Balcony Table Retro Renovation

We're working on some furniture for the new flat right now which has a little balcony, so here's an inexpensive step-by-step to creating a retro-looking outdoor table!


Step one: Buy cheapo outdoor table from Ikea with glass top (cost around £20).

Step Two: Paint frame using rust-proof outdoor/bicycle paint to give it that industrial mid-century look.

Step Three: Create abstract pattern by flinging white and black gloss/bathroom paint all over the underside of the glass (warning, this as we found out is VERY messy).

Step Four: Then pick a colour of choice (we chose a teal colour we had already used on lamp renovation) and once the abstract pattern has dried, paint a couple of coats on the same side to cover over the pattern, so the underside is protected from the elements.

And there you have it! We are still deciding whether to leave the rim of the table black or paint it gold to brighten it up a bit, any thoughts? Will post the results!

Last Few Weeks

So we will be leaving the flat and moving to a lovely new 

one in a matter of weeks time. So for memories sake a few farewell pictures are in order, before exciting new renovations on the next apartment will start!

Chalkware Lamp Restoration

After a while of searching we found a matching lamp in the same style (but mirrored) to our existing bedside lamp, however the only ones that seem to appear for sale are white, so with a bit of colour matching and some mimicing of 50's paint styles we've managed to make a pretty convincing matching pair!

Just need to get some matching fibreglass shades now, but i think they look pretty great, except for the shade you can't really tell the difference between them, we've also got some glass put in the Carlo above the bed and it really makes the painting stand out. 

Burco Tumblair Restoration

When this Burco Tumblair clothes drier arrived it looked quite frankly, a bit depressing, but J had some grand plans for restoration, giving it a look that adhered more to the U.S. models, to give it a bit more glamour and also to complement the other appliances we already have.  

The viewing window is great, reminiscent of a TV screen and something you don't really find in household driers these days, at least in the U.K.

The Burco was spray-painted an off-white and polished to give it that retro feel,
and also to match our restored Frigidaire. This was a bit of an operation as we don't have an outside space to spray paint in! The cat seemed to enjoy it though...

J added chrome stripping around the top panel, the door
and the viewing window, more chrome the better!

J then added a gold painted chevron, a new LED light and a thin
metal mesh, also painted gold, to surround the dials.

And there you have it. The finish  also goes quite well the 

cooker with its gold and chrome dashboard. 

All we need now is a kitchen big enough to fit it all in! 

Carlo no. 3

Just got our latest Carlo of Hollywood over from the states, we weren't sure how nice it would be when we bought it online however the colours are actually really vivid and the frame is in pretty good shape, hanging on the wall it looks really great!

Phil Brinkman New Orleans Painting

We have been looking around for a 50's painting that had a New Orleans flavour for a while now, so when we stumbled across this Phil Brinkman piece for sale we knew we had to get it, it's a lovely silkscreen in its original frame.

 The Primary colours in the painting go very nicely with the ceiling lamp in the room.

 And the curtains!

You can read more about the life of this great artist here: http://www.philbrinkman.com/philbrinkmanbiography.htm

Table Light Collection

 Majestic 'Z' Lamp.

 Majestic 'K' Lamp.

 Panther tv lamp/planter.

 Radiogram Light

 Telephone desk lamp

Chalkware Bedside lamp.