Eclectic Design Inc: Eclectic Chic...The WOW Sideboard....

I picked up this sideboard a year ago! I loved it then and I love it even more now! It sat in my garage for over a year!! When I bought the piece two of my antique dealer friends were at the same moving sale and they both told me..."Beth, you cannot paint this piece - it is too fabulous!"

So it sat and sat.

This sideboard was stunning as found even in it's slightly ran down condition. It had some veneer missing, a broken mirror behind the right set of shelves and the top had been abused.

I thought and thought about it (for a year) and decided there was no other alternative than to paint it despite the plea of my friends. It would have required a lot of work to get her back in the original condition. And all the fabulous carvings...they would look wonderful painted and distressed!

This beauty is a multi tasker! She is a sideboard, a china display cabinet, she has two sets of shelves and in the top drawer she is hiding a beautiful secretary! Wow!! I truly have never seen anything like this before!

I started by cleaning the sideboard. She did need a good cleaning. I used wood putty to fill in the couple missing pieces of veneer and I replaced a piece of trim that was found in one of the drawers. I sanded the putty smooth so no one will be wiser that she was a little beat up.

The shelves on either side had mirrors behind them. The mirror on the right was broken and missing a large piece. I removed the broken mirror but left the mirror on the right as it is original to the piece and I love old mirrors. This one is showing it's age perfectly! I later painted the wood behind the removed mirror to match the rest of the piece.

I painted her with chalk paint in an off white hue. It did take more than one coat as her finish was dark. But it was worth it as she is stunning in white! I opted not to paint the interior of the secretary drawer as it is in perfect condition and the writing surface is covered in leather. I also left the interior of the cabinet the original dark red. Perhaps my friends will be glad I left parts of her in their original state. Actually they both have seen the piece and love it....they think she turned out even more beautiful than before.

I slightly distressed the piece and gave her a coat of clear wax.

She is available in booth G021 at Heritage Square Antique Mall

I have two other booths as well with an Eclectic Mix of Shabby Chic, Vintage, Modern, Antiques and Industrial - wow! Something to suit every one's taste!