And...We're off!

Well it's official.  We have just sold the first of our Maison Bord de Mer signed pieces.  And the icing on the cake?  We sold two pieces to our first real customer.

I'm actually going to miss these little guys.  The first piece, a 19th century writing desk was something I fell in love with and bought, knowing we didn't really have a spot for it in our home.  But I couldn't pass it up.  Unfortunately I don't have any "before" pictures, but it was obvious that whomever had previously owned them, didn't really appreciate what they had.  It had some paint splattered on it and some minor nicks in the desktop, but overall, it was structurally sound and perfect for a MBdeM makeover.

The second piece was a little three legged stool that I bought from an auction in St. Louis a few years ago.  It was quirky and had a funny little personality, so I bid on it.  I do have before pics of this little guy.  Prior to getting the MBdeM treatment, he had dark red legs and a rather dull oak top.  I had fun with this stool and am happy to see him going to a good home.

We're thrilled with our first "official" sale and look forward to many more.  This weekend we'll be hitting some estate sales, so hopefully we'll find some potential new projects.

Merci!
Angela

For the Love of the Craft

I've been asked if I use chalk paint on my projects.  The answer is no, and I probable never will.  When it comes to finishing, I don't really like to take short cuts.  I don't use spray paint and I don't like to slop globs of paint on unprepped surfaces in a haphazard manner.  I prefer to take my time.  I'm not a production focused factory trying to pump out finished goods.  I'm an artisan who is trained with woods, metals, paints, stains, etc. and I understand the craft of refinishing a piece of furniture.

When I was a kid, my dad used to watch This Old House and frankly, I wasn't a fan.  Fast forward twenty something years and I now receive their monthly publication.  I guess 5 years of architecture school will do that to you.  

It's no secret Josh and I appreciate good quality.  Whether we're purchasing B&B Italia or Herman Miller from Centro, or we're picking up an unsigned antique from an estate sale, our primary focus is craftsmanship.  At Maison Bord de Mer, we hold our work to this same high standard.  

Eames Lounge and Ottoman for Herman Miller and some Estate Sale finds.

We begin each piece by making any necessary structural repairs - not usually an issue.  Then we sand off the existing finish so that we're working with raw wood.  If we're planning to shabby chic a piece, we don't typically seal the wood before painting, but in rare cases we might.  Then we apply two or three coats of paint (with light sanding in between each coat) before giving the piece a weathered, distressed appearance.  

Distressing is the fun part, but you've gotta be careful not to over-do it.  We do a little bit of sanding and a whole lot of steel wooling. Not a verb I know, but it's what we do.  And sometimes, we like to give the piece an aged look by applying a stain which is promptly wiped off, leaving a tea-stained appearance on the paint.  Lastly, we sign the back or bottom of the piece and seal it with a clear topcoat!

Painted and Distressed wood pediment by Maison Bord de Mer.

Everything we do is done by hand.  No spray guns, no cans.  Just old fashioned paint brushes.  Why do we do it this way?  Because we love what we do and we enjoy the process.  

Thanks for reading!  

Merci,

Angela

Trash to Treasure

It's been quite a while now that we've been collecting artwork and furniture.  It all started when we were forced to refurnish our home following a house fire.  One of my coworkers turned us on to an auction house in St. Louis (where we were living at the time) that held a "Modernism" auction twice a year.  We were so stoked with the possibility of being able to own some true modern classics, that we behaved like total amateurs with the bidding paddle.  Translation: We overspent.

In the years since, we've learned the intricacies and nuances of attending auctions and have amassed quite a collection of goodies without breaking the bank.

George Low Table by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia - One of our many great auction buys.

L - Wassily Chair  by Marcel Breuer from Gavina. R - Tempo Table by Prospero Rasulo for Zanotta. Win! Win!

But our fun didn't stop there.  A couple of years after our home was rebuilt, we sold it and found ourselves living in Atlanta where we stumbled upon an estate sale one fine Sunday.  We found a beat-up vintage metal dresser down in the basement and our obsession with "junkin" (as we call it) was born.

Vintage Metal Dresser Painted Black with Gold Pinstriping

Many of our Saturday mornings are spent hopping from sale to sale, coffee in hand.  The only problem we've run into with our junkin habit, is that our cars no longer fit in our garage and the closets in two of our guest bedrooms are bursting with treasures.

Enter "Maison Bord de Mer".

Now, we have been selling things for awhile, but we're in love with the idea of finding discarded, grimy objects that we can nurse back to health for others to enjoy.  It has become our mission to put abandoned home furnishings that were loved but now forgotten back into peoples' homes.  We've begun doing this by giving the pieces a new confidence that comes from being hand painted and refinished.