Lacquered Furniture- Get Your Shine On!

Thanks to the fortuitous proximity of some wonderful painters who are able to produce a lovely lacquered finish, I have been able (along with other similar small entrepreneurs) to turn a less than wonderful, ho-hum piece of furniture into something absolutely spectacular.

I am currently selling furniture from two wonderful locations: Hunt and Gather Fine Estate Furnishings located at 8724 Glenwood venue in Raleigh, and Inspirations Home Decor and More, also on Glenwood at 8601.  Both of these venues are fabulous in their own rite- each for different reasons.  Hunt and Gather is filled to the brim with an incredibly eclectic mix of fine antiques, heirloom jewelry, beautiful blue and white porcelain, and the comfiest chairs and sofas you can find.  http://huntandgatherraleigh.com/  Managing Partner Abbott Tompkins-Hudgins can usually be found at the store in his casual attire tending to various details and working with his staff to spread the store's special variety of southern hospitality.  Bill Donovan, chief-of-everything knows just about every one of the store's 5000000 pieces and can tell you a little bit about it and what will work well with it.  Joanie and others man the front desk with grace and humor.

Inspirations Home Decor and More is a newer addition to the Glenwood (8601) corridor furnishings family and also embraces an eclectic take on furnishings by virtue of the 30 vendors who populate the airy showroom.  https://www.facebook.com/inspirationsraleigh  Owners Debbie Crain and (designer) Beverly Nichols bring in a lot of their own finds and together with store manager Courtney keep the mix moving.

Now- back to the title of this post!  I would like to share with you some of the lacquered (and perhaps a few other) pieces I have placed in these two furniture playgrounds.  I am especially fond of the lacquered pieces as they bring new life and spirit to otherwise undistinguished pieces. They fit perfectly in today's home, add some light, color, and shine and take us away from the sense that we are living with our grandmother's pieces. They may well be grandma's pieces, but they have been injected with a new vibe that works well with today's quest for that perfect mix of tradition and liveliness that we all crave. Give us light! Give us color! But keep us warm and cozy with our comfy pillows, throws, ottomans, and life-giving bouquets of roses, hydrangeas, and peonies!

Here are a few of my newest offerings in the shops.

These three pieces are the newest additions to my shops.  The grasshopper green asian chest was a mess when I found it. One door was off, the whole piece was lacquered black about 100 years ago, and one of the original hinges was missing.  I searched high and low, finally headed to China via the internet machine, and finally found the lovely hinges you see hear. Steins Furniture Painting and Repair stripped the piece for me, re-hinged it, and lacquered it this great grasshopper color.  I love it, and I hope you do too. A lot of hours went into making this piece as beautiful as it is. Thank you John and Sharon Stein!! It is for sale at Hunt and Gather on Glenwood.

The Asian-themed credenza is made by Century  and is a heavy fellow.  Originally, he was painted a black lacquer, other than the burled wood sections, and I decided to lighten it up with a creamy color. Sharon Stein polished the hardware. Sweet, huh?  This piece is at Inspirations Home Decor and More.  Here she is with a little styling... a little blurry, but you get the idea.

I will post more soon, but hope you will come on our to look for yourself and envision a freshly lacquered piece in your home.  If color is not your thing, we have some lovely cream, charcoal, and deep teal pieces for some subtle shine. Get it on! 

Oh and top it all off with one of my paintings!  Thrown in for good measure~ 

Everyday Ellie

The Art of Style ~ELLAN MAYNARD~ 3:00-5:00 June 14

I would love to invite you to come out and see a collection of my paintings this weekend at The Art of Style- ~ a boutique in Cameron Village at 2023 Cameron Street.  ~  

I have 10-12 paintings hanging and on Saturday June 14, I will be there offering a cool glass of prosecco or beer and a chance to take a look around at the unique style offerings in the boutique, meet Kendra and Natalie, and check out the paintings.  

Your paintings?  What's that about? 

My first series of paintings was an exploration of a technique called "color field" or stain painting inspired by the work of Helen Frankenthaler and Louis Morris.  I have always had a love of color and composition and have exercised that love by helping friends and family with interiors.  But I decided to get my hands in the paint (and they look like it). Continents, part of which is showing at The Art of Style, reflects various elements of the universe: water, air, clouds, elements.  

Here are a few of these paintings.  I hope you will join us at The Art of Style this weekend or throughout the month of June! 

There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. 

Go against the rules or ignore the rules. 

  That is what invention is about.

Helen Frankenthaler

"Cumulus" is a large acrylic on canvas. It is 50 by 56. 

"Marshes" is 48 by 50 

This is a fun piece called "Convergence". 

There are lots more paintings and some great clothing, accessories, and gift finds at the boutique.  Please joins us! 

Don't Let Your Credenza Go Naked: Dress it in Style!

The Credenza:  a sideboard, buffet, or a bookcase patterned after a Renaissance credence...  A credence is a small table where the bread and wine rest before consecration. 

Who knew? 

Call it what you may, it is my favorite piece of furniture. It can be used just about anywhere - a foyer, a bedroom, a living room, and office, etc.  It can have a mirror over it or a great painting or an assemblage of your favorite photos, vases, collectibles.  I personally like a credenza with a great painting over it (lit with a picture light), a beautiful silver tray, selections of great Scotch (I hate the stuff but it is pretty) and some nice lowball glasses.  We have several sets of these (they are just fun) : 

So, I have two nice credenzas at my shop Everyday Ellie. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Everyday-Ellie/219469831560755
Here they are.  

Marble inserts, lacquered a creamy white by Steins http://www.steinsfurnitureandrepairs.com/antique-restoration-services-raleigh-nc.html

Gray lacquer, also professionally lacquered by Steins, this one has a matching mirror. It's large and heavy...

I am not in the shop at The Warehouse at 1107 Capital Boulevard right now, so I can't actually play with them, but here are some ideas for styling a credenza lifted from other sources. Use your imagination! 

From Chris Loves Julia http://www.chrislovesjulia.com/2012/09/our-styled-credenza-industrial-chic.html 

This little blog addresses the subject nicely. They refer to this as a "fauxdenza" because a) they made it and b) it has no legs- but it captures a nice modern approach.  I love the grouping of 8 photos above and the cool industrial lamps.  They actually drilled holes in the top of the fauxdenza to conceal the lamp cords. Brave, is all I can say.

The Decoist has a lot to say on the topic, with a decidedly contemporary take.  These range from sleek to rustic- take a look at the credenza in all it's versatility. 

All of these are interesting- for different places in different homes. My favorites are.. the ones I made larger.  I love the diamond pattern in the bottom image, and the really textural mix of materials that reflect the owner's interests.. the two interesting lamps, the airplane, the photos the zebra rug- it's all an appealing assembly.  Not for your traditionalist, but perfect for the loftIdreamofinhabitingbutprobablyneverwill. 

I also love the credenza with the great blue glass.  Its a great combination of rustic and refined, light and heavy. The four images above are from http://www.decoist.com/2012-12-11/20-modern-credenzas-with-contemporary-flair/

I can't leave without a word or two for the traditionalists.  So I give you some of the credenza or credenza-ish photos from my own house! 

An old pine chest in the sunroom.. 

In the foyer, a simple greeting space

... and in the living room a table made from glass and pillars in front of a huge mirror..

I actually have a couple more.... but I am sure you can do a better job of dressing your credenza.  Send me your photos and if there are no x-rated contents I will post them! 

Enjoy your home.. it's where you want to be at least part of .. everyday. 

everyday ellie on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Everyday-Ellie/219469831560755

and in person: 

~The Warehouse at 1107 Capital Blvd~