From Trash To Treasure

My grandpa lived in this house for 56 years, the last 7 without my grandma to keep him in check. It's safe to say grandpa was a hoarder. He saved EVERYTHING. Not like food wrappers or cat poop, but every slip of paper he ever received, every piece of software he ever bought, and everything that could possibly maybe be useful in the future.

What this means is that we had A LOT of stuff to go through. In fact, we had his house and garage (both packed), plus 2 Public Storage units, and 3 other garages at his rental properties. It took us over 3 months to go through everything, and resulted in 3 huge garage sales and tons of trips to the Haz Mat collection center.

The good part of all of this is that I was able to snag tons of fun things. The same sort of stuff I look for at garage sales, thrift shops, and swap meets - I was able to keep for free! A few of these items are larger pieces of furniture that I am so excited to refinish.

Dining Table

This table was in one of Grandpa's many storage units and we were originally going to sell it at a garage sale. But I saw potential! It's the perfect size (4 feet long) to fit in my dining nook and even though it needs a good cleaning (and a little wood putty to fill a crack), it's in pretty good condition. I originally planned on painting it gray, but then I decided to stain it a pecan color instead, since the wood grain is actually kind of pretty.

Midcentury Side Table

This table was next to my grandparents' couch for my entire life. With a pink lamp on it. I am SO excited about this find. This style is definitely my jam and it will look beautiful next to my couch. I plan on keeping it pretty close to its current color, but definitely cleaning it up.

Midcentury Dresser

 

I never even noticed this beauty tucked away in a bedroom because there was so much stuff around it! But as soon as I saw it, I knew we were soulmates. Look at those lines, those legs! My sister is going to help me decide whether it's lovely the way it is or if it needs to be stained. The finish is in good shape, except on top. I'm also not a huge fan of the frameless mirror, but maybe it will look okay once it's all styled.  

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Can't you just see the potential in all these wooden lovelies? What's the best trash to treasure find you've made?