Finally....Some Pictures of the Martha Room!

Finally, some before and after pictures of the furniture I have been busy working on lately!

I found this desk at one of my favorite thrift stores one Saturday afternoon. When I first saw it I wasn't even sure it was for sale...sometimes thrift stores have "for display only" items and since this desk was the display area for several piles of magazines, I thought this might be the case. But, after pushing the magazines aside much to my delight I found a tag for it. It was marked for $89.99, which is actually a pretty fair price considering the desk was in great condition, a good size (5ft x 3 ft) and made of solid wood. But, I love a great deal and as soon as I noticed the tag said it was originally put out on the floor last September, I went to get the manager. I explained to her that I was interested in the desk and noticed on the tag that it had been there a long time. I asked her if she could do any better on the price and she said, I can get you 50% off!!! Right then and there I told her to ring me up!! So, this desk was purchased for the bargain price of $45! Moral of the story...if you see something you like at a thrift store, check the tag to see what date it was put out on the floor. Most stores will take 25%-50% off of items that have been in their store for more than 15-30 days.

Like all of the items I worked on for the Martha Room, I primed, painted and distressed this piece.

This desk chair was also purchased at the same thrift store as the desk above. It wasn't exactly what I originally had in mind but I really like the fun detailing down the back of the chair so I scooped it up for a mere $15!!

I found this patterned fabric for next to nothing ($3.50 per yard) at a local fabric store and recovered the seat. I also found a solid color turquoise silk fabric that matched in the remnant section for another $3.00. I got it as well, thinking I could use it for a throw pillow to put on this chair that I plan to get in white at Ikea while we are in Dallas for a wedding next month!

Next up is a set of three nesting tables that I found on Craigslist for $30. Like the other furniture, I primed, painted and distressed these to make them fit in with the rest of the room.

This dresser is another one of my thrift store finds! It was by far the most beat up piece I purchased for this project and required a lot more prep work than the other items, but at $29 it was also the most inexpensive piece I purchased (with the exception of the desk chair)!

Last but not least, here is another one of my thrift store finds that helped inspire the color pallet for the room. I purchased this original painting for $35. When I found this piece, I only had the frame in mind. I was looking for a large frame to encase a corkboard and this one was perfect! But, after getting the piece home I decided that I actually really liked the calming costal colors of the seascape in this painting and thought I would go with those colors throughout the room. So, I guess you could say this painting was sort-of my inspiration for the entire space!

The frame (which was gold to begin with) recieved a dose of white paint and some light distressing before being hung on a feature wall in the room.

That is all I have done in this room for now. It is making progress, but it is still a long way from being done. I have a couple more pieces of furniture to throw in the mix and a lot more accessorizing to do before this room will truly be Martha worthy! ;)

In fact, this weekend I am hoping to get a few more projects in this room checked off my list. They include:

1. Hanging a new weathered nickel curtian rod and white sailcloth curtians.

2. Removing the existing ceiling fan (which is currently oak and gold...Eeek), painting it all white, purchasing new glass shades, and reinstalling it.

3. Painting frames and decorative pieces to hang on the walls.

Happy Friday everyone!

Look for more updates and photos of my progress on this room next week. :)