How did I end up with this really cool Dorothy Draper nightstand? By waking up early and going treasure hunting! Early bird gets the worm! ...and just being really lucky.
(please ignore the mattress without a bed, my room is under construction)
I absolutely love a good find. You know that feeling when you have scored something so wonderful for such an amazing price? Well that feeling gets even better when you have to hunt for that special item. I really really enjoy going to garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, in some cases others peoples garbage on the curb... If there's old stuff or quirky stuff that other people want to get rid of, I am there digging through it. You never know what you might find. Half the items in my house I purchased at normal stores, but the other half are treasures that I had to work for and was lucky enough to find.
A while back I was at an estate sale with my mom and she was on the hunt for a piece of furniture to store her drawing supplies in. Everything in the house was pretty cool but very pricey so I was on my way back to the car in a hurry, but on the way out I walked past the casita which had a few items in it and no people. I decided to take a little peek and noticed nothing was priced and that most people saw nothing was priced and turned right around and headed into the house. I lingered longer than most and waited for my mom to join me because there were two pieces that I liked and thought she could use. One was an old shabby chic butler's desk that needed some work and the other was this interesting nightstand. I say it was interesting because it was made very well and I loved the hardware and the slate top, but it was the ugliest color ever. Then when you opened it the inside was a hideous bright orange, but this was nothing a little paint couldn't fix and the design was great. My mom and I were both thinking they would want a lot for both pieces, considering what they were charging for the other items inside the house, but it was free to ask so we did. We brought the lady running the sale out to the casita and showed her the items and asked for a quote. She said the family wanted a decent amount for the butler's desk but agreed that it needed work and brought the price down for us and the night stand was so cheap she was practically giving it away. So I told my mom to buy both and see which she liked best and I would buy the other piece from her.
So of course she chose the butler's desk. It was gorgeous and perfect for all her drawing supplies. I took the nightstand and it worked out wonderfully because I needed one for the other side of my bed. I decided to paint it with Annie Sloan Versailles to match my chair in my bedroom.
Now I am the kind of girl that jumps both feet first into a project, I grab a brush or hammer and go. Sooo...I'm painting away getting rid of the ugly beige and orange and I come across a stamp on the inside of one of the doors...Heritage. Interested in this stamp I took a break and googled it. At first I found nothing, after about an hour of searching I found it! My exact nightstand and it was by Dorothy Draper! The more I read and researched the more I realized I had the real deal and I was painting it...When I showed my husband a couple for sale online he almost died. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.... Oh well, I had no intentions of selling it and it looks great in my bedroom and that's all that matters.
This past weekend it was gorgeous out and I hit a few estate sales with my friend and here is what I scored:
I love old books! and the suit cases came from a garage sale a couple years back...
Sewing machine drawers, there are so many possibilities for these..
Soon I am going to be selling some of my treasures...where? No idea yet I am still working that out, but in order for me to keep up this treasure hunting habit and to keep my house from looking like I am a hoarder, I will have to be selling some of these items....I will keep you guys posted.
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