The Painted Hive

DINING TABLE
I found this vintage Kauri farmhouse table on eBay. Unfortunately, someone had roughly lacquered it so to get the natural rustic finish I was after it needed a strip and light sand back. Luckily, the character of the timber remained and to retain its integrity I just sealed it with beeswax. The drawer handle and porcelain castors are original.
$80

DINING CHAIRS AND PADS
I had always loved the styling of these IKEA chairs and after seriously considering buying them brand new I eventually found a used set for sale on eBay for a quarter of the price. When I went to collect them, the seller mentioned she also had the matching chair pads (which had never been used!) and I could take them too if I liked – need she really ask? YES, please!

SIDEBOARD
It took me a while to find this piece. Once I brought it home and put it in place I wasn’t quite convinced though. Its subtle deco lines seemed a little too masculine. I played with the adorning vignette until I found the balance I was after and now I absolutely love it! I found it on eBay (surprise, surprise) and chose to retain its original patina with all the character bumps and bruises.
$50

SINGLE CHAIR
Although our table’s a standard four seater, you can always squish a few more in so I like to have some chairs nearby. This vintage blackwood chair is one of my great grandma’s old kitchen chairs.
$0

MIRROR
I bought the massive mirror as is from a local country market. I got $10 off just for asking!
$40

WINDOW TREATMENT
The roman blinds are the same as those in our living room. They weren’t particularly cheap though we needed blockouts (for light filtering and weather reasons) and I certainly wasn’t going to make them! I had seen these ones at a homeware store and knew they’d be just right so waited until they went on sale. The day I chose to buy them there was also a storewide 20% off everything including sale items so I ended up saving quite a bit.
$180

DÉCOR
Vintage Fan – An eBay find – $25
File Drawer – Found at a local antique store – $30
Obelisk – Birthday gift from Mum – $0
White Jugs – Found at local charity stores. The large jug was bought as is though I spray painted the smaller one white – $8 (for both)
Little Box – I’ve had it since forever and it’s been reincarnated a few times. Originally a gift from Mum – $0
Terracotta – I found all three pots when I shopped the backyard. I already had the spanish moss, the twine is from the local hardware store and there are tonnes of pinecones waiting to be collected from the reserve behind my house – $2
Breadboard – A recent purchase from Kmart – $8
Wire Lanterns – I LURVE these. Found them recently at a local homewares store and bought the twine from a hardware shop – $35
White Urn and Hydrangeas – I’ve got a vast collection of white ceramic ware. This urn is from a local thrift store and the faux hydrangeas were bought from a furniture shop – $20
Gallery Wall – Some frames were gifts, others are from thrift and dollar stores. All the pics are black and white family shots. The baby is me! – $15