View from the stairs into the entry/formal living room.
Pretty much everything you see in this picture is either from Craigslist (white towers, chairs, the play table you see a bit on the right), from the thrift store (foot stool) or right out of the trash (yes, the ornate mirror was something my dad pulled out of the trash when he was here visiting us two years ago)
Of course all of these things needed some serious updating (sanding, painting, reupholstering) but I love how they turned out and that they're just one of a kind.
Thats what the chairs looked like when we got them. They're from South Africa and hand carved. We bought them from a nice old man for 25 dollars each. The seating had to be completely re-done which took way longer than we anticipated. As for the wood, I decided to sand and use a chemical stripper as well, since the previous finish was so glossy that I was afraid no paint would stick to it. I honestly don't know if it made a difference, though. They still chip pretty easily.
One of the last things I did before we moved, was to give our old, stained, beige IKEA-rug a fresh new finish. A couple of coats of white latex paint, some grey stripes and you couldn't believe it was the same rug, that had been laying underneath our dining table for years.
More pics of the house to follow.
