In our early decorating days, I spotted three gorgeous sets of vintage leather suitcases at a yard sale and swooned on the spot. After I saw this picture (above) in the new book by the DIY goddesses of Salvage Studio, I wasn’t dreaming of jet-setting with the butter-yellow hatbox and teal steamer trunk; instead I had a vision for my bedroom storage. I loved the texture and shapes that the tower made and the romantic notion of travel it presented. However, in the scheme of small-space solutions, I knew that this Jenga dresser was not the best purchase.
Months had gone by and I thought that I was over my fantasy of suitcase sculpture. Then I saw this armoire by Marten de Ceulaer, a man with a similar vision but a much more modern and practical application. With this design he has taken the logistical nightmare out of stacking and unstacking the luggage and crafted a one-piece unit with similar lines and handles.
It’s debatable which version is more charming, but if you want to find an old sweater at a moment’s notice, de Ceulaer’s takes the cake.
Since we moved into our new home this September, foldable camping chairs have been our main source of seating. Ugly, uncomfortable, and never meant to see the indoors, these canvas eyesores were tolerated because we knew the perfect replacement was out there somewhere. Last weekend we found that somewhere was the 
Designer Celerie Kemble says she discovers her clients true taste when they describe it like a secret: slightly blushing, lip bitten, head down, explaining a look like it’s a crush they can’t have. When I saw these chairs, I acted just like that. I thought, “These are too over-the-top; I cant get these.” And with that thought, we bought them. They are now in our living room (in place of the camping chairs), and I’m giddy every time I look at them.
Flash back to three weeks ago and 
This antique beveled mirror was originally a natural wood color, but we painted it poppy red to match the wallpapered accent wall in our guest bedroom.
We loved this 
Though the original paint job had a palette like a Greenbay Packer, the two-tone legs were really inspiring. We painted the piece plum but left the feet primer-white to match the tin top.
I still have dreams of having a tall chinoiserie china cabinet in my kitchen, but for $100 and a fun weekend project, this is a cute placeholder.
The greatest lesson I learned from Painted Furniture Weekend Part 1 was: NEVER strip furniture. It was the most disgusting, toxic, arduous yet deceptively easy project I’ve ever attempted for my home. The majority of the paint may gum up and peel off nicely, but the other 40% is a battle to get off the wood.
After stripping two sides of this piece, I abandoned ship and just went on to sand the front and top.
After spending the last few weeks doing decorating and renovating grunt work, it was time to get to the fun part: antiquing. I have always heard 
We spent the day walking up and down the main drag of Montgomery and Market Streets, stopping by 
I almost bought these sweet early 19th century French side chairs at the Beekman Antiques Market but since they were wobbly and a bit expensive, I passed (though I am having serious regrets).
We drove down Route 9 towards Red Hook and hit 
The only disappointment of the weekend was that we were one weekend too early October 11-12 is the true