Hardware....The Jewellery of Furniture

As you may know by now from reading the blog, I like things old...and beaten up...and recycled....and preferably at a good price.   I love fixing up old things, or cutting up old things and making them into new, funtional pieces of furniture or accessories.  When I am fixing up a piece I usually try to maintain the character of it, or if I am building a new piece from old materials I like to add old hardware.

Hardware is something that I have a passion for.  I love metal, especially if it is old and rusty, and think it is a great way to change the look of a piece.  It is the "jewellery" of furniture and can add so much for a relatively low cost.  You can change the feel and look of something just by changing the hardware.  Adding new and modern hardware is a great way to streamline an older piece.  Using older hardware can add so much character to a newer piece of furniture.

Restoration Hardware is one of my favourite go-to places for style and ideas.
www.restorationhardware.com

This company started in California in 1980 when the founder Stephen Gordon was having a tough time finding hardware while restoring his own home.  The first shop was run out of his house!

With so many people renovating older homes and trying to keep the integrity of the home alive it is no wonder the company has done so well.

So in my travels I always try to pick up pieces of interesting hardware for projects.  While in Port Perry at an Antique shop, I asked if he had any hardware and he said no but told me I had to go see Ed in Stouffville.  He showed me his ad with the phone number and email address and I thanked him.

I sent an email to Ed saying I would love to come check out what he has for sale.  He called me right back and described it as a small business that came out of a hobby.  He said he was sure I would find something to suit.  What an understatement!!

When I first approached the house and shop buildings, I was really excited.  It was just my kind of place.  The "Shop" was in a barn painted red with tons of stuff lying around outside.

I walked inside and nearly fell over.....the place was filled with hardware of all shapes, sizes, designs and styles. 

 This is just a small sampling of what Ed had in that barn!!

I finally met Ed and he was warm, friendly and knew his stuff.  He had been collecting for years.  He had been a cabinet maker and restorer so he had started out by trying to source hardware for his own furniture.  It obviously was an ambitious hobby because it now filled over 6 rooms with his goods.  I saw some rough wood and tin ceiling and asked him if he had any more.  He told me he had lots in the basement.  So down we went and again, my mouth dropped open.  Every corner was filled with old wood, tin, more hardware and some antiques mixed in.  Doors, windows, you name it he had it.

He showed me to the tin ceiling and I fell in love...he had several long pieces which are more rare (the typical is 2 foot x 2 foot squares.....he had a piece that was 2 feet by almost 6 feet) and so after much moving of stuff and heaving of piles I had my tin.

It has lots of peeling paint which reveals a greenish paint beneath, and then beneath that rusted tin...it is really rustic and is the perfect size and shape for our main floor powder room ceiling.  More on how that turns out when it's done.

I also ended up getting some wood corbels - corbels are used as supports or decoration.  These I am going to use in making a shelf for either my friend or to sell.

I also got some half-moon pulls to use on my chalkboards/corkboards.  I am going to mount them upside down to hold the chalk and push pins - a great way to re-purpose old hardware.  And I picked up 2 old rustic hinges to use on a mailbox I am making out of barn board. 

This was definitely a trip worth taking.  I could have spent hours there looking for treasures.  Ed was so accommodating and told me if I have any projects in mind to just call him or email him and he will look for pieces for me.  It was a pleasure to meet him and I have a feeling he is going to be my new BFF.  If you live in the GTA and need hardware or any old salvaged materials you need to pay him a visit.  He is open by appointment only, but is so welcoming and can almost always accommodate you.   Just call ahead or email him.

One thing I must note....the shop isn't heated and with winter coming you definitely need to dress warmly because you will certainly be there a while with all the treasures he has.

I am going to have lots to post with all these new materials!  Thanks Ed!

From "Saw" to "Sew"

This summer I bought myself a little something special....a new table saw.

  Some women buy shoes, I buy tools....it's a bad habit.  Once I bought the new saw I realized I would need to clear space in my already crowded workshop for it.  I had my father's old table saw with wooden base.  It still worked but wasn't reliable and was as old as I am so it was time to get rid of it.  We unhooked the saw from the base (it was hardwired onto it) and set it out at the curb...it was gone in a couple of hours.  I was going to get rid of the wooden base too, since I couldn't think of how to reuse it, but couldn't quite bring myself to part with it.

It was in rough shape but had great storage and also some sentimental attachment since it was at this very table I started to make many projects when I was in high school (did I mention I didn't have much of a social life??).

I realized I could use it in my office/sewing workroom and it would be perfect there.  All I needed was some wood for the top.  As I was coming back home after my morning run in the rain, I spied some wood leaning against a tree on a neighbour's yard.  There, in the middle of the pile, was a slab of solid pine...honestly I have the best luck sometimes!  I knocked on the door just to make sure it was up for grabs and the owner gladly told me to take it, as well as some other pieces of wood too....I also scored a great office chair she was only too happy to be rid of.

What a score!!

 

I took the slab of wood home and set it on top of the wooden saw base.  It fit perfectly!!  I decided to paint it a nice blue grey colour to go with the top.  I really didn't need to do much other than clean it up, add a new face to the large center drawer and attach the new top.

Since the old table saw had been hardwired to the base, I had the old switch and plate.  I loved how it looked and decided to add it to the center drawer as an accent and an homage to the history of the piece.

I love it, and it stores all my sewing equipment perfectly!

Another successful curbside shopping experience.