Anthropology - Maybe

6:45 PM

Today marked the end of a huge emotional project. I finally finished my antique hutch. Just a little history on this piece, I bought it from the estate of my friend who was an amazing wood worker. He passed away from cancer over 5 years ago and his wife sold me his 'pet' project.

I bought the hutch knowing full well that it was beyond my repair capabilities, but I could see how fantastic it would be and I knew I had to 'save' it. For those of you who buy furniture you share my disease!

The hutch was missing pieces but had amazing bones and I knew if I didn't get it I would regret it for a long time. So, I bought the hutch, got it home where my family thought I was crazy. The way the pieces were joined, and the details made me think the hutch was over 300 years old. So I got it home and tucked my treasure into a spot in the garage.

For this project to be successful I needed several things to come together - lots of expert old fashioned wood repair, locating replacement pieces (preferably old wood), and the right paint.

Here's what it looked like before:

Here's where huge THANKS go to Cousin Jimmy, my brother Rodney, and David. When they would come over to visit I would drag them out to the garage and show them my 'prize'. After they got over their disbelief that 'you bought this' then they would get intrigued by the problem and start tinkering away. That took care of the old-fashioned repairs - check!

Next, one of my pickers found some very old unused tongue & groove flooring. It made the perfect backing for the top piece. Another found some very old molding that could be used in some spots. Old wood - check!

Then we went on vacation and in the Anthropology store, there was a hutch just like mine, dusty and dirty too, dated to the 1600's, priced at $6800. In their favor, their hutch was all put together. Now my family was starting to see my 'treasure'.

After 5 years, and many hours, my hutch was finally put back together and was ready to paint. Now, I felt the pressure. What color to paint this amazing piece that would make it shine, and be respectful of it's history??? I scanned 100's of magazines, painted many sample boards, and finally came up with the perfect color - Chalk Paint™ brand decorative paint Louis Blue with an Olive wash.

I am so happy with how it turned out. I was up till midnight last night putting on the finishing touches and then brought it to the store this morning. I filled it with Halloween and it just glows! It is just over 7 feet tall, and I feel like an artist!

I hope you come in and check it out.

Thanks

Bobbi

Bobbi Eddy has been rescuing and revitalizing furniture and cabinets for more than 25 years. She owns Not Too Shabby in Historic Folsom, Re-Find Living in Old Town Auburn, and Not Too Shabby Studio in Roseville. In 2011, after discovering the power and flexibility of the paint, she became Sacramento area’s authorized stockist for Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan. Thank you for taking the time to read her blog.