My Newest Furniture Project

For the longest time I'd been looking for a sideboard for our entry way. I wanted something with lots of storage space and two or three doors with drawers. I browsed all of my favorite shops - Country Originals, Antique Shops of Jackson, Interior Spaces, and the High Street Antique Mall in Jackson. I visited Pette's Place and Bon Chic in Clinton. Each time I was in Oxford, I hit up the Mustard Seed and Sugar Magnolia. I never found what I wanted. Eventually, we began looking at the usual suspects - Pottery Barn, Wisteria, Ballard Designs, and NapaStyle - and I picked out a few that I liked.

The Benchwright Buffet from Pottery Barn...


The Solare Sideboard from NapaStyle...

But, the thing is, I wanted something unique and old, and these were both in the upper end of my price range, so I held out a little longer.

On a whim one Saturday, I went in Pette's Place again after yoga class. They are always so sweet in there! It was my lucky day, because I found exactly what I was looking for. It was a great deal, so I snatched it up.

This is what my new sideboard looked like on the day they delivered it. I didn't take an interior shot before I cleaned it out, but let me tell you, it was nasty. A family of mice seemed to have taken residence in one of the upper corners, so I had quite a time cleaning out all of the dust, dirt, and mouse poop. Maybe that's why I got the great deal? It took me two evenings to strip out all of the shelf paper, scrape off all the mouse poop, and wipe it down with Murphy's Oil Soap. Once it was clean, I decided to line it with folded burlap held down with brass tacks.

I relocated one of our paintings from the dining room to rest on top. I love this painting, but it hadn't found the perfect spot in our home until I set it on top of the sideboard. I am so happy with the placement now. This painting is by Sarah Robertson. She is a local artist and will be selling her work at Oxford's Double Decker Arts Festival in April.
Next, I added an orchid in a mirrored pot that I already had. Then I found a beautiful demi-john wine bottle in a old wooden crate at Interior Spaces in Jackson. I've seen these in all the catalogs lately, and I just love them. I placed the bottle on the sideboard. I put our green vase in the crate on the floor. I added a woven runner to tie in the burlap lighting, and then this area was coming together... I just needed one more thing.
I had been eyeing this little lamb at Wisteria, and I decided that she finally had a place in our home...

After I got all of this together (seriously, it took the entire month of February to find all the right pieces), we ended up getting new floors in the living area, entry, and dining area. The original plan was to rip up the stained carpet in the living area and replace it with hardwood to match what we already had. But projects like that rarely go as planned, and we couldn't find any wood to match. We ended up replacing the carpet and the existing wood with new wood.

I am so happy with my new furniture! I love all of the great storage I get with this piece. I am so glad I waited for exactly the right piece and didn't settle. So, here is the finished project (with new floors)...