A week ago Monday evening Mr. Q and I were chilling out watching Jaws. Did you know that Jaws was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry? They deemed it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Some people consider it one of the greatest movies of all time.
I think it’s the whole ‘summer at the beach’ vibe of the movie that really appeals to me. It’s certainly not the incredibly hokey looking shark.
The beach scene with Chief Brody looking tense as he scans the water for shark fins while everyone else is laughing, playing and simply enjoying the day is one of my favorites. I bet we can all relate to feeling like the one person who is responsible, who can’t just sit back and have fun but has to make sure that everyone else is safe. Or is it just me?
Or maybe it’s just simply all of the 70’s details that really speak to me. The can of Tab that someone is drinking, the floppy hats, all of those people totally unconcerned about skin cancer and the sound of Olivia Newton John singing “I Honestly Love You” on the radio in the background. Ahhhh, those were the days.
Whatever it is, Mr. Q and I tend to watch Jaws every summer. That fact really has very little to do with today’s blog post except that while we were watching the movie I got an email from one of my readers, Monique, who was offering me a free bed frame and mirror. Not only were they free, but she was willing to swing by with them if I wasn’t busy.
I figured watching Jaws didn’t really constitute being busy, so I said sure!
Monique and her husband pulled in the driveway right as Richard Dreyfus was being lowered into the sea in the shark cage. So we hit the pause button and went out to see what I was getting myself into.
Fortunately it was nothing nearly as scary as shark infested waters.
In fact, I was a little speechless as Monique started hauling this amazing bed out of her vehicle.
Granted, at that point in time the headboard was actually in two pieces. The top half had come unglued from the bottom half. But I knew my handyman Ken would make quick work of using fresh glue and dowel pins to put them back together again. As it turned out, he was so quick about it that it was already done before I could get around to the ‘before’ picture. So technically this isn’t a true ‘before’ photo, it’s more of an ‘in between’ shot, post-repairs.
I’m guessing that there are a few of you who are looking at that photo and thinking ‘oh no, she’s not going to paint that bed!’ Yes, it had beautiful veneer. Yes, I think it’s probably burled walnut. But the finish was not in good shape and there are a few bits of trim here and there that are missing. This bed could have been stripped and refinished, but that would have been a fair amount of work due to all of the carved detail.
Plus, the reality is that this bed will most likely sell much more quickly painted than it would refinished (I hope, fingers crossed). Dark reddish stained pieces are just not popular right now.
Bottom line, I paint furniture, so this one got painted. It’s not life and death, there aren’t any giant man-eating sharks involved, it’s just paint. Down the road when painted furniture is back out, and stained furniture is back in, someone can strip this bed and it will still be gorgeous.
But in the meantime, I’ve painted the bed black using two coats of Dixie Belle’s Caviar.
Once the paint was dry, I sanded to distress the details and then finished it with Fusion’s Black Wax. I have to tell you guys, Fusion wax is my favorite. I think it’s the creamiest and easiest to apply of all the waxes I’ve tried. I apply the wax with a brush, remove the excess with a cloth (or in this case, an old pair of black yoga pants cut into rags) and then wait an hour or two and buff slightly to bring out just a little sheen. I use a cut up flannel shirt for the buffing.
The carved details on this bed are simply beautiful.
I think a distressed paint job helps make those details more noticeable.
I threw in a few vintage suitcases along with Collette, the dress form, for the photos.
Collette is wearing some lovely vintage jewelry for the occasion.
By the way, the bed does include side rails and slats. It didn’t come with slats, but I happened to have some on hand and nnK cut them to size for me.
Personally I love the look of a black bed against a white wall … in my case preferably a white ship lap wall like in my own bedroom.
Check out my pinterest board devoted to ‘a pop of black‘ for more inspiration on using black pieces in your home.
For those of you who are local, this bed is for sale. Be sure to check my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details!
q is for quandie 
Wow, the bed is gorgeous!! You did an excellent job! Whoever buy this will definitely be getting a statement piece of furniture.
LikeLike
Thanks V! It is a beautiful bed 🙂
LikeLike
If people have an issue with painting the wood, you just mention that your preserving the wood from the elements and time until it comes back in style. 😉
LikeLike
I love that! Yep, I’m protecting it 😉
LikeLike
This is beautiful. Nice to see Collette. She is looking good!
LikeLike
Thanks Maureen! I need to figure out how to tighten up Collette’s mid-section (I know how she feels). Her lower half is sagging a bit.
LikeLike
It looks better painted. The detail really stands out. Beautiful job as always . Let’s face it, most of us could not repair this bed and it would have gone to the dump or repurposed to something else.
LikeLike
Very true! The gal who gave it to me had offered it to family first (it belonged to her mother) and no one wanted it. As beautiful as that veneer is, it’s just not in style right now.
LikeLike
How much and what size is it?
Wendy Gimpel Keller Williams Realty 651-214-7796 wendygimpel.com
Sent from my iPhone
>
LikeLike
Hi Wendy! The bed is already spoken for. But if you’re ever looking for those details just click on the link (or select from the menu) for my ‘available for local sale’ page. I always put those details there.
LikeLike
Wow that is stunning!! What a statement in someones’ bedroom. Collette is the perfect compliment to the shoot.
LikeLike
Thanks Laura! Collette does work perfectly with the black bed 🙂
LikeLike
Well Black is back! I love that bed. And obviously someone else did cause it sold already. Great job bringing it into the latest century and updating it to make sure it gets used. And as for Jaws, I fell in love with Richard Dreyfus in that movie. And Quint (Robert Shaw). So many quotable moments. Stephen Spielberg is a genius.
LikeLike
I was just telling my co-worker that I clearly need to paint more things black!
LikeLike
Simply gorgeous but even more so painted black!!!!!! You are making me think I need to move to Minneapolis so I can take advantage of your beautiful furniture.
LikeLike
Minneapolis is a fabulous place to live for so many reasons, great neighborhood garage sales, amazing parks, lots of lakes, plus you could buy my furniture! True, it gets a little cold in the winter, but who cares 😉
LikeLike
Stunning.Absolutely gorgeous! I have not tried Fusion wax. I will try it. I find the Annie Sloan black wax is difficult to use. It streaks and doesn’t blend well, even when I used clear wax first. Can I use the Fusion wax over the Annie Sloan black wax? I have a dresser that I did about a year ago. With a streaky finish. I was going to use mineral spirits and rewax it or can I just go over it with Fusion?
LikeLike
If it were me, I’d just add the Fusion black wax right over it. Although I must insert the disclaimer here that I don’t know if that will solve your streaky-ness problem. Is it still streaky a year later? There shouldn’t be any issue at all about the fact that you’re putting one brand over another, especially one year later. If you want to err on the side of caution though you could try a quick test on just one section of the piece and see how it looks. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the Fusion wax. It has only the most mild waxy scent and it’s so creamy and smooth. It also doesn’t contain those nasty aromatic hydrocarbons that some waxes do.
LikeLike
I am going to try it. I will let you know how it turns out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lucky, lucky individual that snapped this beauty up. I’m simply drooling. You know I love black pieces.
That caviar is so rich looking. I already see that with layers of white frothy linens.
LikeLike
Wouldn’t that be gorgeous! Preferably those crumpled real linen linens.
LikeLike
This is absolutely gorgeous! I always love how rich Caviar looks!
LikeLike
That’s what I love about Caviar too. It is such a deep, rich black, even before the topcoat goes on.
LikeLike
I’m in awe of the new life you’ve given this bed! I’m Monique’s sister ~ growing up in North Minneapolis, I spent many thunderstorm nights hunkered down in that bed with our parents. It’s so good to know the bed will be appreciated and loved for more generations.
LikeLike
Hi Monica! I’m going to have to be sure to share that story with the bed’s new owner. Nikkii has a flock of kiddoes and I bet there will be plenty of them piling into this bed during thunderstorms 🙂
LikeLike
Love this! A fresh look that brings out all those details. I think it totally lightens up this bed so it’s not so heavy in a room. I’m with you. Black and white is gorgeous!
LikeLike
Gotta love the simplicity of black and white!
LikeLike
Speaking of Jaws, the transformation is jaw-dropping! When we exhausted all possibilities to keep it in the family, I hoped that you and Ken would be willing to work your magic on it. Thank you for giving it the refresh it deserved. And I feel like a bit of a local celebrity since my name was mentioned in one of your blog posts! I can cross that off my bucket list. Was a joy chatting with you and meeting Mr. Q!
LikeLike
Just watch, people are going to start asking you for your autograph 😉
LikeLike
Gorgeous detail on this piece. I think black is just always classy. Great job. As for Jaws, well, yes I saw it in the movie theatre when it came out, so I think that makes me like 105 years old. that shark scared me to death. Years later when I watched it on TV, I thought, really, that fake rubber looking thing was scary. Just goes to show how far special effects have come.
LikeLike
Special effects have definitely come a long way!
LikeLike