When I need a mindless websurfing target, Craigslist is a favorite. I like to pretend that I have an enormous climate-controlled workshop, an endless supply of cash, and an insanely popular brick-and-mortar shop, and I consider the transformations I would perform on the listings under the Furniture For Sale section. Make no mistake – some of the listings make me daydream about a large bucket to heave into. But some of them are real gems, real cheap!
Before we go any further, though, I have a warrant to serve from the Grammar Police. The following seem to be frequent infractions on Craigslist, so I want to warn any of my fellow officers to gird your loins before you go a-surfing.
It’s WROUGHT iron, people! Not ROD iron, or worse, ROT iron!
They’re called DRAWERS, not DRAWS!
The other side of that coin: it’s a chest OF drawers, not a CHESTER DRAWERS!
I could go on for pages, but I’ll spare you any further tirade. It’s my personal burden to bear . . . .
On to the furniture! Here are a few examples from the Las Vegas craigslist website and what I dream of doing to them (that sounds naughty!):
This headboard is just begging for some paint. I think you’ll find that’s a common thread in all my Craigslist daydreams. Seriously, though, can’t you imagine glossy white paint on this? Or a gorgeous turquoise (I don’t care if it is played out)? Lime green, hot pink, glossy black – any of these would be gorgeous on these curves. Not all at the same time, though; we’re going for hip and cool, not insomnia-inducing.
This set would also receive some latex loving. I think it would be great in a deep gray, with a bright, funky fabric on the chair. I would try painting or Rub-and-Buffing the current drawer handles silver. Sigh…I’m imagining penning a note to Mr. Darcy at this little number.
Oops, I went a little Pride and Prejudice on ya for a second! 🙂
I’m not usually a fan of brass-type beds, but this one has just enough spunk for me. I would (of course) paint it, but first I would find a funky-cool quilt that would go on it and choose one of the colors in the quilt to use on it. Something Garnet Hill-ish or Anthropologie would do nicely. Like a quilt with aqua, orange, hot pink, and lime green, and paint this headboard glossy orange. Yes!
This chair is just unusual enough to have me intrigued. First I would do a little research on it to see if I could live with myself after painting it. If it’s a rare or significant piece, I would probably leave it as is and just put it up for sale in my (imaginary) resale shop. However, if it’s a post-acid trip creation from 1973, I would paint it glossy white or aqua with a bright fabric on the seat; I’m sure Amy Butler has a design that would work well! Are you sensing a theme? “Paint, apply bright fabric, rinse, repeat.”
The detail on this headboard would look AWESOME with a cool paint job. Maybe bright yellow…? I know a lot of people use distressing and/or wax or glazes to highlight details like this, and I think that looks good if done sparingly. I have yet to try it myself, but if I had that workshop, who knows what techniques I’d try!
The beauty of this chair is that it looks to be in great shape and would also be a cinch to upholster. A cinch, I tell you! Plus, this style of chair would fit in almost any but the most modern of rooms. Even without any tweaking it could play a respectable supporting role in an eclectic living room or bedroom, but I’ve got this giant workshop and nothing but cash and time on my hands, right? A girl can dream….
See previous brass/wrought iron bed. Oooo, how about painting it a bright coral color?
Okay, up until now, the items I’ve shown were below $100 each, which makes them steals in my book. The next photo is kind of a red herring because it’s not only way out of that price range at $400, it’s also not something I would come NEAR with a paintbrush! Feast your eyes on this baby:
Do you hear angels singing? I sure do. Heavy heavy SIGH. Gorgeous.
Well, I hope you don’t think I cheated by not actually (re)DOING anything for today’s blog post, but I just wanted to share my Craigslist lust (Craigslust?) with you guys! These pictures all came from posts on Las Vegas Craigslist, and I’ll be glad to forward the links to anyone interested. If you buy the yellow chair, can I come over and soak in its aura?
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
