Tag Archives: black walnut

Creating a Fabulous & Functional Entryway

Decorating, Entryway Update, , , , ,

 

Boring foyer
Boring foyer

Check out my entryway – Boring!

The wood work is beautiful, the door is lovely, but the space needed inspiration!

It needed –
A Mirror – nothing is nicer than to take a quick peek in a mirror before heading out the door – even if what you find scares you!
Hooks – a spot for your guests to hang a jacket where they can easily find it again and it keeps them out of the front closet dumping ground!
Bench – a place to have a seat and slip on your boots on cold and snowy, winter days in Wisconsin!

Mirror
Mirror

Inspiration for me arrived in the form of a mirror.

One day while strolling thru T.J. Maxx I spotted the most lovely mirror!  I strode past it…circled around the store and strode past it again….debating with myself…should I…no, you don’t need it…it’s so cute…no, really, you don’t’ need it.  I left the store without the mirror.

Upon returning home – I took one look at my foyer, grabbed my keys and pointed the car in the direction of T.J. Maxx.

Luckily, the mirror was still there. If you are a T.J. Maxx shopper you know – if you think you want it – grab it or it will be gone by the time you get back!

The stars were aligned for me that day – the mirror was mine! As I was walking to the checkout with my prize – not one, but two ladies commented on the mirror and how they too had been thinking about purchasing it –  sorry ladies – too late!

The mirror is by Sheffield Home.  I tried to find a similar one online, but I was unsuccessful.  You may have better luck!

To finish my foyer I needed to hang my mirror and a super cool set of Three Dot Coat Hooks that I ordered from CB2…love that store!  In an earlier post this week – Applying Varnish to Beautify and Protect Wood, I talk about CB2 and how to varnish the coat hooks since they come unfinished.

I gathered my tools – ok – my husband gathered the tools.  I couldn’t find the level or the stud finder.  Maybe I didn’t look hard enough!  The other tools I needed were a hammer, measuring tape, phillips head screw driver, a couple of nails and a wonderful invention called the  EZ Anchor!  When I discovered these, I never waited for my husband again to hang up a picture – so easy to use!

Tools of the trade
Tools of the trade

The last tool I utilized was a drill, since I was lucky enough to find a stud in the right spot for my mirror!

The first thing to go up was the mirror!
Did you see it – it’s so pretty!  You can tell I love it – can’t ya!

Mirror
Mirror

I started with the mirror because I really wanted to find at least one stud to hang it on.  Then, depending on the location of the mirror, the coat hook locations could be adjusted.

Using my trusty stud finder, I located the spot and hammered in a nail.  I always start with a nail because the stud finder only gives you a general area.  Usually it’s very close, but sometimes your stud may be just to the right or left and you don’t want to drill a bunch of holes in your wall.  My wish is to use the drill once!

After locating the stud, I pulled the nail, drilled the hole and secured a screw for my mirror to hang on.  This mirror came with two hooks.  To make sure the second screw was level with the first  – I used the level!  I located the spot, and this time I used an EZ anchor.  I secured it then screwed my screw into the anchor and hung my mirror!

Voila – it was perfectly level!

Am I good or what?

Now on to hanging those fabulous Dot Coat Hooks!

CB2 Dot Coat Hooks
CB2 Dot Coat Hooks

To help me decide on the placement of the hooks, I cut out three brown paper circles and taped them to the wall in the area I wanted the hooks to be hung.  The paper circles were much easier to move than the real thing.

After that it was easy! I marked my spot, made a hole with my nail, then secured an EZ anchor.  The dots came with their own anchors, but I like these so much I used them instead. Finally, the  coat hooks arrive with screws attached to the back so a simple twist of the coat hook into the anchor was all that was required!I

Beautiful black walnut bench
Beautiful black walnut bench

My final addition to the entryway was a beautiful black walnut bench crafted by my father. Check out the post about the bench!

Finally – somewhere to sit!

The lack of seating was a common complaint from my 83 year old father.   The bench not only remedied that problem, but does it with style!

Foyer
Foyer

Here is my beautiful Foyer where I am excited to greet my guests.

I have combined traditional, modern and distressed styles to create a beautiful space.  You can too!  The key is – Don’t be afraid!  Just try it!   (And get some EZ anchors!)

 

Beautiful Black Walnut Bench

Black Walnut Bench, Decorating, , ,
Beautiful Black Walnut Bench
Beautiful Black Walnut Bench

The black walnut bench, seen in the picture,  was built by my 83 year old father.  He creates beautiful pieces and one of his favorite woods to work with is – you guessed it – black  walnut.  It is beautiful, easy to work with and rarely requires stain.  Varnish is usually all that is required to create the beautiful color you see in the picture.

Black walnut has many shades of brown, some grey and a beautiful grain.  For those of you not familiar with this type of wood, it is beautiful.

Black walnut with matte finish varnish.
Black walnut with matte finish varnish.

Here is a link to a wood working shop that has a funny story about black walnut and why furniture craftsmen dislike paint!  My father is included in that category!  No wood craftsman wants to cover nature’s graceful grains, especially when it is black walnut!

Since my father does not enjoy staining or varnishing, that job usually falls in my court and I am happy to do it.  My home is filled with beautiful furniture that he has built and I have finished.

Because black walnut naturally has a beautiful color,  the only finish usually required it a smooth coat of varnish.  In a previous post – Applying Varnish to Beautify and Protect Wood, I briefly discuss applying varnish to unfinished wood.  The project I wrote about in that post was very simple, but honestly, varnishing this bench was done the same way.  There was just a lot more ground to cover!

Unfinished black walnut bench
Unfinished black walnut bench

The most important aspect of varnishing is to make sure the surface you are about to varnish is smooth – very smooth.   That means sanding everywhere and don’t forget areas like  – under the seat sides,  where you may curl your fingers while relaxing on the bench.  Nobody wants  a splinter!

When I work on a project like this,  I will sand and varnish every inch of the bench except perhaps under the seat where the craftsman’s autograph might be found!

Signature of the woodcrafter!
Signature of the woodcrafter!

The most challenging areas of my bench were around the legs.  Any glue that had oozed out of the joints had to be removed.  I used sand paper, a sanding sponge and even a chisel when necessary.  The varnish will not absorb into the wood if the glue is present and you will see a discoloring in your project.  Bottom line – remove all traces of glue!

As far as the number of coats to apply, refer to your can of varnish.  For a project like this, where the bench is in a high traffic area, I applied three coats to the entire bench and a fourth coat to the seat area.  Between each coat, I lightly sanded any rough areas and thoroughly wiped the surface clean before applying the next coat.

 

Black walnut with and without varnish.
Black walnut with and without varnish.

Check back to my site tomorrow to see where, in my house, the bench and CB2 dot coat hooks were used!  These pieces are beautiful, useful  and oh so fun!