, as you guys see!