A Dutch Secretary

Wow.  That is all I can say to those of you who refinish furniture in like a day...this took me a year!

The drawer hardware was replaced with these pulls from Hobby Lobby at $2.99 each.

Painted lettering adds a touch of Swedish wit and lightness to furniture. Originally, lettering was used to name an owner, to record a family event, or simply to label the contents of a cupboard or dresser.

I chose 'No. 3' because my daughter is our third child and the third one to own this dresser.  Because I am not so good at painting free hand, I chose something simple!  I contemplated painting the year the desk was made, but '1970' just seemed too groovy.  I also considered painting my mother's, my daughter's and my initials.

The paint colors are Creamy and Krypton by Sherwin Williams.  I had seen a dresser at Miss Mustard Seed with these colors and wrote to inquire.

 

My daughter is in kindergarten, but I hope she will use this desk for homework in the future.

Among the independent nations recognized by the UN, the Scandinavian flags are considered as the oldest continuously used flags in the world. These whimsical replicas of the Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish flags present the traditional cross with pretty ribbon and bright fabric.

Here are several shots of the flags.  I think it would be easy to sew or make with lovely scrap paper.

I like the little pop of color of the flags in this otherwise monochromatic room.

The clown is by Maileg, a toy maker of little Danish pixies and bunnies and other adorable things.  I found the Penguin Classic books at TJMaxx.  I had seen them {here} at Anthropologie and loved them.

These are Reader's Digest books I found at a thrift store for $2 each.  Aren't these covers great? 

I bought the little felt windmill years ago as a Christmas ornament.  It reminds me of the Netherlands.

The baby shoes are displayed and are sweet to remember tiny little feet and tiny little people!

 

The Princess and the Pea crochet doll and bed, another Maileg toy was a Christmas gift from Santa.

One of my readers corrected me about the origin of wooden clogs. The Dutch style clogs are traditionally made entirely of wood and don’t incorporate leather like Swedish clogs.   Thank you!

This was the first 'nice' piece of furniture that my parents purchased when they were first married. It is a Henredon double bonnet secretary desk.

It sat in a shed at our farmhouse for over ten years.  My dad cleaned out the shed and gave it to me. 

I think it would have cost a fortune to repair the wood and veneer.  I wrote to Marian of Miss Mustard Seed a year ago for some guidance.  I had never repaired or refinished a piece of furniture before!  As busy as she is, she responded so promptly and answered my questions along the way.

My husband is the handy one around here, but I did all the sanding and repair and paint myself (hence the yearlong project!)

Original drawer pulls were replaced for some with cleaner lines.

I added some brown paint to the brass screws to match the aged hardware.

 

Published in Homespun Magazine October 2013!

 

 

 

 

To see more of this room, click {here} and {here.}

Whew.  One project done...so many to go!

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DIY by Design