Out with the old and in with the slightly less old

Earlier this evening, my wife and I finally got rid of the piece of furniture that we'd owned for nearly as long as we've known each other. Way back when we first met, a mutual friend of ours was getting rid of said piece of furniture (which she herself had bought used!), and my wife snagged it for her small apartment as a way to save a bit of money. Later, it moved with us to our rental house, then finally the house that we bought, where it lived for years and years as we slowly purchased nicer pieces to surround it with. It was one of those pieces that was comfortable as hell, but frankly was starting to really show its age. It had a few ink spots from a dropped marker, the fabric was starting to show wear in multiple spots, and one of the cushions was permanently flipped upside-down after one of our dogs found a small tear in the covering and decided to perform crude surgery on it (see below).

We'd talked about paying to have someone re-cover it, but ultimately decided against it due to the cost involved and the fact that a new upholstery job simply wouldn't mask some of the larger issues. In the meantime, it's just been sitting there as we kept our eyes out for something interesting at a reasonable price. Fortunately, our patience (or indecision) paid off, and we ran across this insanely beautiful couch this past weekend.

Made by Patrician (who apparently cater more specifically to the corporate, healthcare and government markets), it's a very well-constructed sofa in the mid century modern style, running a full 7+ feet in length. It has a chrome frame, naugahyde cover, and it looks like it's barely been used. I have no idea what this sort of thing would cost new (even back in the late 60s or early 70s when it was likely made), and even though we needed some help from family who own a van in getting it home, I think it was well worth the c-note we spent on it.

Spotting inner beauty

A couple months ago, my wife ran across an older Heywood Wakefield nightstand at a junk shop. It was incredibly beat-up, with major damage to the finish on all top and side surfaces, as well as stickers stuck all over it. As if that weren't enough, there were a couple dark marks on the top, where it looks like a candle was left burning.

It certainly didn't look like the sort of thing you'd want to bring home and put in your bedroom.


While the surface was damaged, the piece (which is made out of solid northern yellow birch, and is incredibly heavy for its size) was in fine structural shape, and for only $2 she simply couldn't pass it up.

Here's a couple more angles, just so you know what we were dealing with.


My wife started the job, and got a good portion of the old finish off it, then I spent another solid afternoon working on the piece while listening to some football on the radio.

The particular finish used on this piece (which goes by "champagne") is actually a rather impressive concoction of colors and finishes, and instructions for mixing it seemed incredibly daunting. Even then, it seemed like results were pretty hit-or-miss.

Fortunately we found a fellow on the internet who sold pre-mixed batches that he had put together using a tried-and-true method that got rave reviews from other armchair furniture refinishers. At 40 dollars for a quart, it was kind of expensive, but worth saving the headache on trying to mix our own.

After five hand-applied coats, the last coming on one of the last true nice days of the fall, our nightstand was finally ready to be re-introduced to the world (or at the very least, our bedroom).


Total cost of the piece ended up being just under $45 with tax, which is one-third or less what we would have paid for a decent used piece. Sure, it still has a few blemishes (like a small reminder of the candle burn), but I figure it gives it some character.

This wasn't the first time we've rehabilitated a cheap piece of furniture from a sale or store, and it won't be the last. For furniture, beauty is way more than skin deep, and if you're willing to put a little elbow-grease into it, a nice piece of furniture will last a long, long time.