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Barb Blair’s Furniture Makeovers + a giveaway!

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I’ve been following Barb Blair and her South Carolina furniture rehab shop, Knack Studios, online forever — first on Flickr (Remember when everyone hung out on Flickr? Poor Flickr…), and then on her blog and Instagram. A couple of years ago Barb and I met in person, and she was everything I imagined — warm, funny and smart. I’m a huge fan of Barb the person and of Barb’s work, so when Chronicle Books asked if I’d like to review her new book, Furniture Makeovers, as part of a blog tour, I said YES. Of course!

Barb’s motto is “live with what you love,” a belief I feel very personally aligned with. In an era of publicly sharing the contents of our personal spaces, there’s a tendency to make decisions about what we surround ourselves with based on an expectation of how our living spaces will be perceived by others, often complete strangers. It’s pretty much impossible to paint a piece of wood furniture (or wood trim, or wood floors, or wood teeth) without a hundred people saying you’ve “ruined” it — there’s a preciousness associated with unpainted wood that, in my opinion, is pretty ridiculous. As the owner of a formerly-dilapidated historic home that I’ve been un-dilapidating for the better part of a decade, I think I have a good sense of how to exist as a modernist in an old home: Modernism at its core is about respecting and learning from the past while making improvements and alterations to better accommodate living in the present (and future). Sometimes, that means taking a step into past traditions — what initially drew me to Barb’s work was how reminiscent it is of 18th-century Gustavian-style Swedish furniture with its soft-looking painted finishes.

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All photos by J. Aaron Greene

If there’s anything I can say about Barb, it’s that the woman does not take shortcuts when it comes to furniture. She doesn’t just grab a can of old wall paint and slap a couple of coats on a table. She knows how to prepare surfaces properly, and what materials to use to obtain finishes that look like they belong to the piece — and that’s really the key to a successful makeover. You want to see the sum of the parts in the end, not evidence of the process. The great thing about Furniture Makeovers is that you not only get before-and-after shots of a bunch of Barb’s pieces, you also get very detailed information about the tools and materials she uses and recommends — as well as exhaustive descriptions and photos demonstrating how to properly use those tools and materials. From strippers to chalk paint to spray paint to Danish oil to finishing wax, Barb covers just about everything, and in a friendly, you-can-actually-do-this way. This is a real how-to book, not just a trove of inspirational photos.

Here’s a great video (shot by Carlon Riffel) that takes you through a tour of the Knack shop, the contents of the book and, most fun of all, a time-lapse of Barb doing her magic on a dresser from start to finish:

Yup, now I feel like overhauling a piece of old furniture! In fact, I’m now determined to apply Barb’s techniques (in my own Anna-style, of course) to an antique dresser that’s been sitting, empty and without purpose, in a corner of my bedroom for…oh, six years now. I bought it at a flea market for about $15, and it’s a mess. The original hardware is missing, the wood veneer is peeling, it has water stains all over the top and the shellac finish is badly blistered. I love it, though, and it meets all of Barb’s criteria for a makeover-ready piece: It has personality, it’s solid wood with a wood veneer and it’s structurally sound and functional. I am READY. As soon as it’s not 100°F out (this heatwave is killing my productivity), Operation Dresser Makeover will be in full effect.

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But WAIT, there’s MORE! Would you like your very own copy of Barb Blair’s Furniture Makeovers? Well, it’s your lucky day — I have a signed copy to give away, and it comes with one of Barb’s “live with what you love” Knack tote bags! Nice, yes? If you’d like to enter to win, just leave a comment on this post letting me know about a furniture makeover you’d like to embark on, whether it’s a piece you already own, or something you’re on the lookout for. In a week, I’ll draw a winner at random.

UPDATE: The winner of the Furniture Makeovers giveaway is Alicia! Congratulations, Alicia.

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(Thanks so much to Barb and to Chronicle Books for making this giveaway possible! I wish you much success with this book.)

Side note: Aside from the review copy I was sent of the book, I was not compensated in any way to write this post. Normally I wouldn’t even bother saying that because I have a 100% transparency policy about that kind of stuff, but someone asked, so there you go. This is just a post about a book I love and wholeheartedly recommend.

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326 Comments

  • Reply Emily July 18, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    Oh man, I have this great table from my family, but it’s in need of something. It’s nice wood, but it doesn’t go with the colors in my home at all. So it needs something, but I haven’t been sure what it needs.

    I also have some cheaper wood/wood veneer bookcases that could use some love. I tried staining one of them once upon a time and it’s sad.

  • Reply Betty Behrens July 18, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    Barb is awesome! I’ve een following her blog for a long time and she even helped me out with knobs for a dresser I painted. I added her book to my wishlist some months ago – I would love to see it. I’m no sentimentalist when it comes to wood, so I love to tackle a project involving a truly distressed piece. Currently, I too have a dresser that needs a makeover. I’m kinda stumped on a vision for it though. Perhaps Barb’s book can inspire me.

  • Reply Meghan July 18, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    I have three chairs, a dresser, an end table, a mirror. A garage full of stuff!! What a lovely giveaway – the video is completely inspiring. Time to get to work!

  • Reply Nikki July 18, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    I am constantly on the lookout for a good bar cart to makeover! This book looks fantastic and full of so many ideas I’d like to try out.

  • Reply Tina/@teenbug July 18, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    Stunning makeover! Yeowza.

    I’d love to make over our IKEA bookshelf and coffee table. They look so gosh darn shiny and crisp. And I want it to look more lived in, more “we’ve-been-through-some-stuff” feel!

    *fingers crossed*

    xox

  • Reply ELA FAR July 18, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    I’d love to get one copy! I need extra inspiration for my home renovations and this seems a good way to start. Thanks for your great website!

  • Reply satu July 18, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    We have an old dresser in need of a makeover. It’s old, probably over 50 years and the storing in an unheated place shows. I’ve been changing my mind between keeping the lacquer surface and painting it, not sure yet what it will be.

  • Reply Shawn C July 18, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    How very inspiring! I’ve always enjoyed thrifting and yard sales because I can look past the current shape of a worn out piece of furniture and see the true beauty in it. As cheap as it is, I’d love to do something spiffy to the color of my now discontinued IKEA LACK 1×4 bookcase that I use as a TV center.

  • Reply Gosia July 18, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    If the competition is worldwide I would give it a try..

    I think that my armchair definitely deserves makeover. I would like to spruce it up cause, although it’s very comfortable, it’s very ugly as well. It’s brown with some kind of yellow dots, which may not seems so bad but believe me, it’s awful. I cover it with gray blanket, which makes poor armchair a bit more bearable but I believe it deserves much more. Because this kind of makeover it’s quite a big challenge for me, I always put it aside. But I’m sure “Furniture Makeovers” is full of inspirations and will make me wanna do it!

  • Reply Jade Sheldon-Burnsed July 18, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    I would LOVE to restore an old vanity. Been on the hunt for one for the last few years…

  • Reply Erica Feldmann July 18, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    I need this book! I recently started refinishing furniture for my clients and my blog and I absolutely love it but could def use the detailed tutorials in this book as I learn. I’m in the process of refinishing a nightstand I got on Craigslist for $15 and its giving me some trouble hahaha…

  • Reply maggie July 18, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    We have an old, giant hideous dresser I would love to restore. It kind of reminds me of the dresser on the cover of the book with the scrolly drawer pulls. It’s in great shape – it’s just ugly!

  • Reply Sandra Bjornsdottir July 18, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    I live in a 1 bedroom apartment with two other people so there isn’t a lot of room for big projects. But I do have a dinner table that I would like to repaint and maybe add some more personality to. It’s a bit stained after too many people failing to use coasters.

  • Reply Kylie July 18, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    I’d love to replace my cliche dining set with something with a little more personality.

  • Reply kory July 18, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    to repaint – six dining chairs,a hutch,a chest of drawers; to reupholster:two lounge chairs and an ottoman. to stabilize and update,one coffee table. and i keep it all in our 750sq rt apartment… i need to get started already,right?

  • Reply Jams July 18, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    So, so many, but first of all an entryway bench that could use some love. I haven’t tacked it for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I’ve taken shortcuts with similar projects that haven’t panned out. I could use a lesson or two. 🙂

  • Reply Jenn at Hello, Brio! July 18, 2013 at 2:00 pm

    I love the “You want to see the sum of the parts in the end, not evidence of the process”… and have to say that Barb’s book seem’s pretty fantastic. Practical tutorials is what’s missing from a lot of inspirational publications, I believe!
    Your dresser will be gorgeous, it has a really great shape. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
    As far as furniture makeover aspirations, I JUST moved and have like two pieces of furniture to my name. Oh and a lamp. So I would love to re-finish this vintage wooden lamp that my parents gave me in some fancy way… but yeah, I also need to wait until it’s not 100 degrees out!

  • Reply Neža July 18, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    Yay! A giveaway! On Door16! A book! Yay!
    Well, I don’t have a furniture make-over plan today, as I just finished one this week.
    It’s a folding beach chair or something that I use (now, after years in the attic – the chair, not me) for sitting in the garden and knitting. I only replaced the long gone canvas seat and adjustable straps. And it works! Or is it sits…
    I’d love the book, thank you Anna!

  • Reply Aurora July 18, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    I have a chair I need to redo. I have a small apartment so I don’t have a ton of furniture to redo or work on, but this would be a good excuse to acquire more.

  • Reply Tracey July 18, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    I inherited an old dining room table from my grandmother. She received it as a wedding gift in the 1950’s, and used it until she passed away several years ago. She raised all 5 of her children with that table in her kitchen, so needless to say, it needs some love. I’ve just begun the sanding process (it’s a slow go) and I’m torn on how to finish it. I keep going back and forth between dark & light stains. Perhaps this book will help me decide!

  • Reply Cat July 18, 2013 at 2:04 pm

    I love painting furniture! I did a ton of painting last year–the kitchen cabinets and the wood stair railing. I also stripped our black dining room table, painted the base a blue/grey and white washed the top. I plan on painting an old tv cabinet/stand chartreuse and turning it into a bar cart once I get my butt in gear to do it. I don’t have the piece yet, but I’ve been looking for a long, mid-height cabinet at the thrift stores to store mail, magazines, odds and ends. I currently have a tall thin cabinet (dubbed our ‘mail centre’) for that task in my living room but I don’t like the profile of it anymore. When I do find a nice vintage piece, I plan on painting it a teal-ish color.

  • Reply Danielle July 18, 2013 at 2:06 pm

    This book looks delightful.

    I have not one but TWO corner hutches in my dining room that conveyed with our “new” (old) house. A grandma would love them. i am dying to give them a fresh look but completely stumped on where to begin. Help!

    Mwah-
    Danielle

  • Reply Tricia July 18, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    I have a painted waterfall dresser that is a boring cream color with ’80s shiny brass hardware. I need to do something with it, but am at a loss on where to start?

  • Reply Leah July 18, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    i have a great old pedestal table that needs some love 🙂

  • Reply Tracy July 18, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    I have so much, all family hand-me-downs.

    Two dressers that are solid wood underneath but with a pale green veneer of some sort. (I think? It chips, anyway, and seems harder/glossier than paint would be) I’m not super fond of the style but they’re good pieces that would work better with a different color and less frou-frou hardware.

    I also have a pair of Danish modern dressers that I’d love to rehab, but one has been living in the garage (!!) for decades and I’m a little afraid of it. (Spiders! SO MANY SPIDERS.) Might be a lost cause, as I think it’s also veneer. I have a great china cabinet from my other grandparents (might also be Danish modern? Very streamlined, anyway, but in a very dark color) that needs some TLC, but it’s too big for any of my current rooms! However, is IS just stained wood, so might be the best bet.

    What I really need to do, though, is fix my secretary desk. I’m using the drawers and bookshelves, but the arms that hold up the desk part are broken so the interior isn’t much good for anything but storage. With a tall enough chair it’d be great for a laptop. Maybe that’s not too difficult a project for a newbie? To Google!

  • Reply Kate F July 18, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    Ugh, if only I could redo my husband’s ugly 1940s secretary desk. It’s so blah.

  • Reply Geeni July 18, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    I need to replace my full set of well-loved living room tables, but it’s been hard to find a set that can swap into the footprint (and storage capacity) of the existing pieces. Gaining the skills to remake different pieces into a matching set would be a big help!

  • Reply Ana July 18, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    Perfect! I just need this lessons. :). Would like to restore one old sewing machine tables. Will look great after makeover!

  • Reply Ryann July 18, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    My husband and I are about to move. We have a few items that we have been holding onto simply because we haven’t made the time or effort to find replacements for. We are of the mindset that we don’t want to get simple replacements, but something that we will love and cherish forever, since these last, on-death’s-door pieces were hand-me-downs. My husband’s dresser is one of them. I would love to copy-cat you and redo a dresser we find on the cheaps (but with good bones), but in Ryann-style – which is just a little different than Anna or Barb-style. =) The book would come in handy for this BIG time. Fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed.

  • Reply Sassy July 18, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    Four wooden chairs that have been dyed, painted and abused…they need help!

  • Reply Lisa Cartmell July 18, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    I am not familiar with Barb but I am interested now. I’ve transformed a number of pieces of furniture without knowing what I’m doing and would love to see how an experienced person would do it. I have a side table and coffee table that I still like enough to keep around, but I’ve been thinking lately that they could use some work after years of wear. And a desk I’ve been meaning to make over for years.

  • Reply Hilary A. July 18, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    I have this GREAT drafting table from an architect’s office that went out of business. I would like to spruce it up a bit and I have been wanting this book since it came out!
    Fingers crossed!

  • Reply Sonya McKay July 18, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    I can’t wait to read this! With a baby on the way its the perfect thing for me to do to furnish a room and save money!

  • Reply Jessica E July 18, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    We have a desk in our guestroom that my dad attempted to sand and refinish years ago but massacred…so it was given to me. I’ve been thinking about what I should do with it for sometime, and Barb’s book is just the inspiration I need!

  • Reply Jules July 18, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    An adorable old sewing table/dresser. It has so much character buried under grim and scratches. It just wants to live!

  • Reply Krysta July 18, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    I have a whole garage full of pieces just waiting to be made over! My current project is a set of dorothy draper chests that need to be re-done. I’ve recently done a dresser turned media console and a coffee table. It’s almost therapeutic to work on these projects, but I too am waiting for the heat to subside before I work on the next one.

  • Reply Yao July 18, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    I’ve used a too small IKEA desk for a couple of years now, but I would love get a larger wooden desk and rehab it to my exact specifications and needs.

  • Reply Kat July 18, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    I too have an old dresser that has been sitting in the garage for close to 4 years now. It has moved with me to 3 different homes in the last 2 decades and I have yet to refinish it. With the abundant water stains and missing hardware, I’m waiting for when it is cool enough in Texas for me to take it out and give it a good sanding. This book would help out soo much in the ideas department.

  • Reply Loren July 18, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I have my childhood dresser sitting in the corner of my bedroom right now. It is in need of a makeover. I’ve already stripped and sanded the piece. It needs some wood glue, maybe add some cute little legs, and for me to pick what color I want to PAINT it already!

  • Reply Brandi July 18, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I have three pieces of furniture that need to be re-worked. All three pieces (dresser, coffee table, and TV stand) were left behind from a former roommate. They are entirely functional, and work well in my current space, but man are they ugly.

  • Reply Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate July 18, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I’ve put this on hold at the library.

    Thanks!

    Katy

  • Reply Anya July 18, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    Yes! I need some inspiration to pull the trigger on a few pieces I have hanging around the basement. Thanks for the links as well I’ll be adding her to my regular blog reading list.

  • Reply Dana July 18, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    I am about to put the final clear coat on a dresser that I painted. Amazing what a few coats of paint (along with some elbow grease and a free weekend) can do to save a piece of furniture from being tossed to the curb! Would love a copy of Barb’s book to be inspired for my next project! -:D.

  • Reply Christa @ BrownSugarToast July 18, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    I would love to re-do an ottoman with a bright, graphic fabric. Just need to find the perfect ottoman at the perfect price! 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Reply Colleen July 18, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    We have a small secretary style desk in the bedroom that we’re using as a vanity. It’s pretty banged up, and parts of the applique are missing. It needs some TLC.

  • Reply Betty July 18, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    I have a great old five-drawer dresser that needs a little TLC like Barb applies to furniture in her gorgeous book! Would love to win a copy so I can apply those nifty techniques that she makes sound easy!

  • Reply Rachel July 18, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    I have an old antique chair in desperate need of reupholstering. I’d love to a modern fabric to contrast with the antique woodwork.

  • Reply Virginia July 18, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    Oh I love Knack Studios and this book sounds fantastic! We just picked up a (super scuffed up, not very lovely, but all wood!) desk for $10 at the Newburgh Habitat Restore because my husband needed something better than the (ahem) folding table with a scarf on top that he’d been using as his workspace for way too long. This piece needs everything… just waiting for inspiration to strike.

  • Reply jacqueline | the hourglass files July 18, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    How bout a furniture makeover regret? I bought a dresser, similar to the one you posted, years ago when I was in grad school. I had visions of stripping it and giving it an overhaul, but sadly I never did. When it came time to move, I sold it to the woman who was subleasing from me. I always wonder if she ever did what I meant to.

  • Reply Anne July 18, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    What is that cute song you have playing? My son loved it.

    • Anna @ D16 July 18, 2013 at 3:02 pm

      Hi Anne, there’s a credit all the way at the end of the video — it’s called “Sunshine Goodtimes” by Minnutes. 🙂

  • Reply miriam July 18, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    Inspiring video! I have an old buffet and china cabinet from my husband’s grandparents–not valuable antiques, just old…painting the buffet might be just thing. Thanks for the chance to win the book!

  • Reply Grace July 18, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    I would love to restore my dining room table.

  • Reply Debbie w July 18, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    I have 2 kitchen chairs that need some attention…and I need a little inspiration! Pick me

  • Reply Daniel July 18, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    I have this old school desk. Passed down from the generations. Very ugly & industrial mess that no one wants, nor wants to throw away. However, nobody likes to remake furniture like I do. One more problem. I’m not so good at it. Hopefully this book could help. Because, I’ve messed up some pieces in my time.

  • Reply Kay July 18, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    I have a fabulous set of metal tube dining chairs to makeover, and also a bentwood mid-century swoop chair that badly needs refinishing. I could go on, but those are my top priorities!

  • Reply Jenny Depa July 18, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    I have an old oak dresser that I purchased at a local flea market…I’m so ready for a make-over! Initially, I didn’t want to cover-up the beautiful oak w/paint…so, I’ll probably only paint the drawer fronts, replace the knobs and line the drawers with really cool wallpaper [ahem, like Barb’s].

    Thanks Barb for all the inspiration!!! Love ya and wish you great/continued success!!

  • Reply Amanda @ willful/joyful July 18, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    I’d love to refinish a 1980s Moroccan inspired bureau that was passed down to me. The lines are nice =, but the finish is awful. I’d love to see that think in an inky black.

  • Reply Alexis July 18, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    I’m moving in about a month, and need a new dresser. I’d love something like what you have! I’d like to try a combination of paint and wood, I always like that contrast.

  • Reply Kimberley July 18, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    This book like it has some great inspiration for my ongoing projects. I have a small wood record cabinet I inherited form my Dad that I have been planning on redoing–this could be just the book that gives me some new ideas on what would be the best way to do it! (And that is just the first project in a long line of renovations….)

  • Reply louize July 18, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    oh – I have a 50s/60s bar cupboard I picked up at our version of goodwill, I love the shape, I hate the stained veneer, I am dying to paint it, but don’t even know where to start, so this book would be really useful!

  • Reply wendy July 18, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    i have a couple projects i need to get to: a baby doll high chair and a dresser. both for my 4yr old daughter. oh, and a mirror for my bathroom.

  • Reply Katie July 18, 2013 at 3:05 pm

    This book looks very cool! I would like to overhaul a 1960’s sideboard I retrieved from someone’s trash. Thank you for this giveaway and for turning me on to Barb!

  • Reply Anna July 18, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    I have been collecting thrifted mid-century pieces for awhile. They all were purchased on the cheap as each needs a little TLC. I haven’t touched any of them yet, as I didn’t want to ruin them with a bad restoration job. This book looks perfect for the Danish side chair and walnut dining room table I have.

  • Reply Anabela July 18, 2013 at 3:08 pm

    I am in desperate need of a new dresser (my Ikea one is falling apart) and no budget at all, so I’d love to give a thrift store dresser a makeover.

  • Reply Reidunn July 18, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    I have a sofa and a wing chair from the sixties by Norwegian furniture maker Fredrik Kayser, after my grandparents. I love both pieces, and have had them in my apartment as a student. When I went abroad for a year the furniture were stored in my parents garage. And apparently mice find the material inside the sofa perfect for building their nest. So now the sofa have a big gaping hole in the back. And therefore I have to re-upholster both the sofa and the chair. As soon as I have the money and time to get on it.

  • Reply Dana July 18, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    My husband has an *ugly* smoky walnut dresser that looks like it belongs in a 70’s bachelor pad. It has good lines, though. I would love to put some paint on it, replace the legs, and use it as a baby changing station in our soon-to-be nursery.

  • Reply Sally July 18, 2013 at 3:16 pm

    I’d like to makeover a desk that I’ve had for a long time now, and update it. Maybe turn it all white with pops of color on the back of shelves and custom cut a piece of frosted glass to lay on the desk where I work at.

  • Reply Diana July 18, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    I acquired a Brasilia armoire and it’s not in the greatest condition. I’d love to really spruce it up but not sure if I would use paint or not. Perhaps this book will convince me! 😉

  • Reply Brianna July 18, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    I have this gorgeous round coffee table with tons of storage space but this baby needs a refinishing somethin’ fierce! The top is designed from what are essentially pie slices, each one’s poly layer is chipping away. I’ve hesitated on this piece because I don’t want to ruin it. Some wood you can paint and keep steppin’, but this would be a travesty to ruin. BUT part of me is all about finding a wild, delicious stain like a balmy turquoisy color and making it bold! Sounds like Barb could help put a name to the texture it is I’m envisioning and help me get it done!

  • Reply AnnMarie July 18, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    I just ventured into the brave new world of furniture ownership by buying my first mattress and box springs with my tax return. I’ve yet to find a bed frame or headboard. I’d love to find an older one to restain or paint – not only would it save me some $$, but it’s greener, has more personality, is a good story to tell, is unique and personalized, and it would be fun!

  • Reply Lara July 18, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    My boyfriend has an old church pew that he wants to restore. It’s been painted orange by the previous owner, but I’d love to fix it up and see it’s full potential. I’m sure this book would give me some serious motivation.

  • Reply Kate July 18, 2013 at 3:18 pm

    I have a lovely wooden kitchen table in need of a major re-furbish! It’s from the ’60s and has been in my great-grandmother’s house, my parent’s house when I was growing up, and now my kitchen. Would love the tips on how to do this properly!

  • Reply Esha July 18, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    I have a $3 morrocan-ish table I purchased from a church sale in college. My college attempt at rehab-ing it didn’t go so well, but maybe with some pro-book advice I can save it. 🙂

  • Reply Mandolin July 18, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    I would love to win this book! I’ve seen it on a few other blogs already and it sounds like something I’d love to read. I have a mid century modern coffee table that was lovingly covered in drawings and stickers by a 5 year old little boy and needs a lot of help to be restored to its former glory.

  • Reply Kate July 18, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    How fun that you are a Barb fan! I love it when (blog) worlds collide. I’m always on the lookout for worn out furniture that could use some love. Don’t have any pieces in mind right now but hope to get in the swing again this fall.

  • Reply Megan @ Pink O'Clock July 18, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    What an awesome giveaway! I’d love to win the book and tote. I’m currently on the hunt for a mid-century coffee table that I can add gold details to, like this one on DesignLoveFest: http://www.designlovefest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/designlovefest-house4.jpg. That said, I am new to the furniture rehab game, so I could really use Barb’s pro tips! Thanks for the opportunity.

  • Reply Rebecca July 18, 2013 at 3:25 pm

    I have a crazy peanut-shaped chaise sitting in my basement with some truly hiddy upholstery & a broken leg. Can this chaise be saved? Is it curb fodder? Help me make a decision.

  • Reply Audrey Louise July 18, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    Hi Anna! I love your blog and this book would make an awesome addition to my small, but growing design book collection!

    I would love to makeover and rehab my dining room table set. The table itself has been passed down from my grandparents, to my parents and now to me and it is in need of some serious TLC. The chairs are these awesome old T-backs that my mom found on the side of the road and my grandpa rehabbed to make them usable. I’d like to sand and re-stain everything, and add some new fabric to the chair seats. Thanks!

  • Reply Cat July 18, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    Dip dyed dining chairs. I’m obsessed. We’re slowly renovating an arts and crafts cottage and those are on my list once the major work has been done. That book would be amazing!

  • Reply Andrea July 18, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    I have this old, mostly dilapidated low and long console table that is the perfect fit for under the windows in the main living area in my house. It needs a new wood top and I want to paint the rusty metal legs a glossy bright white. I’d love to have a not grungy looking table for all my plants in cute pots!

  • Reply Hannah July 18, 2013 at 3:31 pm

    Ohmagawsh, this book looks so perfect for me. I am always upcycling and refinishing thrifted furniture and hand me downs and would some love some fresh, modern inspiration. Crossing my fingers! 🙂

  • Reply Karlie July 18, 2013 at 3:32 pm

    Love this post! I’m excited at how do-able this book makes furniture re-dos seem. I bought a darling little nightstand years ago with big intentions of painting it something bright and lovely, but I only got as far as sanding it down and painting a primer coat. It’s been sitting in my closet ever since. Perhaps this will be the motivation I need to get started again!

  • Reply courtney July 18, 2013 at 3:36 pm

    great to hear this book actually goes into details! somethign a lot of makeover books lack! I just recently recovered some patio chairs I scored for $10 and I am in the process of revamping a pair of old metal lawn chairs.

  • Reply Julie July 18, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    I have a dresser I’ve been talking about refinishing since I picked it up off the street, hmmm… 6 years ago. It’s now in my baby’s room so I now want to make it nice for her… she’s already 10 months old so it’s really time I got on it! This book might be just the inspiration. Thanks!

  • Reply Lindsay July 18, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    This sounds like a fantastic book! My husband just picked up a 40’s deco dresser off the side of the road. It’s a beautiful piece but the veneer is chipping on the top part which has that waterfall effect. Since veneer would be too hard and costly to repair, we’re thinking of fixing it up with some bondo on the chipped areas and then painting it a glossy piano black and updating it with some new hardware. Time to replace our last piece of ikea furniture with something timeless and high quality!

  • Reply Michele July 18, 2013 at 3:45 pm

    I’m currently working on my first rowhome rehab. I have a secret wish to completely furnish it will trash-picked and scavenged furniture, except for our bed mattresses. So far, I’ve collected a cool, wood round side table circa 1950’s which is desperate need of a rehab, PLUS a fantastic 1940’s smallish china cabinet which was already painted ivory AND an authentic white tulip side table someone left upside-down in the rain. One rainy day I was driving through Fishtown in Philadelphia, saw the pedestal base near a trash bag and jammed on my brakes to check it out! What a find!

    Each of my found pieces needs a makeover! Barb’s book could surely help!

    Thanks for offering this, Anna! XO.

  • Reply Lan July 18, 2013 at 3:49 pm

    I have a solid wood dresser from my childhood that a family friend painted and gifted to me. It needs a ton of love and time. I want to strip it, paint or stain, replace the drawer slides and hardware but finding the energy to start seems to be the hardest part! That and the fact that I barely know what I’m doing… Yeah, I think I’ll be purchasing this book soon. 😉

  • Reply Monica July 18, 2013 at 3:56 pm

    I’d love to revamp my desk chair! It’s a boring old IKEA one, I mean I love it.. but I’m just bored of it!

  • Reply sarah b July 18, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    i have been given the opportunity to purchase a very, very old conference table from the university that i work at. it is solid, solid, solid, but has seen many years of abuse. i want to bring it home, give it some love, and use it as a dining table.

    i also have an oak side chair that i bought 2 years ago that needs to be fixed up, including the cushioned seat.

  • Reply Diana July 18, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    This book sounds like a great reference. I just got an awesome mid century dresser at the Habitat Restore for super cheap. It needs some help. Someone tried to refinish the top and drawers and there are drips everywhere. I think it will be awesome painted white in the dining room.

  • Reply Chelsea T July 18, 2013 at 4:00 pm

    My daughter has this captain’s bed – it’s wood, its huge, it’s UG-LY. But it was free, and the storage is pretty amazing. I’d love to paint it, add a headboard, and really sweeten it up. I’d love to win!

  • Reply Roxanne July 18, 2013 at 4:04 pm

    I have a fantastic deco-era dresser a friend’s mom gave me that I would love to give new life to. Just need a bit of know-how before I deal with some peeling veneer.

  • Reply Allison July 18, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    This book looks great! My parents just inherited some beat up end tables that I’ve been eying for a makeover.

  • Reply nalani July 18, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    I would like to redo a hutch door with a mirror from my great-grandmother’s home. It has come apart and I need real solid advice on how to proceed.

    Thanks!

  • Reply Michelle Clement July 18, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    Oooh…I have an old dark vintage dresser that’s had drawings from some past owner etched into it, and I’m not quite sure how to tackle that project in a vintage/colorful way, but keep that part of it’s personality in tact – I would love this book for some inspiration! 🙂

  • Reply Helga July 18, 2013 at 4:24 pm

    Oh, this sounds like an amazing book! Would love to be able to flip through these pages looking for inspirations for my new house. Have loads of furniture that need a make-over.

  • Reply Tory July 18, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    I finally bought a hand sander to work on a little antique side/sewing table that desperately needs a really bad staining job rectified, but have stalled in the process. Part of my hesitation comes from not being able to envision what I really want to do with it once it’s stripped to its bare parts, but I’m inspired by this post to expand my ideas of the possibilities for it!

  • Reply Emily Love July 18, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    I’m getting ready to move into my first apartment and am looking to do this with a bunch of pieces from the flea market! This book sounds perfect

  • Reply Lauren July 18, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    The neighbors have had this cute little drop leaf table next to their trash cans for at least two weeks now…I need to go see if they really are getting rid of it, so I can give it a make over!

  • Reply Kisha July 18, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    I just signed the lease on my new apartment an hour ago (yay!) then 30 minutes later spotted a credenza with a finish not too crazy about..my first thought “I wonder how I could refinish or paint this…” then I see this post. Needless to say, the timing was perfect and the book would be well used!

  • Reply dory July 18, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    I just painted all the idea furniture in my house a dark turquoise: the butcher blocks, the kitchen chairs, even/especially the two mis-matched Poangs. I think things look good but I would love a better sense of how to do this work PROPERLY. There is so much goofy furniture in my apartment from the recent combining of households my feller and I just went through.

  • Reply Jessica July 18, 2013 at 4:53 pm

    my entire apartment is in need of a makeover- but I’d especially like to try a nightstand makeover!

  • Reply LeeAnn July 18, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    I’m staring at my “new” coffee table right now. Purchased off craigslist it offers me all the functionality I could ever want. Solid wood with drop leaves that opens up to a round table, which is perfect for playing games in a room where a round table doesn’t suit. But it is ugly! And I can’t decide how to modify it! Help!

  • Reply Rachel A July 18, 2013 at 5:02 pm

    I might be adopting an old dining table that’s not exactly attractive and could definitely use a makeover. Thanks for this!

  • Reply KTHRO July 18, 2013 at 5:18 pm

    When I moved across the country last summer I scored a virtually mint condition 60’s Steelcase Tanker desk for just $40. I love it so very much both in design and function and am sure it will out live me. However, it is currently a fleshy bandaid color that I am not wold about. I’ve read that despite being hulkingly large and heavy these desks can be disassembled almost entirely, very easily, and I really want to update it to a soft seafoam green color! Maybe once it cools down here in Tennessee too?

    • Anna @ D16 July 18, 2013 at 5:28 pm

      KTHRO, I once helped a friend disassemble one of those Steelcase desks! It can indeed be done.

  • Reply Muoi July 18, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    Hi! I have a solid wood bookcase that needs to be refinished. I’d love to paint it but not sure what color yet. I think this book would be a great help =)

  • Reply Anna July 18, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    I have an old coffee table that badly needs a makeover.

  • Reply Margaret July 18, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    I was inspired just reading this post! And completely support the idea of living with what you love. So important. I have a black dresser similar to yours that I have been meaning to makeover for years. All it does now is seem to attract dust and make me unhappy!

  • Reply Ana July 18, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    I just got a dresser that I dragged home from a consignment store. It’s got great lines but needs work. I’d like to make it look like the one on the book cover.

  • Reply Erica July 18, 2013 at 5:40 pm

    I have vintage children’s wardrobe that I need to update. Would love this book for inspiration & guidance

  • Reply Yvonne P July 18, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    I have some old mid-century pieces, a coffee table an end tables, with good bones that I would love to makeover. I just need some inspiration to get me started.

  • Reply Pat July 18, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    I need this book. Half of my furniture is a goodwill find, an alley find (literally–I find things in the alley and drag them home) or a hand me down from a friend. I’m too old now to have such a mish mash of stuff and would love to make it all pretty and like-new. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Reply kcf July 18, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    A ratty cabinet in my guest bathroom that I know could be cute!

  • Reply Erin July 18, 2013 at 6:00 pm

    I have this great bench of my front porch that was left by the former occupants. It needs some serious sanding and refinishing which I’m hoping to accomplish this summer!

  • Reply Deborah July 18, 2013 at 6:08 pm

    Such a lovely giveaway! I just recently got my hands on an upholstered Eames shell chair. I bought it in pretty bad shape (previous owner spraypainted the back blue and I seriously cannot understand why they did that to a vintage white fiberglass chair… half of that spraypaint already came off, and it has a broken underbase.) So I cannot wait to get my hands dirty and fix all of that! I normally wouldn’t have taken on such projects by myself. But ever since I came across your blog in 2010 you have inspired me a lot! So thank you, Anna. This book would be great for inspiration to do more makeovers!

  • Reply Lacey M July 18, 2013 at 6:14 pm

    I have this old craigslist dresser that I absolutely love, with wooden pulls, dovetailed drawers and great legs, but my cats used to climb the front of it like a ladder before I put it next to my bed for easier hop-on access – now that the problem is alleviated, I’d love to repair the top where they sunk in their claws to climb it!

  • Reply Elena July 18, 2013 at 6:18 pm

    I’ve got a double door wood cabinet that I got for $40 at an estate sale. It’s solid wood, heavy and ugly. I dream of turning it into a liquor cabinet but have no idea where to start. This book would come in very handy.

  • Reply misa July 18, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    when we moved into our house, my father bought us these awful oak ethan allen bookshelves that have a shiny lacquer topcoat. a very eighties version of traditional. i’d love to paint them black. or maybe just sell them. 😉

  • Reply Lara July 18, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    Oh what a cool book! I love making over my furniture, right now I’m most eager to makeover the bed (headboard and frame) my husband owned before he knew me, it’s been with him a long time (and not just him, ahem) and I really want to put my own stamp on it. But I’m stumped as to what to do. This book would give me tons of inspiration!

  • Reply Biggi July 18, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    I have 2 solid dressers that I slapped some paint on *blush*….I’d love to start over and do a good job with the help of this book 🙂 will you send it to Canada?

  • Reply Tamisha July 18, 2013 at 6:44 pm

    I’ve got a ton of stuff that is waiting to be redone. I have a short little mid-century footstool that needs to be reupholstered and legs redone as they are all blistery. I’ve got an entire bedroom suite that needs redoing as we are adopting a 14 year old girl and I don’t think she’s going to go for the granny chic I’ve got going on in there right now. I’ve got a waterfall 3 drawer dresser that has been stripped but needs to be painted or stained or something. I’ve got a twin bed that could use some umph.

    So, yep, I need some inspiration (and time)!

  • Reply Anathalia July 18, 2013 at 6:47 pm

    I only did a furniture makeover once in my life, and it was something pretty simple (just painting and changing knobs of an unfinished little chest of drawers). But I would love to learn more so I could be on the look for pieces that can use a makeover. What I would most likely do, if I already were a super skilled DIYer, is reupholster a vintage chair.

  • Reply gage July 18, 2013 at 7:03 pm

    i just bought a 1970’s dresser and am waiting for the weekend to turn it into a colorblocked stereo console..

  • Reply Shelley July 18, 2013 at 7:04 pm

    Barb was the inspiration of the WWI wooden file cabinet I just refinished! I would LOVE to own her autographed book. I have a frumpy stool that is begging for a new lease on life 🙂

  • Reply Melissa July 18, 2013 at 7:05 pm

    Ever since West Elm had a serpentine front dresser on their website, I have longed for one. I found a six drawer serpentine front mid century dresser at a flea market (actually called The White Elephant) for $30 and have been moving it around for 3 years! It needs a ton of veneer work and I want to take it off its dumpy, clunky bottom and elevate it onto some sassy mid century tapered legs. After all of that, I’d like to finish it off with a coat of white paint. It will definitely happen but some inspiration would help enormously! Thanks for the great giveaway!

  • Reply Alexa F. July 18, 2013 at 7:20 pm

    I’ve been itching to refinish our kitchen table (it was free several years ago) and bring it back to life or find a new one to revamp. Also, I’d love to find a pair of small nightstands that need a makeover to replace the side tables we currently use; as they only somewhat fit the space and needs required.

    Although, we might be building new nightstands if I can’t find anything cheap. It’s been two or three years since we built our double farmhouse-style computer desk.

  • Reply Colleen Conlan July 18, 2013 at 7:29 pm

    I have an old oak dresser that my son painted with his version of Batman, way back when he was small. Now he’s grown and moved out…time to repaint. I could use some inspiration and tips. Great prize for whoever wins it!

  • Reply Jackie Brown July 18, 2013 at 7:34 pm

    I have a mid century dresser I bought for my daughters room on Craigslist. I love it but it needs some love. I was thinking stained walnut top, sides and legs and painted drawers. This book would be very helpful.

  • Reply janet July 18, 2013 at 7:55 pm

    I have a dresser that meets all the criteria just waiting for something lovely. It will then reside in my son’s room. Thanks for the giveaway : )

  • Reply Shelly K. July 18, 2013 at 7:59 pm

    My daughters’ dresser….it’s overdue for a make-over.

  • Reply kerith July 18, 2013 at 8:02 pm

    Cool book. There’s a little table in the corner of my garage that I’ve been meaning to sand down and whitewash. It would be a perfect little desk for my 3 1/2 year old.

  • Reply Jenny July 18, 2013 at 8:03 pm

    I’m on the hunt for a footstool to re-upholster and re-vamp

  • Reply Brit July 18, 2013 at 8:32 pm

    I have my dad’s old dresser, it has been dragged east, west, north, and south across the country and it’s really showing its age. I could use some inspiration to made it shine again!

  • Reply Ellen July 18, 2013 at 8:34 pm

    Your dresser is adorable! I have an old table with curved legs and ball and claw-ish feet, top veneer long gone, begging for a re-do.

  • Reply Alicia July 18, 2013 at 8:57 pm

    I would love to find an old beat up sideboard to fix up, I just haven’t had the balls for such a project.

  • Reply Sterling July 18, 2013 at 9:00 pm

    I have some bookshelves I built with my grandfather years ago, but never did finish work on. This could be the perfect resource to help me do them justice. This is an awesome giveaway, thanks!

  • Reply Katrina July 18, 2013 at 9:07 pm

    My mom thinks that wood loving to a point of obsession is a “man thing” as it’s the men in both of our lives who put up the biggest stink about ruining wood with paint. I have a dining room table that needs some love (I found it in the garbage two summers ago) as well as the dresser in my daughter’s room from Goodwill that I bought when I was a million months pregnant and too lazy to do anything with. I too shall get to work once it cools the heck down!

  • Reply Natalie July 18, 2013 at 9:24 pm

    I have a cute little mid-century chair I’m dying to makeover.

    love the description of this book!

    Thanks for the chance to win.

  • Reply AubreyC July 18, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    A dresser in the baby room!

  • Reply Jamje July 18, 2013 at 9:33 pm

    I’d lurve to redo a dresser/credenza – on my bucket list!

  • Reply Charlotte July 18, 2013 at 9:34 pm

    This looks like a great book! I have a nice four drawer dresser that I inherited from my next door neighbor many years ago, and I need some inspiration to repair and update it. It’s missing drawer knobs and kind of beat up…but maybe not for long!

  • Reply Meryl July 18, 2013 at 9:35 pm

    I have a few pieces of furniture from my grandparents that I’ve been wanting to refinish for ages. They’re lovely solid wood pieces (dresser, vanity, mirror, and nightstand) but were painted “Harvest Gold” in the late 70s (as you did—after all, your APPLIANCES were Harvest Gold!)

    The paint is FALLING off at this point, so I really need to redo them but I am intimidated because I’ve never painted furniture before!!! I know I’d need to strip it… Argh! This book looks hella helpful for this project, it’s definitely on book my wish list!

  • Reply alison July 18, 2013 at 10:03 pm

    I’m so inspired

  • Reply Leigh-Anne July 18, 2013 at 10:08 pm

    Wow! So many things, my side board, drinks cabinet, chest of drawers, wardrobe…the list goes on. Love the look of Barbs creations, want to get stuck in now! Also, love your site.

    Thanks, Leigh.

  • Reply Victoria Gudgeon July 18, 2013 at 10:16 pm

    I have an amazing coffee table and book shelf. The coffee table has to be sanded down on top and the book shelf is in good shape but may do something to both so they match.

  • Reply Emma July 18, 2013 at 10:17 pm

    We’re about to start working on a new room for my daughter (just as soon as the heat breaks, I can only be productive at work right now, because there is AC there) and she’s going to be needing a new dresser. We don’t have one yet, but I see some thrifting and restoring in our future!

  • Reply Colleen July 18, 2013 at 10:19 pm

    I have a set of tiny bookshelves that were my great grandmothers, in terrible condition, but of course I’m too scared to touch them. I’m definitely getting this book!

  • Reply BREE July 18, 2013 at 10:24 pm

    Just bought my first home and brought a truckload of beautiful furniture from my grandmother’s house that I’d like to update, make my own and beautify my cute little house. I tried to purchase this book but it sold out. I can’t wait to get a copy of my own to get started!

  • Reply Kate July 18, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    I would love to make over an old wooden bar cart that has been sitting at my parents house, unused, for years! The wood is in very bad shape but I would love to somehow make it neon.

  • Reply wendy skinner July 18, 2013 at 10:52 pm

    I’d love to restore pretty much all what I own.

  • Reply Sheila July 18, 2013 at 10:56 pm

    I’ve got a great old sideboard from Craigslist (50s maybe?) with drawers and side shelves that we use for a bar. I want to give it a new paint job, a waterproof top surface, and hanging racks for stemware on the shelves. It’s been waiting about 2 years for me to get moving.

  • Reply Sezgi July 18, 2013 at 11:00 pm

    Count me in. I have two cute armchairs found next to the garbage can. I have to do a makeover before I can invite anyone from our neighbors!

  • Reply Alicia July 18, 2013 at 11:01 pm

    Yes! This book looks awesome! I would redo the dresser I got from Craigslist three years ago for something like $30 or $50. It’s ripe for a makeover!

  • Reply Elisa @ What the Vita July 18, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    Great review, now I’m gonna buy the book if i don’t win! I have so many furniture pieces waiting for their makeovers, like our entry cabinet. I’ve painted furniture with good results but I am always looking for ways to do it better and this book sounds like the perfect teaching tool.

  • Reply Rachel July 18, 2013 at 11:23 pm

    oh I have an old This End Up dresser that is perfectly functional but not very pretty, and I never know what to do with it. I think I’d start there.

  • Reply Layne July 18, 2013 at 11:29 pm

    I’m so excited about this book! I have such a hard time redoing furniture, but I would love to do something with our dresser that we inherited from my husband’s grandfather. I can’t make him get rid of it, so it’s getting a makeover!

  • Reply Sandra July 18, 2013 at 11:30 pm

    I’d love to start a furniture makeover on a 1940’s dresser the previous homeowner left me as a gift.

  • Reply Lauren July 18, 2013 at 11:35 pm

    We have two wood bookshelves that are approximately the same colour as the dresser on the front of the book, which is really not to my tastes: I’d love to some inspiration and instruction on how to modernise them so I enjoy looking at them more!

  • Reply ribbon July 18, 2013 at 11:43 pm

    I have an old dresser with a gorgeous mirror in my bedroom which needs to be painted. This book would inspire me to finally transform this piece of furniture into something truly beautiful.

  • Reply Jemma July 18, 2013 at 11:52 pm

    Love Barb’s work and would love to learn from the best! I really related to your post entitled something like ‘fear of faliure = not doing it at all’ as this is evident all around my house. I buy things because I can see their potential then they sit there untreated for ages while I pluck up the courage to do something with them. I don’t want to just slap some paint on them and end up disappointed with the look and myself!!

  • Reply Victoria July 18, 2013 at 11:56 pm

    Don’t we all have one (or two… or five) pieces of furniture hanging out, waiting for a makeover?

    Thanks for the giveaway, Anna!

  • Reply M.E. July 19, 2013 at 12:15 am

    I could use some inspiration to get going on some furniture makeovers. New couch cover? Refinished MCM dining chairs? Faudenzas with no wood top (thanks for the fauxdenza term and idea!)?

  • Reply Leah July 19, 2013 at 12:23 am

    I’m looking for something that I can turn into a small work desk. 🙂

  • Reply Anna July 19, 2013 at 12:31 am

    I have a headboard I picked up from Goodwill that I’m dying to paint!

  • Reply Elif July 19, 2013 at 1:35 am

    I need to get to the desk that we’ve been using for 3 years. The finish is hideous and it’s huge so it really needs to be tackled.

  • Reply G.C. July 19, 2013 at 1:46 am

    I bought a credenza quite a while ago that needs refinishing. I’m debating painting a portion of the exterior and oiling and waxing the rest.

  • Reply aparna July 19, 2013 at 1:53 am

    Hi,
    I have a huge dark coffee table that I want to do a reverse stencil on…

    A

  • Reply Jen July 19, 2013 at 2:05 am

    Man, I could have used this book awhile ago when I painted my first piece of furniture. It was unfinished, knotty wood, so I primed, but that wasn’t enough. The knots are coming through the paint, now. I guess I should have filled them with wood putty before painting…or something? I’m on the hunt for some nightstands, and having a resource that teaches proper technique would be really nice.

  • Reply Ellie July 19, 2013 at 3:15 am

    Thanks for the post 🙂 this looks lovely!!! I want to make over this old bookcase I have– the old lath or whatever it is looks like it would be gorgeous sanded, painted black or white, and with a clear coat! <3

  • Reply Jennifer July 19, 2013 at 3:21 am

    I have a solid oak armoire that i would love to paint in a bright and fun color for my sons nursery. It would be awesome to have a go to book for doing the prep work on the wood.

  • Reply Crystal July 19, 2013 at 3:53 am

    That book looks really cool- thanks for the give away.
    We just recently moved our soon to be family of 4 into a 634 sq ft apt. We love rocking the small house lifestyle, but I have to say I’m day dreaming of a behind the sofa storage solution. Whether it will it be pre-made & perfect, custom built or a furniture re-do I can’t say… but I’m on the hunt! 🙂

  • Reply Isa July 19, 2013 at 4:02 am

    A dresser and a mirror.
    Thanks for the book!

  • Reply Fiona July 19, 2013 at 4:03 am

    You’re such an intelligent writer Anna. I have, um, let’s see. Two original Alvar Aalto E60 stools and all they need is a good sanding and oiling but have I got round to it? No I have not. An amazing 60’s really cool and complex hexagonal coffee table that my grandmother must has paid good money for but it’s covered in water stains. I want to do some kind of Willy Rizzo job on it with black gloss, gold leaf and leave some of the wood bare. Another of her 30s credenzas my kids just picked half the laminate off when they were little. A victorian dresser, I’m wondering if it would look tacky or v cool with several lightbulbs lined up either side of the mirror, and embarrassing amount of vintage Anglepoise lamps that Jeff has finally put his foot down and said must get rewired or ELSE. A set of six German 60s chairs v similar to Arne Jacobsen ant chairs that I’m wondering should I make more antchair-ish, and meanwhile somehow fix the two of them whose chrome legs didn’t survive wretched guests sitting back balancing on the two hind legs. Two coffee tables that look like they have to be Marrimekko but have no manufacturers mark. All they need is to be rescrewed but they”re too wobbly to use. Two Artifort chairs in perfect condition but upholstered in the world’s most unfortunate shade of salmon. Have I reupholstered? Or even painted them black like you did? Nope. And that’s not even starting to get on to the stuff that news grander plans to make it special. Should stop talking now, it’s too embarrassing. The house is full of stuff bought for very little in vintage shops and auctions on the basis that I know exactly what needs to be done with it and, aaagghh, never do.

  • Reply Catherine July 19, 2013 at 5:03 am

    Thank you for introducing us to Barb’s wesite- what a great resource.
    We bought a dresser with aspirations of fixing it up (no legs, no hardware, horrible peeling paint, faux inlay, nails everywhere) but it is is much worse shape than anything I have tackled before. I could definitely use some inspiration and instruction.

  • Reply Diane July 19, 2013 at 7:26 am

    I have a pair of depression era side tables from my Grandma that need some help!

  • Reply Aubrae Filipiak July 19, 2013 at 7:53 am

    I’ve been hauling around a mid century coffee table that I got at a thrift store an embarrassing 5 yrs ago. It’s currently in three separate pieces and has now moved with me 3 times and 1500 miles. I just can’t part with it!

  • Reply Stevi July 19, 2013 at 8:04 am

    I would love to do over a mid century dresser for our guest room!

    By the way Anna, when I was 10 I took art lessons from your grandfather(?) Bruce in his home studio in Woodstock….would have been in the mid-late 60s

    • Anna @ D16 July 19, 2013 at 9:23 am

      Wow, Stevi! Bruce is my father. I’ll have to tell him about your comment — what a chance happening.

  • Reply Jen July 19, 2013 at 8:31 am

    I have a few (sad, ‘vintage’) pieces currently languishing in my attic that could use some help!

  • Reply tami July 19, 2013 at 8:31 am

    i have some pine ikea stuff that i redid when my teenagers were toddlers and, well, yeah. it’s that time again. because re-doing is more fun than buying new. what a wonderful giveaway!

  • Reply julia July 19, 2013 at 8:31 am

    My daughter is moving into her first “big girl” condo and we are working on it together. By following your sight for the last few years I have honed my taste from old cat lady to something I hope is a little more sophisticated. I would love to have this book to give to my daughter so that we can work on several projects together – specifically her coffee table and a chest of drawers. Love your blog – and I’m not just sucking up to get the book!!

  • Reply Rhiannon July 19, 2013 at 8:41 am

    This is just the kind of book I need, I’m looking to move into an older home, and slowly renovate it and acquire furniture that works for that space and I have no clue when it comes to doing that so it’s exactly the kind of book I need! I have a GPlan era sideboard that needs some restoration rather than a full-on paint job, and I have an eye on some battered solid wood chairs to go in my dining space that definitely need a full-on makeover.

  • Reply Diane Marie July 19, 2013 at 8:55 am

    I have a 5 drawer dresser in my garage that NEEDS a total makeover!

  • Reply Cheryl July 19, 2013 at 9:01 am

    I would love to paint my daughter’s night stand and dresser, but I have no idea where to start. Sounds like this book would be an enormous help. Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Reply Shannon July 19, 2013 at 9:05 am

    This looks like such a great book! I am almost embarassed to admit that I’ve never heard of Barb Blair! Clearly I’ve been missing out!

    I’d love to find a MCM dining set or coffee table that needs a little love! 🙂

  • Reply Clarissa July 19, 2013 at 9:05 am

    I’d love to makeover a dresser I’ve had for nearly 20 years. I’ve given it to my teenage son and I’d love to make it into something cool he’d love.

  • Reply Cassie July 19, 2013 at 9:13 am

    I want this book.
    When my husband moved in, his dresser fell off the truck in transit and got banged up. Don’t worry, it only lives in the spare room, so I rarely see it. It does however provide lots of storage for my crafty stuff. Since I doubt I could sell it due to the damage, even for a few bucks, why not have some fun fixing it up.

  • Reply Stephanie July 19, 2013 at 9:18 am

    Hmn, I have a metal bookshelf that I am hating right now. But I think if I could give it a proper facelift it would be quite nice. My plants would love to hang out on it when they come inside for the wintertime, too. Thanks Anna, for the inspiration you provide for us.

  • Reply Lisa July 19, 2013 at 9:30 am

    I’d love Barb’s book! I have a dresser for my daughter’s bedroom that I’d like to refinish.

  • Reply chloe July 19, 2013 at 9:30 am

    i have a lime green campaign dresser that needs restoration!! i’d love to keep the lime and just fix it up a bit.

  • Reply Adrienne July 19, 2013 at 9:30 am

    This book looks amazing! I’ve got an old dresser that I’m so, so bored with. I’d love to give it a makeover.

  • Reply sarah July 19, 2013 at 9:34 am

    i actually have always wanted to make an ombre dresser just like that picture, in nice soft sunset colors.

  • Reply Rachel July 19, 2013 at 9:38 am

    I love both your blog and Barb’s blog so much! We are in the process of returning our little bungalow to her former glory, which means that money is tight and our beat-up old dining table will be in our lives for …ever. I need some inspiration to refinish it. Thanks for this giveaway!

  • Reply sara July 19, 2013 at 9:49 am

    Oh man, I found this vanity on the side of the road my sophomore year of college that I decided I would adopt and spruce up. Had no idea what I was doing and globbed on thick coats of this god-awful house paint the color of spoiled mayonnaise. WHY. Would love this book!

  • Reply sofia July 19, 2013 at 10:03 am

    i would love ti have a credenza to make a sweet make-over

  • Reply Jessica July 19, 2013 at 10:29 am

    I’ve got a dresser that was my mother’s when she was a child. It’s got this awesome double curved front, but the rest of the lines are pretty straight, so it’s not too ornate for my tastes. I keep thinking I want to paint it a great color, but I actually like the exact shade of the wood right now if it weren’t in such poor condition. So, I keep waffling between just sanding and refinishing and trying to recreate the current wood tone, or just going whole hog into color, maybe a dark inky blue. It also has two notches out of the back of the top where arms for a mirror fit, but I’m not so fond of the shape of the mirror so have taken it off. Trying to decide whether to permanently remove it and fill in those notches somehow, or keep all the mirror parts for someone else in the future, which is probably so dumb. Oh, I also need to glue in the bottoms of the drawers, as they are always threatening to fall out.

  • Reply holly pedersen July 19, 2013 at 10:30 am

    my boyfriend and i bought these ugly little wood chairs with almost an art deco-chevron back to them. i got as far as stripping the old paint off of them, and never finished them up. i really should make them my summer project!

    love holly

  • Reply Maria July 19, 2013 at 11:06 am

    book sounds awesome! i just recently purchased a beautiful old solid wood vanity for $25 from our next-door neighbors. kind of a sweet story as they were an elderly couple, first to ever welcome us into the neighborhood when we moved in almost 17 years ago, and both have since passed away. their children are keeping the house, but were selling a lot of things they didn’t want/need, and donating all the money to charity. great idea! this is the first time i’ve ever bought “old” furniture. i have a few key pieces from my own family, but never bought. i already have a vanity/dressing table, but it’s a generic ikea desk that i painted, works well, but this wood piece has lovely lines. i too am more modern in my tastes, and i imagine it a beautiful yellow against our dark grey dressing room walls. ahhhhhhhh.

  • Reply Amanda July 19, 2013 at 11:07 am

    I have a mid-century entertainment console that I want to gut and convert to a credenza. It has great lines and is so well-built that I don’t want to part with it! Like you, I just need the temps to drop here in Austin…and I definitely could use some guidance!

  • Reply colleen July 19, 2013 at 11:14 am

    everything i own could use some help….

    but mostly, a kitchen table i got for free, is the perfect size for using as a desk, and it needs a new leg and a serious sanding/paint job. i’ve been putting it off for two years because i just don’t know where to start.

  • Reply Dawn Marie July 19, 2013 at 11:19 am

    I want to makeover my bedroom. I am on the hunt for some solid wood dressers. I don’t want them to match but want to be able to paint them to give a cohesive look. It is where I begin and end my day, it should be what I like. Right now? Not so much.

  • Reply Barb July 19, 2013 at 11:32 am

    Looking to makeover a large cabinet for blankets – IF I can ever find such a piece! I have so many blankets and they are stored in a way that is difficult to access them at any time. I am hoping to find an old cabinet for the guest room. Shelves only. I am envisioning a pale blue. I can see it now.

  • Reply Stephanie July 19, 2013 at 11:43 am

    I love that she takes the time to use the proper products and takes careful steps to do a restoration the right way! I have to say that I’m usually limited on my means, and terribly impatient when it comes to furniture makeovers, I get so amped to see the result!

    I’m very much into the idea of restoring very ornate Victorian furniture, and putting a modern spin on it, like getting a great tufted chair, and painting the wood / reupholstering in modern patterns for the era contrast… but redoing tufts scares the crap out of me! I have an armchair that’s amazing, and currently a dusty rose velvet (puke) that’s dying for a makeover!

  • Reply thelady July 19, 2013 at 11:50 am

    I have a homemade book case I plan on repainting. Currently it is a light tan color. I’d like to go with something more vibrant or maybe even do some color blocking.

  • Reply Jessica W July 19, 2013 at 11:52 am

    I am on the look out for some way to store our throw blankets either a basket or cabinet, and I would love to find something old I can edit.

  • Reply Helen and the Fox July 19, 2013 at 12:01 pm

    I’d like to paint a desk for my son’s room!

  • Reply Christina W. July 19, 2013 at 12:21 pm

    If I don’t win, I’m buying this book immediately! I’ve been in need of a good furniture redo “how to” book for a long time. The flea markets here are overflowing with perfect candidates, and any time someone paints something for a consignment shop it’s all squiggles and dots and clashing primaries. Enough to set your teeth chattering.

    There is a chest that I have been lugging from apartment to apartment for years, and I’ve always wanted to fix it up. So that’s my piece!

  • Reply Ayumi July 19, 2013 at 12:30 pm

    I want to refinish a bookcase/cabinet thingy with glass doors that I bought at an auction!

  • Reply sms July 19, 2013 at 12:40 pm

    I need to restore my tulip table and fiberglass chairs

  • Reply Elizabeth V. July 19, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    I bought the most beautiful chair with a truly horrific cushion off craigslist a while back. It needs some major love. Sounds like an excellent resource!

  • Reply Carol S. July 19, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    I have this fabulous dining table I bought at a flea market. It’s large and perfect, except it really needs to be fixed up. Would love to apply this to that.

  • Reply Kay July 19, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    My Ikea Norden bench could use… something.

  • Reply Michelle July 19, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    I stumbled across this book at the library as I was looking for information on refinishing furniture. It is awesome and I was sad when I had to return it (because someone else wanted to check it out). I have two furniture makeovers in my future. The first is a generic mid-century chair (wood frame plus two cushions), the second is a beloved dresser/secretary desk hybrid that my grandfather bought and used, then my father used, and then it was mine at my grandparents house – every year when I’d come to visit I’d find treats that my grandfather stashed in the desk for me.

  • Reply Nicole B July 19, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    This book looks amazing! I am currently working on gathering some materials for a dresser that i’d like to make over and give to my niece for her birthday! A book like this would be great!!

    Also, can’t wait to see what you do with your dresser!!

  • Reply Summer July 19, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    I have a robin’s egg blue cabinet that I found that someone had thrown away. I’ve had it for a few years, but just haven’t quite figured out how I want to paint it. It needs inserts (?) in the doors where I’m guessing glass used to be, but I think I’ll use lightweight Masonite and paint the whole thing (so I can put stuff in it without it having to be a display). This book would be a big help to get me going.

    Also, sorry about the dorky email I sent a couple days ago…I just wanted to say thanks!

  • Reply Anna July 19, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    I have a dresser just like the one on the cover of the book, and it too could totally benefit from a makeover! it’s a solid piece, but really looks dated and doesn’t match the decor of our bedroom at all. this book looks awesome and your review makes me want to go out and buy it regardless of the giveaway :0)

  • Reply Dag July 19, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    I spied this book recently and would love to win a copy. I have a ton of refinishing projects to get to. I seem to have a knack (lol) for buying old dressers and end tables in need of major TLC on Craigslist.

  • Reply Amalia Francalangia July 19, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    Hi! I love your blog Anna!

    Anyway, I have this little side cabinet thingy that was given to me. It’s a pretty ugly brown color with outdated hardware, but I think it has a lot of potential. I don’t know what ultimate purpose it will have, but it has two small doors in the front with wire mesh in the middle, and it could be great as a media cabinet for a mid-sized television. I think painting the mesh a bright color could be really cute!

  • Reply Haydee July 19, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    I have two projects in the works! One is painting an old 60’s rusty table for LP’s and the other one a radiator cover that I made a few months ago.

  • Reply jenni o July 19, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    I have a beautiful but neglected dresser as well—kept in a Midwestern shed for way too long. It sits in my guest room where it can’t mock me (too often), but I’d love to restore it.

  • Reply L. Providence July 19, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    I have an nice deserted side table that I would love to renovate. Definitely need to get this book! Thanks for hosting the giveaway!

  • Reply Max July 19, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    My apartment came with an old dark wood kitchen table and chairs. They are worn but solid and I’d love to do something colorful to give them a new life!

  • Reply Alice July 19, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    Great giveaway! I need ideas!

  • Reply Natalie July 19, 2013 at 5:01 pm

    I have a cabinet that I bought for about $20 at Habitat for Humanity with the full intention of painting a giant Union Jack on. It’s a year later, and I still haven’t done it, even though I know I would LOVE the finished product. Someday, someday…

  • Reply GumTreeGirl July 19, 2013 at 5:50 pm

    I have a desk, three dressers, two night stands and a bed that all need some makeover love. I am adding this books to my birthday wish list!

  • Reply Emily H July 19, 2013 at 6:04 pm

    I’ve hunting for a dining table or coffee table to put some restoration love into. So excited that this book will actually show me how to do it right!

  • Reply gracie July 19, 2013 at 6:24 pm

    I haven’t got a project lined up/to mention yet so I won’t enter but eeee I love your little chest of drawers, I love the shape, can’t wait to see what you do.

  • Reply steph nelson July 19, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    I have an old oak entertainment center I want to cut down and make a buffet out of it. Just trying to
    figure out the logistics! Maybe this book would help? 🙂

  • Reply Lauri Woodland July 19, 2013 at 6:35 pm

    I have a lovely map case that my dad made many years ago. I would love to have some ideas on refinishing this piece.

  • Reply Karen July 19, 2013 at 6:38 pm

    I’d love to find a vintage daybed and reupholster it!

  • Reply designpo July 19, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    I’ve also followed Bark’s wonderful work! I used some of her techniques to paint and wax an old record album cabinet, and I have an old credenza I’d love to work on!

  • Reply Nico July 19, 2013 at 10:48 pm

    First project of many: ejasily the (pink) marble-topped side table that came with our last apartment because it was too heavy for the last tenants to move. We re-purposed it as a kitchen landing table for mail and our iThings, but with its scratches and falling-off hardware, this baby has seen better days. We took it with us when we moved out, and I’m hoping to make it a well-loved fixture in our new home.
    But what to do with its dark, scuffed wood, and how to keep that slab of amazing marble from falling off? How to deal with the terrible hardware hack that has ruined part of the drawer?
    Yes, this is the right time to be reading this book.

  • Reply Mon July 19, 2013 at 11:46 pm

    I have my childhood dresser, which is ugly but completely functional. It’s on my list of upgrades, I just have to decide what it is that I want to do with it.

  • Reply Rachel M July 19, 2013 at 11:49 pm

    I have an old dresser I got at a yard sale that has been sitting in my garage waiting to be made-over. It was previously painted black and it’s chipping, so getting that paint off is step one! I’d love a copy of this book!

  • Reply Alex - Hydrangea Girl July 20, 2013 at 4:13 am

    Oh man, I’ve been meaning to redo our dresser in our bedroom. It’s so embarrassing – it’s currently half painted and has one mismatched drawer pull. It’s been like that for … almost 4 years now. So embarrassing.

    And obv, I would adore to win a copy of the book.

    xx A

  • Reply Alex Daniel July 20, 2013 at 4:36 am

    Being a student I live in a shared flat with a girl, that recently moved in (2 weeks ago). As a girl she loves shoes, however that ugly shoe shelf in the hallway needs definitely a make over to step up the game. I am sure this book will be a big inspiration, also on many furniture makeovers, that are still up to come. In case I don’t get to win, thank you for the opportunity! I guess this is more like lottery, where its all about the chance to win and not really about winning the price in particular. Keep cool, Alex

  • Reply Kait July 20, 2013 at 8:37 am

    I have this crazy beat-up brass and marble side table that has been sitting in my basement for two years now. I harvested it from a scrap heap, which is probably where it belonged, but the base is so unusual and interesting. Not sure if this book would help me much for this kind of project, but I know there will be other projects down the road.

  • Reply afunhouse July 20, 2013 at 10:52 am

    I’m on the hunt for a big, old, thick post/turned leg bed to makeover! Barb’s book would be ideal to have by my side once I find the bed! Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Reply Niina July 20, 2013 at 11:32 am

    I’d like to fix my ugly dining table and four chairs. They are from my childhood home and I didn’t like how yellow the birch had turned, got them painted and the end result was seriously bad. Can’t afford a professional and I don’t trust youth workshops anymore. My lack of knowledge on this matter has forced me to look that hideous table and the chairs for three years already. This book would be a great help. 🙂

  • Reply Tim Sondrup July 20, 2013 at 11:58 am

    My fiancée and I just bought a home and we’re furnishing it with secondhand pieces. We have an old, round wood table that we want to refinish and use in the dining room.

  • Reply Tasha July 20, 2013 at 12:01 pm

    This post has inspired me — I want to change up the water damaged wooden trunk at the foot of my bed. I got it from my dad, who used to keep plants on it. It’s in great shape otherwise, so I’d like to figure out how to fix the veneer on top!

  • Reply Laura July 20, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    I have a wooden coffee table with the potential for greatness. My husband bought it on Craigslist and we haven’t been able to let it go. I love the photo of the table with 8 colored triangles, I’m definitely inspired to give it a makeover with some paint!

  • Reply sarah July 20, 2013 at 12:50 pm

    I have this book on my wishlist! I have a couple of old dressers that I would love to make shiny and new again for our new house.

  • Reply Lisa V July 20, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    I’ve got a tall dresser I’m dreaming of painting…chalkboard paint may be involved. It’s a nice shape, vintage, smells a little funky, and I got it for FREE! Best price ever. Anywho, I’ve got big plans for its use in my office, just want it to match the decor and that book sure would come in handy.

  • Reply Suzanne July 20, 2013 at 2:03 pm

    YES! I have some great finds waiting for their makeovers:
    (1) heavy, solid wood, great quality dresser with intricately carved fronts that will look fabulous SOME OTHER COLOR… but what?
    (2) 3 tier wood mid-cent side table with a (shudder) laminate top that desperately needs SOMETHING. (Found for $2!!!)
    (3) drop leaf table with gorgeous wood top and hideously painted base that is screaming for help.
    But, yes, after it’s not a million degrees out.

  • Reply Kristen B July 20, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    This sounds exactly like the type of book I’ve been looking for. I have a dresser that I’ve been using for years that’s a dark wood veneer which I don’t really like the look of. Not to mention that it’s all dinged up. I know the remedy would be a fresh coat of paint !

  • Reply Michelle July 20, 2013 at 3:25 pm

    My place is full of old pieces that need “uplifting” but first on the list is an old dining chair – great shape but needs reupholstering and a paint job!

  • Reply Sarah July 20, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    I’ve got several outdated dressers that I’d love to make over. I have no idea where to start, so this book would be super helpful!

  • Reply Christa July 20, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    My house has lovely block filled mahogany veneered custom cabinetry. Unfortunately, the previous owner gave all the woodwork a couple coats of Beachwood stain in the 80s. It’s been on my list for 2 years to refinish it all but I just can’t figure out exactly how to do it right. This book would really help!

  • Reply Danielle July 20, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    I love furniture makeovers, and I could really use the inspiration as I’m hoping to paint a few of my older/damaged wooden pieces soon. Keeping my fingers crossed!

  • Reply Lauren July 20, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    What a great idea for a book! I’m obsessed with that montanna spray paint. it’s acrylic, definitely the perfect thing for indoor jobs!

  • Reply Katherine July 20, 2013 at 9:18 pm

    I just scored a table and dresser during bulk pick-up and I need help!!

  • Reply natalia July 20, 2013 at 9:29 pm

    i need to learn how to prepare the surface because i have two nigh tables that are screaming for some paint

  • Reply Lauren July 20, 2013 at 10:30 pm

    I bought a mid-century desk at a yard sale for $10. . . it has awesome lines, but crap shiny veneer, I’m think the top needs a coat of either really a bright paint or a charcoal gray.

  • Reply Lois July 20, 2013 at 11:37 pm

    My husband has a dresser that has been in his family a very long time that needs restoring! I would love to see the helpful tips in this book to aid in that project.

  • Reply Fin Langman July 21, 2013 at 1:27 am

    If this giveaway is open to the UK then I would love to be considered! Thank you for highlighting Barb’s work and her book, it sounds very inspiring and I have a solid pine bedside chest of drawers that is in dire need o a makeover!

    – Fin

  • Reply Mia Z July 21, 2013 at 1:38 am

    There’s a behemoth armoire in my living room, all dark and foreboding, and it’s just screaming for a coat of some kind of paint. We call it the monolith and I’d just hate to let it go because I do, in fact, love the shape of it but not the dark, dark wood.

  • Reply Trondheim July 21, 2013 at 5:25 am

    I found these Saarinen-like chairs on Craiglist once, two of them are in decent shape but on one of them the fabric was torn in a lot of places and the foam was coming off. When I took all of it off, I found that the underframe had a huge crack running down the back. That’ll probably be something I’ll work on once I move back to the US.

  • Reply Lisette July 21, 2013 at 5:30 am

    Wow! This is a book I NEED! I bought my place (on the edge of Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella) almost 4 years ago and apart from restoring it little bit by little bit to at least a semblance of its former glory, I have been attempting to recycle some pieces of furniture that I have found here and there…

    At present I am working on a beautiful little bench which is riddled with woodworm, but the BIG project will be a large mid-century wall unit, which I intend to transform into a credenza (the left-over bits will be transformed too, at a later stage). It has peeling veneer and lots of water and burn marks, so knowing what to do and how to do it will be essential, if the result is going to be any good!

    Thank you both for the giveaway, and you Anna for bringing Barb’s work to my attention!

  • Reply Fiona July 21, 2013 at 5:42 am

    Ooooooooooo, mega excited about this book. I often see stuff and want to have some inspiration on how to make it look beautiful again.
    I already have a stunning (fake) Alvar Aalto stool thanks to you 🙂
    I was about to look at ordering it and have seen this give away so thought I’d give it a go first.

  • Reply marissa @ the boot July 21, 2013 at 10:29 am

    ooh i would LOVE to win! i have lots of furniture to makeover because we’re in the apartment renovating process and we have lots of funky hand me downs!

  • Reply Jennifer July 21, 2013 at 11:24 am

    Pick me! Will probably buy this book even if I don’t win, so thanks for the heads-up on Barb’s work and this book

  • Reply Sherrie July 21, 2013 at 12:04 pm

    There are a million things I would love to restore / refinish but one in particular that stands out is a small 4 drawer mid century dresser we bought at a thrift store that cost us $9 and a near broken back when my husband decided to haul it up a hill to our apt! We have always been hesitant to tackle the project since we’re afraid we’re going to ruin the piece, not knowing the proper steps to follow. What a handy book to have indeed!

  • Reply Ashley July 21, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    I have an awesome vintage medical cabinet that needs to be sanded down and repainted. It has so much potential but right now it just looks like a rusty beige mess in the middle of my living room. I would love a little book inspiration!

  • Reply Katia July 21, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    Ha, I was just thinking yesterday “I want to buy some old furniture and restore it!”. Sadly, I don’t own anything worth making over, but I’m constantly prowling craigslist in the hopes of doing it someday. This book will come in super handy. Even if I never ever make over anything.

  • Reply montse July 21, 2013 at 5:05 pm

    I would like to change my coffee table, but I don’t know how, that book would be a great inspiration/help.
    Terrific giveaway, thanks!

  • Reply Yancy July 21, 2013 at 6:02 pm

    I don’t have anything at the moment, but would love to find some dilapidated piece of old Danish awesomeness to work some barb magic on.

  • Reply elisabeth July 21, 2013 at 6:29 pm

    I have a few pieces of furniture that I have been thinking forever about giving a makeover….I dont have the nerve, or maybe more like the skill to do so!! Love all your instagram photos! Am I allowed to say that I thought Bruno looked great all hairy and muppet like. Love the new haircut he got, but also loved the before look too. The cuteness!

  • Reply Lisa July 21, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    I got the bedroom set (2 nightstands and dresser) in my divorce…so naturally I want to paint the pieces to give them a completely new look and new life!

  • Reply Lindsay-Jean July 21, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    I have a table exactly like the one in the second photo! It needs a makeover. As do a few other pieces in our house.

  • Reply becca July 21, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    there is a nice old kitchen cabinet living (rotting 😉 ) in my grandma’s garage. my plan is to paint it a nice bright and clean color once i have my own appartment and a place for it… maybe i’ll be brave enough to ruin it after painting all the other brewery chairs, shelves, desk, credenza, garden chairs,… 😀

  • Reply Meg July 22, 2013 at 2:35 am

    Man, I’d love to make over this old bench I use at my bedside– it’s got great bones (reminds me of photo #2) but I’d love to bring in some really awesome pattern and color into the piece to give it new life!

  • Reply Florian July 22, 2013 at 6:57 am

    Ring, have you met my hat?

    Well. There’s that cabinet in my kitchen. It’s really nothing special, in Berlin you can buy those cabinets in old furniture shops all over town. They are usually between 120 and 60 years old, ours looks like 100 to 80 years. It’s just a simple wooden cabinet with about three to four layers of paint on it. When we bought it, I refinished the countertop but never got around to the rest.

    The thing desperately needs a new coat of paint. But that needs to be done properly, otherwise there’s really no point in doing it at all. So you see, I really need this book!

    Cheers!

  • Reply Christine July 22, 2013 at 10:20 am

    What an awesome book. Looking for ideas to redo furniture for my 3 yo daugther’s room and my 8 mo son’s room. This would be perfect!

  • Reply Jenny A. July 22, 2013 at 10:31 am

    My son has a couple of dressers in his room that could really use some perking up.

  • Reply Sandi July 22, 2013 at 11:46 am

    Yay! This book looks awesome. I’ve always wanted to do reupholstering or refinish an old wooden table… and someday build my own furniture completely!

  • Reply Ryan Mc July 22, 2013 at 11:50 am

    I have 2 bedside tables that need to be redone and I would love to get some inspiration for it.

  • Reply Putnimit July 22, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    Yeah! Finally a book that shows us how-to! Just started a side business doing this and loving it. Love being able to just makeover a beautiful piece of furniture and loving it all over again.

  • Reply Kate R July 22, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    I have an old card catalog from a library that is in desperate need of new life! Working right now on restoring the back panel, but would love new ideas to update it!!

  • Reply Sue July 22, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    Looks like a great book. I’d love to use Barb’s techniques on an old coffee table.

  • Reply Andrea July 22, 2013 at 7:27 pm

    I’d love to put this book to good use! I found a sweet little Parson’s style desk for my daughter’s room; it could use a little love!

  • Reply Shannon July 22, 2013 at 10:22 pm

    I love to see inspiring furniture makeovers! I have a file cabinet that needs to be redone and I’m on the lookout for old school lockers to turn into cool storage pieces.

  • Reply Kate, jetkat photo July 22, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    yay!! I have vintage patio chairs that could use some lovin’

  • Reply Tracy July 22, 2013 at 10:55 pm

    I have this little table, with a white marble top, and it has such *possibilities*! But I cannot seem to get the old finish off. It is now covered in this icky mix of the dregs of the old finish, as well as remnants of the two types of stripper I’ve tried. To make matters worse, I have realized while getting to know this table better, that it is going to be a pain to get a new finish on due to the way it’s constructed. I would love a copy of this book to help!

  • Reply Terri July 23, 2013 at 12:29 am

    I’m working on getting my hands on a stereo console that I found listed for sale online in the city we’re moving to at the end of next month. (That was convoluted.) Really hoping to get it and make it pretty and workable again!

  • Reply Anne July 23, 2013 at 9:20 am

    Would love to refinish some furniture for my bedroom-transitioning-to-office room (yet to be bought).

  • Reply Em Coop July 23, 2013 at 10:42 am

    I have two pieces of sad furniture that have just been staring at me, begging me to fix them up, for years. Since I live on a super tight, grad school budget, and have also not really found a restoration technique I’m crazy about, they have been left sad and ugly.

    One is a bedside table that was a hand-me-down from my sister. It’s a bit retro looking in shape, with a small shelf on top and a long bottom shelf that juts out, but the stain comes off when I dust it and it’s missing hardware. I’m also not crazy about the legs, one of which is cracked.

    The other piece is a dresser I’ve had since jr. high. It’s a solid wood piece of Amish-made furniture, in pretty good shape, just finished in a HORRIBLE color varnish (honey-blond…yuck). I put some new black and white handles I got on sale at Anthropologie on it, so now it looks even more awkward. I don’t know how I should redo it, if I should paint it a solid color, do a dark/gray stain after distressing it? I have no clue.

    Thanks for the resource ideas!!

  • Reply Laura July 23, 2013 at 11:42 am

    I have a sweet little midcentury style bookcase in need of some love. It isn’t an amazing piece but the overall design is cute and would look great with a paint job. I’d love some inspiration from this book!

  • Reply Tonya July 23, 2013 at 12:42 pm

    I’m staring at a vintage hutch that was found in the basement of our 90+-year old house, currently debating how to refinish it for the kitchen. Looking to do something creative. Because it was free, I feel free!

  • Reply sara July 23, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    This book sounds perfect. I’m a sucker for old furniture, but often don’t know the best methods for refinishing/repurposing. Right now I have a lovely old bedside table with peeling veneer that is in desperate need of updating. It has such a great shape that I want to keep it, but I’m not sure where to begin. Hopefully I can get some tips and inspiration from this book!

  • Reply Dee in BC July 23, 2013 at 2:34 pm

    I’d look out for a small dresser or shelf unit for my landing.

  • Reply marie July 23, 2013 at 4:23 pm

    I have a small and large dresser that both need an update. A major update.

  • Reply Patricia July 23, 2013 at 8:40 pm

    I have a zillion and one items to redo. I need this book! First up, a cute 1950s dresser.

  • Reply Marlene July 23, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    What piece of furniture do I NOT want to makeover! I’ve got a super long list of furniture projects, but at the very top is a beautiful antiquey sideboard/buffet with turned legs and lots of lovely details. The furniture store I bought it from fixed the door and painted it green for me, but they did the worst. paint job. EVER. It’s been like that ever since because I am the queen of unfinished projects. Maybe winning this cool book would get me moving!

  • Reply Kristine Keane July 23, 2013 at 10:02 pm

    After a recent craig’s list spree, I have a few end tables and a midcentury dresser to bring back to life.

  • Reply Janet S July 24, 2013 at 1:40 am

    I have a dresser that needs to be remade and I am in serious need of ideas. Hope I win the book!

  • Reply Sarah July 24, 2013 at 8:04 am

    My object of desired make-over actually isn’t a vintage piece, it’s a red IKEA PS cabinet that I’ve had since my teen years. It’s a bit knocked up and I’m not really keen on the red anymore but I like the design and am not into buying stuff at the moment. So I am thinking about a new coat of paint black-gold-geometric accents direction vaguely . I haven’t really researched whether that’s a worthwhile endeavour and am not really savy regarding the preparing the cabinet-specific surface for color yet but it’s on my list 😉

  • Reply Joanne July 24, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    I’d love to make over my kitchen cabinets! They’re solid and in good shape, but a bit country.

    *fingers crossed*

  • Reply Judi July 24, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    I’m still playing around with the idea of painting our dining table black, and would love this book to get some much-needed inspiration for other projects (I have a few pieces I think might look better painted than not…). Thanks for this giveaway, Anna!

  • Reply andrea July 24, 2013 at 10:47 pm

    the knotty pine dresser in my bedroom is in serious need of a make over! help!

  • Reply Hayley July 25, 2013 at 12:14 am

    Love your blog, and also attempted to buy this book (from Urban Outfitters I believe…) but ended up giving it to my sister as a house-warming present for her first apartment! I would love to get my hands on my own copy! Currently looking to update a REALLY boring light wooden tall dresser with no knobs and lots of chips that I bought from Goodwill for $5! Also, a dark wooden desk I recently acquired while my boyfriend was doing a clean-out on a foreclosed home (free), and POSSIBLY an antique china cabinet, but I’m not sure yet WHAT the heck I would do with that one..

    Anyway, great blog!

  • Reply Heather July 25, 2013 at 10:35 am

    I’d love to rework my bedroom side table!

  • Reply Catherine July 25, 2013 at 10:41 am

    I have a slatted bench that I bought at a garage sale that needs to be spruced up. I also have some custom made cabinets (they were made by my friend’s father in the 60’s) that are raw wood and I am using them as a storage cabinet for my daughter’s supplies and artwork. I would love to do a makeover on that too! : )

  • Reply Earen July 25, 2013 at 10:43 am

    I have a number of potential furniture projects. But the first is an old secretary that I inherited from my parents. It has good bones, yest is really ugly with the blond varnish and brass hardware. I have been planning to work on it forever, but like you I have an old house that needs lots of work too.

    I love your blog. Your projects and posts are always an inspiration to me.

  • Reply Brandie July 25, 2013 at 10:52 am

    I have a mid-century dresser that belonged to my grandparents that is in desperate need of a makeover. It has been passed down through the years and as a result is looking a bit worse for wear but I refuse to get rid of it. I’ve been wanting to refinish it but the top is covered in veneer and the thought of refinishing the top is a bit terrifying. I’m thinking paint is the way to go. Would love to get my hands on this book to give me some inspiration. 🙂

  • Reply Karen July 25, 2013 at 10:55 am

    My grandmother’s beat up old oak dresser needs lots of love. Been putting it off for lack of direction, which is sad because it’s the only thing I have of hers.

  • Reply Michelle July 25, 2013 at 10:59 am

    I have this beautiful french dresser on my friend’s basement that needs some lovin! I’d love to win!
    Btw, you’re blog’s new look rocks my socks! 🙂

  • Reply Kris July 25, 2013 at 10:59 am

    I found a lovely chair on the sidewalk that I’d love to restore!

  • Reply Chetana July 25, 2013 at 11:01 am

    We have a mid century arm chair that has been needing some serious revamping since the day we got it from a thrift store. We never felt confident enough to do it in the right way that it needs to be done. We could really use tips and inspiration from Barb’s book!!

  • Reply daffodil campbell July 25, 2013 at 11:02 am

    Last night, my aunt took me out back to the barn that has been the dumping ground for a lot of “future projects” to show me my grandmother’s hope chest. My dream is to restore it while my to grandmother is still alive to see it being appreciated and repurposed. It is cedar, but one of the feet needs replacing and the entire chest needs to be repaired, refinished, and completed with functioning hardware. I think this book would be a great inspiration, AND guide.

  • Reply Jeanne DeKay July 25, 2013 at 11:06 am

    That book looks awesome!! I want to repaint the 1964 built-in vanity/cabinet in my bathroom and would love to know (and follow) the proper prepping procedures (PPPs!). I’m a firm believer that if you are going to do something, do it right so it lasts and you’re not re-doing it again! I also have a metal cart that I bought at the Disabled Vets store for $6 that I want to paint and use in my dining room.

    Thank you!!

  • Reply Hilary July 25, 2013 at 11:19 am

    I have a mission style dresser that could use some love. I would love to add a little extra something to it, not that it doesn’t look great as it is, but I’ve been cautious about refinishing it because I’m not confident enough to just start. This book would help! Then I would be unstoppable 😉

    Thanks!

  • Reply whitney @ thecurtiscasa July 25, 2013 at 11:28 am

    Oh oh! I was just telling my friend about a dresser DIY we could do together for her room. I’d love to give her this book!

  • Reply Emily Hazzard July 25, 2013 at 11:40 am

    I’ve got this amazing white bureau that I picked up for $10 that I absolutely love. I’t s a little battered and completely cool. I have been wanting to paint neon pink on the inside for and after seeing that video I’m inspired to actually go through with it. What a great giveaway!

  • Reply Anne-Marie-Soleil Bernard July 25, 2013 at 11:47 am

    Wow! I was actually thinking about my next project this morning : a tiny telephone table/bench to repaint and reupholster. This book is a must for me!

  • Reply eric jarmann July 25, 2013 at 11:48 am

    Pick one?!?

    Well I have a glass topped end table that has a modern Asian shape to it but it is currently in an ordinary walnut finish. So perfect for a white lacquered finish. Then there is to old drafting table with the classic a-frame base that needs an Eames inspired colour combination . . . Oh sorry.

  • Reply Ashley July 25, 2013 at 12:01 pm

    I have this old pulley light fixture that I’ve been dying to rework. I found it in the 100+ year old house my dad is fixing up on the Cape. It needs a good overhaul paint-wise- and this book looks to be just the thing to inspire me <3

  • Reply Kelli July 25, 2013 at 12:09 pm

    Getting nice furniture on a limited budget is so difficult. I’m ready to have a nice dresser with a little elbow grease. Even if I don’t win, I’m getting this book (although it may be from the library!)

  • Reply kathy carlson July 25, 2013 at 12:37 pm

    Whenever I look around our brown wood log cabin, with brown wood furniture, I realize some color would be a relief from this monotonous brown scheme. Time to paint!

  • Reply PATRICIA July 25, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    Would love to win this book! Have a bookcase from my Gram that I whould love to fix up!

  • Reply kat July 25, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    My mom would be so happy to see me fix up and take away the furniture pieces I’ve been storing at her place for seven years!

  • Reply Leigh Ann July 25, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    I’m in the architecture & construction business, so I move about every year or six months to manage a new construction project onsite. I am always looking for very cheap furniture & fix things up as I go. I just found a nice dining table and chairs I plan on painting this weekend, but I have no idea where to start. I would love Barb’s amazing book!

  • Reply Anna @ D16 July 25, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    This giveaway has now ended! Thanks to everyone who entered. I’ll announce the winner in this post and on Twitter this afternoon, and the winner will be contacted directly via email.

  • Reply England Furniture September 9, 2013 at 10:18 am

    Thanks for sharing your review of furniture makeovers. It seems like a great book to give as a gift, or keep for yourself!

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