A Fantasy Vanity (Ca.1940)

The Completed Vanity

 Sometimes I am asked to do something out of the ordinary, something that pushes the limits a bit. Something that takes the same amount of concentration and steady hand to produce, but with very different results! This vanity was such a piece, and it was a lot of fun to refinish. 

The piece itself was from a larger bedroom set and was made sometime in the 20th century, I am guessing the 1940's but it could easily be earlier or later. The vanity was a factory made piece and had exquisite veneers. It seemed that almost every surface was covered with a different veneer, which made the piece lend itself to what the owner had in mind, which was to transform it into something out of a fairy tale or fantasy. This was achieved by using a variety of stains, mostly of solid colors like orange, yellow, blue and green. A bold change from the wood tones I usually work with like light walnut and light red mahogany. The result was a fantastic piece that accomplished its goal in every way. My feelings were confirmed the other day when a friend came into my shop, saw this vanity, and said " Wow, that is straight out of Alice in Wonderland!" 

Below are a few shots of the repairs meant mostly to show the piece before it was transformed.

 

 

 

 These next few photos are of the finished piece. the light carving incised into the drawers had a gold leaf paint brushed into them which really set the piece off. This was a fun project and the customer was happy with the results, which made me happy!