Thursday, November 22, 2012

nefertiti drawers



I recently came to possess a few little furniture pieces from my late Pop's house. The most substantial of these pieces being a chest of drawers. I always remember going to stay at Pop's house. It was a calm, immaculately kept place in Sydney suburbia, with the double brick almost keeping the sound of overhead aeroplanes out. These drawers were in the spare room, along with matching bedsides. I don't really remember them in his more recent home. But to me these drawers represent a little piece of Pop. Functional, strong and with no fuss. A little piece of those Hurstville memories.


I had to admit that the stain had become a little too orange, and was a bit scratched from the move. And it would be a rather tight squeeze to fit any other furniture in. So out came the paint (Porter's Aqua Enamel in Nefertiti - I may have been sold on the name, but I do so love that colour!) and with a little rearranging in the space known as the spare room, but which also houses all Violet's things, we found a little spot for these drawers.


The low height of the drawers made it the perfect place to keep some of Violet's toys within reach. Some of which were lost in the jumble of her toybox otherwise. So I had a good clean out, of both clothes and toys, many of which were outgrown. I am a big believer in less is more with toys, but I don't need to tell you how hard this can be to keep at times. It does feel good to clear away the excess.


The drawers squeezed in right beside the nappy change table, something I am hoping we may be able to retire this Summer. Or at least almost retire.

I pinned a roughly cut piece of a coffee sack to the side, so you can't see the nappies from the lounge room anymore. If I was setting up a new nursery I may have taken the time to hem or bind it. But this is only a temporary piece of furniture, so unhemmed it is.



Most of the wooden toys were op shop finds, though the rainbow was a christmas present last year and one of the wooden trucks was a gift for Luca many years ago. I also added a basket of little handmade soft toys, a few of which Julia made for Violet.

(Sorry about my poor drawer shutting, which I only realised after I loaded these photos. Also the big paint drip).



I think shes enjoying her new little toy space.



22 comments:

  1. The draws are gorgeous and I love the colour. My daughter wants a very similar colour painted on her walls. And the height of these draws really do make them perfect for children. Elaina xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved them they way they were....bit vintage and a bit retro. I love the structure and lines on this era of furniture as well as the woodgrain. I love the contrast of orange stain against stark white, taupe or grey....very gorgeous

    ReplyDelete
  3. It looks like a perfect set of drawers for Violet to keep all of her toys and it seems like it's jus the right height for her. Lovely colour choice too:) x

    ReplyDelete
  4. the drawers are gorgeous! what a delightful colour and i love the name too! Violet sure does look happy with it, and her collection of toys are adorable. We're not big on too many toys either and i try and do a cull twice a year at least!

    ReplyDelete
  5. They are great !! I love the colour too !! and my grandfather lives in Hurstville too!! How funny :) Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really love the colour...i have been considering painting a few op shop pieces of furniture that are really not looking so nice at the moment...you have inspired me to just get on with it.
    Have already begun a clean out of the twins clothes and toys...how do they accumulate so much in 2 yrs??
    Love that Julia has made some little dolls for Violet..so special, my girls love the pillows my teen made for them!
    Great job Mum...looks great and the drawers not shut perfectly just goes to prove you are a busy Mum not bothered with perfection!!x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just beautiful Tania. I love what a lick of paint can do with old pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think it looks gorgeous. And, I agree with you about the toys and clothes! We have a two year old and a 6 month old and their stuff is taking over. I once read that the average child adds 30 per cent more stuff to a household:)

    I got a trip down memory lane with your reference to Hurtsville as we used to live in Mortdale, two stops down the line.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a transformation and so lovely to see it put to good use :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. A great little make over. The colour is lovely.
    x

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the colour...I've been in a painting frenzy too but my choice is Murobond. "faded and frayed" is the one I'm using at the moment, lovely mint green:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love that colour!

    I have pieces of my Nana's furniture in my house (silky oak bedroom furniture) and I know it is 'just furniture', but it feels like a little piece of her is with me. After all, with a limited budget, she carefully chose those pieces of furniture for her family home over sixty years ago. My son sleeps in the bed that my mother slept in when she was his age.

    Now the story of your Pop's drawers continues with you, Violet will grow up remembering them as the place where you stored her favourite toys:)

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dude.
    "Sorry about my poor drawer shutting"?
    Loosen those ties of perfection, they will end up choking you!

    Love those pieces of furniture that move through the generations and are re-purposed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The drawers look gorgeous Tania. Love that colour both with the rainbow of wooden toys and also the natural wood in the room. And despite squinting I cannot see either the drip or the drawer issue! melx

    ReplyDelete
  17. I really love what you have done with these drawers Tania, that colour is gorgeous and gives them a whole new look.
    x

    ReplyDelete
  18. Those drawers look AWESOME!! Gorgeous colour and style - perfect! I love old pieces transformed like that. We have a little cupboard from Paul's Dad which I painted a pale blue which now adds a nice pop of colour to Grace's room and I like the sentimental touch it adds to the home x

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a lovely memory to have and a gorgeous revamp to make it work in your home too. I think it is so important to not get lost in preserving "things" but in giving them new life for the next stage of their journey. Violets room is gorgeous :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment. If you have any questions please check back later as I will do my best to answer any within the comments section.