Queen Patina Furniture Co.

02/04/2020

So, a question (again!) for folks, because I'm genuinely curious. When you purchase a piece of vintage furniture that's been redone / restored / updated / etc., what do YOU as the purchaser expect from that piece? That is to say, do you expect the item to be absolutely flawless in the finish?
For myself, when I restore a piece at very minimum, the drawers pull smoothly, the veneer is removed, filled, or fixed, if possible. But in terms of the final finish--what do you expect? Perfectly smooth? Something that looks brand new? Or it acceptable or even preferable that the piece show it's age, albeit in a graceful way?
Inquiring minds want to know! ;) Also: flowers in the sunshine, because it's in the teens this February day. ;)

01/14/2020

UPDATE // THANK YOU for weighing in on naming her; yes, it's a she. ;) I have two worthy candidates in mind (see the comments for options), but plan to wait to formally name her, until she's done. One never knows with furniture - it often has a mind of it's own!
So, all ya'll were tremendously helpful in helping me develop a plan for the buffet (pictured below and in a previous post); I'm NOT going to paint it, or least not much, and so it's going cost upwards of a million dollars when it's done (hey, I warned you! ;) ). But more importantly, what should I NAME this thing?? I'm at an utter loss. Help!
Otherwise, it'll end up being dubbed "THE BUFFET" and I think it deserves better, don't you?

01/08/2020

Joe comes from a storied family, one known for their remarkable good looks, solid work ethic, and their flair for the dramatic: i.e., the Kroehler family.
It'd be easy to take one look at Joe K, the perfectly smooth enamel finish in "Conservative Gray," the original, shiny brass hardware, and dismiss him as only pretty. But Joe is more than just a pretty face {and how often is an item STUNNING + ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND + USEFUL?} He's also good at what he does. Never one to boast - the Queen will do it for him! - Joe has dovetailed drawers, classic, understated lines, and plenty of storage.
Joe is ready to dress up a sad corner in your home, hold your stuff . . . all without a scornful, judge-y look. In fact, he's such a great guy {er, . . .dresser} he'll likely wink at you on your way out the door in the morning.

Dimensions :: 35 1/2 W x 40 H x 17 1/2 D

Investment :: $325
PS // Joe is Vikings fan; always has been, always will be. Don't pity him and don't try to change his mind. SKOL! 🤩

PPS // Joe K is an upright dresser, not a man, unfortunately. Just to clarify.

01/06/2020

Hear ye, hear ye! The Queen requires - otherwise off with their heads - her subjects' input!

Right. That might have been a touch heavy-handed (!), but I have an incredible buffet in the project queue, sourced for me by an amazing friend, but I need help making some decisions in completing the restoration. Might I humbly request your input? :)
THE CONTEXT
Everything is SOLID. Everything opens and closes, easily and well.
The finish needs to be restored and in some places, completely stripped and refinished.
There is no veneer damage (a minor miracle!)
THE CURRENT PLAN
Strip and refinish the top (it's badly damaged), using a dark color, similar to the original color.
Strip the legs and leave them bare (unfinished) so there's two complementary wood tones present in the final finish.
Selectively paint portions of the piece, in a style similar to the other buffet (see additional photos), in a dark spruce green or a navy.
Polish the brass hardware.
OR strip and refinish the entire piece. . .and charge a million dollars, ha! :)
THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION
To paint or not paint?
And if paint, what color do you suggest?

Please, please help the haughty Queen!

01/05/2020

Meet Meredith. A native Duluthian, she's raised several children, watching them change from tiny tots to fine young women. She's also housed many an item: unmentionables, diaries, forbidden rouge, and even the occasional love note.

Nearly six months ago, Meredith thought she'd arrived at the end of the line. Age, as it often does, had loosened her joints, stiffened her drawers. Though not the end of life she'd hope for, Meredith had made peace with the landfill, and had little hope that someone could see past her defects, both cosmetic and structural, to see that she still could be useful . . . and pretty.

Fortunately for her, Queen Patina took one look at her and with much rearranging of her vehicle (because, duh, the queen's car is ALWAYS full of junk!) took her home.

All structural and cosmetic defects now a thing of the past, Meredith wears several sprayed enamel coats of "Abalone Shell" and vintage wallpaper on her drawer fronts. A relic of the Roaring Twenties herself, she's ready for the 20s again, and ready to house items galore, both the secret and the not so secret.

Have a little lady in need of a dresser? Well, Meredith needs a little lady. :)

Dimensions :: 36'' W x 20" D x 45 3/4 " H
Investment :: $297

PS // This story is fictional; any resemblance to actual fact is entirely coincidental, ha!

PPS // Storytelling idea borrowed from my friend Carli of Pretty Great. I asked and she said I could - she's pretty great like that!

12/23/2019

It's almost Christmas Eve, which means it's time for a furniture sneak peek! Wait, what? It's the holiday season, not furniture season??
Welp, around here it's always furniture season and I took advantage of our recent warm weekend to put the finishing touches on few pieces, including this Kroehler upright dresser. If I "needed" it, the piece would stay in my house, but alas, there's no such need.
All jesting aside: Merry Christmas to all ya'll! And here's hoping you've managed to complete all that pesky Christmas shopping. . . I finished today!😆

12/05/2019

FAVORITE FURNITURE HACKS
I was wandering around the house, looking for my chisel, so as to sculpt the Bondo on a current MCM project. It wasn't readily findable, so I asked Farm Boy [FB] if I could use his fancy pants chisel. The conversation went a little like so...

FB: EGADS! Woman, that chisel is for FINE mortise work! Not for scraping Bondo off a drawer.

QP: Really? Oh...
FB: Where's your chisel?
QP: Um, I know it's around, but I'm not sure where exactly it is...
FB: You mean you've been using it as a screwdriver again??
Seriously, ONE time I did this, and the man hasn't let me live it down! I mean, yes, I did use the flat edge of a fine chisel to screw in some drawer hardware, and yes, I did mangle the edge {just a titch!}, but darling, on the internet, we call that a USEFUL HACK.
Other favorite useful hacks : using a kitchen spoon to open a can of paint, stain, or any other sort of can. Also, a slim butter knife - if you can't lay your hands on either a screwdriver or a chisel - works to screw in drawer hardware too.
In the end, I found my apparently sub-par chisel, and shaved off the excess Bondo, no thanks to Farm Boy. Ha!
My question for you: Can I {mis} appropriate the Farm Boy's tools and kitchen implements for the Queen's work? I know what I think...
PS: No photo for attention. :)

12/01/2019

All furniture in this album is available for purchase and customization, unless marked SOLD and PENDING. Details include dimensions and price.

01/09/2018

Hey friends!

This piece is a classic upright MCM dresser. Professionally sprayed in Benjamin Moore Advance semi-gloss—a paint that wears like a oil-based enamel—in “Glacial White” and with a grey-stained accent drawer, the dresser is both solid and carefully finished. As equally functional as it is classically updated, all drawers slide smoothly and easily. Brass legs round out the high-end finish.

And I daresay, it’s a piece that will seamlessly integrate with existing decor and won’t leave you questioning your furniture purchases 10 years down the road (!). It's equally at home in a child’s bedroom, in a bathroom for storage, in a hall, or in a master bedroom.

It's for sale, too! If you're interested, please DM me. :)

11/11/2017

Something I wrote a month or so ago, re-read and liked (I don't always like what I write!), and so though I'd share. Enjoy! And come to the Bayfield County Fair next year!

Remembering in both word and image the local event: the county fair.

08/15/2017

We recently attended our local county fair and I wanted to write about how great it is. How unique it is. How fun it is. But when I sat down to write that story, I couldn’t. I tried, and several times at that, but couldn’t find the entry point.

Instead, I wrote this:

http://www.queenpatina.com/horse-project/

And yessiree, that's me and Tatter Magoo, circa the 1990s.