before and after basics: polyurethane

Hello everyone! I can’t believe it’s already Thursday — this week just flew by. Thank you for all of the suggestions last week. I’m going to try and tackle them one at a time, starting today with polyurethane. Many of you have asked how to apply it, what tools work the best and whether you [...]

The Classicist: London’s Famed Savoy Hotel Back After $350 Million Revamp

London’s renowned Savoy hotel has just reopened following a massive $350 million revamp encompassing one of the most ambitious restorations in British history. The world famous landmark, built by impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, originally opened in August 1889. Originally managed by Swiss hotelier César Ritz and Maitre [...]

before and after basics: dry brush painting

Hello, hello! It’s time for Before & After Basics again and today I want to teach you a little trick that I love to perform on furniture called dry brushing! It is a relatively simple technique that goes on quickly, but the results look like it took hours to create. Oh, and before I forget, [...]

Burlington Coat Factory Pays $10 Million to Fendi 24 Years After Selling Their Knockoffs

The biggest competition or threat for luxury brands is not another luxury brand but the knockoffs, counterfeits or fakes. The knockoffs have become an organized global business with powerful players having sound financial backing and a strong and reliable distribution channel. Even conservative estimates of fake sales go in to billions of dollars. The big [...]

Hotel Chelsea Put Up for Sale After 65 Glorious Years

Hotel Chelsea is a landmark in Manhattan. It has been there for so long that you almost feel that it was always there. Artists and celebrities have lived there. It has been home to names like Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol and Eugene O’Neil. The family that owned and operated the hotel for the last 65 [...]

before & after: amy’s bedroom makeover w/ nightwood

On what must have been the hottest day during one of the hottest NYC summers ever, my industrial pipe bed broke. (That statement makes me feel a little self-conscious and I’m compelled to note here that it didn’t break in a dramatic fashion; the pipes started to sag after six years and in my attempt [...]

before and after basics: refreshing wood

Welcome to Thursday! Today on Before & After Basics we’ll tackle the process of refreshing tired wood with oil. While this is not a process I do on a weekly basis in the studio, it is great knowledge to have for the antique gems in my home. “What?” you ask, “not everything in your house [...]

before and after basics: wood filler

Happy Thursday to you all! Today on Before & After Basics, I want to discuss using wood filler to repair damage and fill unwanted hardware holes. This is a super important part of painting and refurbishing furniture, and can make or break your finish! The process I’m covering today is meant for pieces that will [...]

before and after basics: whitewash

Hello friends! I hope you all had an awesome week, and that you had time for a few furniture transformations! Today on Before & After Basics we’ll learn about whitewashing furniture. Whitewashing is a technique that allows you to brighten your wood without hiding the grain pattern. Please know that this can be done with [...]

White After Labor Day and Other Color Myths

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is over. In the U.S., Labor Day has passed, school has started, the sun is setting sooner and we’re getting ready to tuck away our white clothes and shoes until spring–well, at least that’s what we’ve been told to do. A suggested ban on white clothing [...]

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