Going out for dinner, knowing that at your next zoom call the camera has to be on, or even just stepping out to run a few errands on the town. These three (and many other interacting-with-someone-other-than-my-dog) events all have something in common and whether or not you’re already cringing at the thought of social interaction; it has everything to do with just that. We want to look good when people see us. If it means a nightly ritual of creamy concoctions smeared on our faces, or 20 minutes of evenly distributed brushstrokes applied to tint our peaks and valleys, we seldom skip these steps when gunning for visual improvement.
By definition, improvement refers to “something that makes a thing better, or makes it something else.” It means that whatever the case many be right now, with some forth put effort and a rejig or two, it can function totally different, stronger and in the case of tangible items (such as your beautiful face) with a heightened appearance.
Improvements made to furniture work this very same way. Just as primers, tints and setting sprays can improve our complexions…, strippers, paints and finishing waxes can improve our everyday decor.
With the fall season drawing in richer colour swatches, the hunt for bolder colour patterns in the home has commenced but for those who still are a little unsure about the possibility that paint provokes, we’ve rounded up 3 solid points to consider about vintage furniture refinished.
1. Blue trees don't just exist
Blue trees don't just exist and thus, that regal blue hardwood dining table you have is likely painted. In fact, wood that isn’t otherwise raw is treated in some way prior to serving as furniture. Be it a furniture wax buffed on for durability, a gel stain saturating the grain, or a hybrid model sealing the colour beneath, furniture old or new is always treated with something. The sooner you realize that paint isn’t just an application reserved for DIY’ers and those with decor ADD, and that it is very much a regular step in production from retailers large and small, the better off (and easier!) your next shopping trip will be.
2. You can get someone else to do it for you
When you don’t feel like cooking, you order in and the same solution exists for your furniture. You can absolutely take on the task of manipulating your grandmothers dresser from white to wood -or vice versa- but that doesn’t mean you need to. Take building a fence for example. Maybe you know exactly the style you want, maybe your vision just ends at fence. Surely a few taps (and a whole lot of targeted ads later) you can come up with the where and what to source the materials needed. If you really wanted to, you could absolutely learn to build the fence of your dreams but if child rearing, corporate ladder climbing, and dinner burning are all regular activities in your home then chances are the buck stops there. The same goes for the furniture in your home. Whether you walk past the same credenza every day and think “if only this were green!”, or you’re with only surface level curiosity and know nothing more than that you need a change; THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL TAKE THE REINS. YOU CAN BUILD THE DAMN FENCE. WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD THE DAMN FENCE. YOU CAN LOOK AWAY WHILE SOMEONE ELSE BUILDS THE DAMN FENCE!
We at Sunday Stroll can’t actually build you a fence, but if you’re curious about furniture revival, we encourage you to check out Sunday Bespoke.
3. Quality
Call it revived, restored, refinished or redone but know that in any of these words there is acknowledgement of preexistence. By the time furniture wants or needs TLC, chances are it’s been in a family for a significant period of time. In the case of Sunday Stroll, vintage furniture is our focus from the start. The point here, is that furniture from a former lifetime boasts a certain level of quality and craftsmanship that is simply overlooked in today’s production.
Reviving a piece of furniture, be it through colour, finish, or even just structural reinforcements may seem like the poor man’s route to CB2, but it’s actually cost saving in the long run. By reviving vintage or antique furniture, we’re able to guarantee quality (think solid wood & countersink screws), eliminate the “I wanted white but they only had pearl in stock” settlement that no one should face and best of all; your home is your home. Not yours and five friends who also purchased from page 14 of a Chinas Finest Furniture (read: Structube) catalogue.