SK's Hidden 1920's Gem

SK on Elderberry
by SK on Elderberry
The soft sound of sadly murmured blues. The whisper of black silk against white satin. An era of early 1900s prohibition and strong industrious men. Lovely women who loved the feel of fur and soft silks. The scents of fine illegal brandy and a slight scent of cuban cigar wafting into the still air.
Secrets and cleverly hidden valuables, clearly meant for a rainy day. Never discovered.
Sadly this beautiful mahogany veneered buffet had been sorely abused and then spray painted a shiny black. No care was taken with her interior, her beautiful craftsman tear drop knobs, legs or detail.
Never be told (or believe) removing veneer is a quick and easy strategy. Well, maybe it's because I have the tendency and feel obligated to re-invent the wheel. There is great information and guidance out there for us inquiring minds. Some of it is deceiving. It's Never as easy as they make it sound or appear.
The best application in this situation was heat. Thus I brought out my very heavy iron. With moisture and quick moves I was able to slowly work my way over the entire surface an inch at a time. I was cautious not to use too much moisture. This would warp the surface. I used a 5 in 1 tool to lift and peel the veneer.
The original knobs were beautiful when they appeared from the years of paint, wear and tear. These are called Tear Drop pulls. They are as pretty as earrings.


After she was totally cleaned of old paint and warped veneer I sanded with a 200 grit sandpaper.
The idea was to stretch our imagination and take her into the craftsman era. This replica design was taken from Craftsman Homes by Gustav Stickley, (1915)stencil book and re-designed to be specific to this cabinet.
I hand cut my custom design.
Using wood Modern Masters Sculpting compound and my newly custom cut stencil, I troweled a thin layer onto the surface I wanted to decorate. After this compound is dry I can sand it to soften the edges. Make sure to work quickly. This putty dies fast. I still have to remind myself to clean my stencils fast too...
The original back board didn't have as much height as I wanted . I added a 1x8" backsplash. Using a jig saw I cut a coordinating pattern for an antiqued inset mirror.


I ordered the 6" by 29" mirror custom cut to size. I used a popular method of removing and antiquing the glass. On a hard, protected surface with the mirror on its face, and using a paint remover to eat through the painted protective backing on the mirror in specific blotches and spots, I could control the antiquing process of the mirror. Depending on the age of the mirror, this coat might be black or orange. Under this painted surface abides a layer of copper and under the copper, silver.


After the paint is scraped off the copper coating, the silvering will appear. With protective gloves and eyewear in place, I used small amounts of bleach and steel wool to scrub off areas of copper and silver. This leaves an antique, old look to the mirror.
As I completed this stage, the mirror back was cleaned of all residue. using craft paint in burnt sienna with black and chocolate to cover the now bare areas of glass. I use a sponge (This helps keep that old natural antique look). I will check minute to minute to see how the color is looking by glancing at the front of the mirror. When this step is to my liking, the entire back of the mirror is painted twice with a low gloss black. The mirror is installed to the painted backsplash with clear silicone caulking.
The exterior is painted with two coats of smoky black chalk paint. I make my own chalk paint with finely ground chalk and flat paint. When I mix my color batches, I use a handheld emulsifying stick blender to keep the paint as smooth as possible. I whisk the paint intermittently to keep the chalk from settling to the bottom. This recipe calls for 1 part chalk to 2 parts paint. I add a little water as needed. I make my paint by 1 cup batch size. I don't want it hanging out in an airtight container too long. I like the feel of fresh made paint for each project. I love chalk paints and I certainly love the usual brands. But I have to order chalk paint and I am too impatient to wait for them to get to my doorstop. Typical artist...


The interiors are all decoupaged with a pretty tissue paper. As a final coat on the decoupaged paper I brushed it with two coats of mat polycoat. Smoothing out the paper as I go.
The top is finished with four coats of cream chalk paint. I sand in between each coat. When the paint is dry, I sand back areas for an aged and worn appearance. I antique the top surface with a chocolate glaze and wipe back.


This text is a French typography from The Graphics Fairy.
Her top drawer has a false bottom with a secret interior for all those necessary things we need to keep for a rainy day.


Thanks for visiting. You can see more of the "how-to" on my blog. at: http://sksartell.blogspot.com/2014/12/sks-hidden-1920s-gem.html


sk
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  • Bridget Kik Bridget Kik on Dec 11, 2014
    Your cabinet is almost identical to my grandparents one, only its English Oak and has turned orange !!! honeslty over time. I was ready to give it to charity but now you have inspried me to bring it back to life. Its truly a work of art....feel like popping over to England and doing mine for me. PS I even have the hidden drawer as well.
    • SK on Elderberry SK on Elderberry on Dec 11, 2014
      @Bridget Kik Popping over to England would be my best Christmas wish...Make sure to let us see your piece when complete. Love to see. Thanks Bridget. sk
  • Rose Rose on Dec 11, 2014
    Beautiful! Awesome intro!!!
    • SK on Elderberry SK on Elderberry on Dec 11, 2014
      @Rose Thanks Rose. I'm a bit of a dreamer as you can tell. Thanks for visiting. sk
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