Slap the word Farmhouse on any piece of furniture and

[DawnM]

you can charge 5 times the price!

My son and I are going to paint a kitchen table and chairs set.  The table will be a whitewash gray and the chairs will be painted solid black.  We spent quite a bit of time looking for a set for our new kitchen and the already painted set said Farmhouse on it and they were asking $500.  But we found a FREE set, almost identical, in wood.  We are going to try.  I figure for free, we are only out supplies if it doesn't work.

But over and over again, almost the same set would say Farmhouse and be painted and it would be hundred more than the unpainted sets.  

My son suggested we do this as a side gig if we can learn to do it well.  I told him we need to finish furnishing our own house first, but maybe.

[fairfarmhand]

The farmhouse stuff is crazy. Particularly because I wager that most of the furniture ends up in tract homes and subdivisions. 

Real farmhouses are seldom so cutesy. 

 

[DawnM]

18 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

The farmhouse stuff is crazy. Particularly because I wager that most of the furniture ends up in tract homes and subdivisions. 

Real farmhouses are seldom so cutesy. 

 

 

It is very trendy.  And yeah, those aren't in real farmhouses. 

[StaceyinLA]

My daughter built a couple table/bench sets, and painted them very “farmhouse-y.” She had people begging her to make them. She was selling them for $600 a set, which I still didn’t think was worth her time/effort, but she sold several. She definitely has a knack for redoing stuff.

[DawnM]

2 minutes ago, StaceyinLA said:

My daughter built a couple table/bench sets, and painted them very “farmhouse-y.” She had people begging her to make them. She was selling them for $600 a set, which I still didn’t think was worth her time/effort, but she sold several. She definitely has a knack for redoing stuff.

 

She built them and painted them?  Yeah, that is a lot of work/effort.

[DawnM]

Well, phooey, I think that lady is giving the table and chairs to someone else.  She told me they were mine and now won't respond to me about time/address and just updated her listing to "lots of people interested, I will delete this posting when picked up."   

ARGH!  People on these sales sites make me nuts.  

[StaceyinLA]

34 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

She built them and painted them?  Yeah, that is a lot of work/effort.

 

Yeah she did, and they were awesome! She did a set for her own house as well.

[hjffkj]

29 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Well, phooey, I think that lady is giving the table and chairs to someone else.  She told me they were mine and now won't respond to me about time/address and just updated her listing to "lots of people interested, I will delete this posting when picked up."   

ARGH!  People on these sales sites make me nuts.  

I hate when that happens

[DawnM]

49 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

I hate when that happens

 

Ok, maybe I am wrong.  She just sent me her address and phone number and confirmed that 1:30pm was ok.  So, wish me luck.

[Heathermomster]

https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/beginner-farm-table-2-tools-50-lumber

Sorry.  Posted and then saw that you will be picking up.

Edited July 3, 2019 by Heathermomster

[Catwoman]

I’m glad she responded and that you can go get the table and chairs!

And obviously, forum rules require that you post before and after photos. 😉

[DawnM]

Just now, Catwoman said:

I’m glad she responded and that you can go get the table and chairs!

And obviously, forum rules require that you post before and after photos. 😉

I will see......right now I am not confident in my painting skills.  Thought maybe I should start with a side table and then tackle the kitchen table.  I am not asking DH for help, he is a great TRADITIONAL painter but he thinks all the extra effort to make it look old is stupid. 🙄

[DawnM]

9 minutes ago, Heathermomster said:

https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/beginner-farm-table-2-tools-50-lumber

Sorry.  Posted and then saw that you will be picking up.

 

Yeah, don't have time for that right now, but maybe at sometime down the road.  And for the kitchen, the only thing that will fit comfortabley in there is a round table.  But I would love to someday replace the dining room table. 

[SquirrellyMama]

I feel the same way with the word Amish. Or Amish Farmhouse 😀

[Liz CA]

Sure. It's a suggestive term where the potential buyer envisions peace, tranquility, wholesome food and grazing animals. For this vision you are asked to pay.  🙂  Marketing psychology.

Edited July 3, 2019 by Liz CA

[Soror]

I am horrible at such things but found the chalk paint to be very forgiving.

[Ottakee]

14 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

Sure. It's a suggestive term where the potential buyer envisions peace, tranquility, wholesome food and grazing animals. For this vision you are asked to pay.  🙂  Marketing psychology.

I bet that those same people aren't envisioning the real farm house table...you know the ones where you clean chickens, castrate lambs, perform surgery, etc.  Their vision is a lot nicer and cleaner than reality

[fairfarmhand]

29 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

I bet that those same people aren't envisioning the real farm house table...you know the ones where you clean chickens, castrate lambs, perform surgery, etc.  Their vision is a lot nicer and cleaner than reality

Well I know they don’t want all the dirt that comes along with it too. All those pale colors...

[math teacher]

So what is up with the Farmhouse style? Is it the distressed painting technique, cutesy signs? I love some of the stuff I see on videos, but when I'm shopping and see something, I don't automatically think "farmhouse" unless it's distressed or a sign.

[Katy]

7 minutes ago, Math teacher said:

So what is up with the Farmhouse style? Is it the distressed painting technique, cutesy signs? I love some of the stuff I see on videos, but when I'm shopping and see something, I don't automatically think "farmhouse" unless it's distressed or a sign.

 

It's just Joanna Gaines inspired trends.  She took the 90's shabby chic and restoration hardware's gray stains and blended them into something doable, trendy, and appealing.  Plus if you live anywhere near the country you can find "junk" that looks just like the stuff she decorates with for practically nothing.  A little more if you buy from a Hobby Lobby or Kirkland's, but still not unreachable.

I remember when I was a teenager finding this old wood cabinet, maybe a bedside table, my dad had thrown in a burn pile.  I rescued it because that chippy paint was SO pretty.  He thought I was nuts.  Then later as a college student I was in a rental house with chippy paint on a door in the basement.  It was cream with shades of royal blue, aqua, and brown in the chips. It sounds awful but it was stunning.  I studied it for hours trying to figure out if I could recreate it with faux finishes and decided it would be impossible.  If recreated the colors would clash instead of blend.  These all had this dull yellow tint from aged oil paint that made the colors look like art instead of just an old door.  Not the sort of thing you could have around small children (lead paint for sure, with that alligator pattern), but if I didn't have kids I would fill my house with stuff like that.

[Liz CA]

1 hour ago, Ottakee said:

I bet that those same people aren't envisioning the real farm house table...you know the ones where you clean chickens, castrate lambs, perform surgery, etc.  Their vision is a lot nicer and cleaner than reality

 

I know, right?! And what about having to go out into the pastoral scene to shovel poop - even on icy mornings, pour hot water into cold water troughs so the ice breaks, stack hay...but when people look at a label that says "Farmhouse" and shows a pristine red barn and next to it a nice clapboard white farmhouse with dormer windows, those are the last things on people's mind. I want to laugh every time I see it on the packaging for dairy products. Nevertheless, it seems to invoke that feeling of wholesome goodness or marketing departments across the country would have abandoned the image long ago.

 

 

Edited July 3, 2019 by Liz CA

[DawnM]

I got the table and chairs!  

It has a leaf but we took it out, with the leaf it doesn't fit in the smaller kitchen area.  Honestly, it looks even better in person.  It will look great if I can actually do the painting correctly!   I can't get started for a few weeks anyway, so we will use the table as is, not looking great, until we can adequately tackle it.  In the meantime, we are going to do a small side table that we don't care if we ruin and see if we can do it well.

 

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, Liz CA said:

Sure. It's a suggestive term where the potential buyer envisions peace, tranquility, wholesome food and grazing animals. For this vision you are asked to pay.  🙂  Marketing psychology.

 

Right, which is why they are getting so much more money.  But I am not paying it.

Edited July 3, 2019 by DawnM

[Catwoman]

3 hours ago, Katy said:

 

It's just Joanna Gaines inspired trends.  She took the 90's shabby chic and restoration hardware's gray stains and blended them into something doable, trendy, and appealing.  Plus if you live anywhere near the country you can find "junk" that looks just like the stuff she decorates with for practically nothing.  A little more if you buy from a Hobby Lobby or Kirkland's, but still not unreachable.

I remember when I was a teenager finding this old wood cabinet, maybe a bedside table, my dad had thrown in a burn pile.  I rescued it because that chippy paint was SO pretty.  He thought I was nuts.  Then later as a college student I was in a rental house with chippy paint on a door in the basement.  It was cream with shades of royal blue, aqua, and brown in the chips. It sounds awful but it was stunning.  I studied it for hours trying to figure out if I could recreate it with faux finishes and decided it would be impossible.  If recreated the colors would clash instead of blend.  These all had this dull yellow tint from aged oil paint that made the colors look like art instead of just an old door.  Not the sort of thing you could have around small children (lead paint for sure, with that alligator pattern), but if I didn't have kids I would fill my house with stuff like that.

 

I think I may be the only person on the planet who is entirely unimpressed by Joanna Gaines' sense of style.

Joanna and Chip seem like nice people and their kids are adorable, but I thought the renovations on their TV show were mostly all very similar and predictable, and I don't care for Joanna's furniture or accessory lines, either, and would never buy any of it.  I think her talent is incredibly over-rated, but I'm clearly in the minority because she is very popular!

[Heathermomster]

4 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

Well I know they don’t want all the dirt that comes along with it too. All those pale colors...

 

4 hours ago, Margaret in CO said:

If only it was only dirt... 

Well, I want to see a real, no kidding farm kitchen.  Hint...hint...

 

[extendedforecast]

II was just telling my husband that I can’t wait for the farmhouse fad to be over with. The market is over saturated. I do think it’s a good look, but it doesn’t work with the style of my house, and its popularity make shopping for other styles more difficult. 

My friend refurbishes pieces of furniture into the farmhouse-style and makes a pretty penny. 

Edited July 3, 2019 by extendedforecast

[Selkie]

35 minutes ago, Heathermomster said:

 

Well, I want to see a real, no kidding farm kitchen.  Hint...hint...

 

I live on a horse farm, but the dirty and gross stuff doesn't happen in the kitchen - that's what the mudroom is for!🙂

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

 

I think I may be the only person on the planet who is entirely unimpressed by Joanna Gaines' sense of style.

Joanna and Chip seem like nice people and their kids are adorable, but I thought the renovations on their TV show were mostly all very similar and predictable, and I don't care for Joanna's furniture or accessory lines, either, and would never buy any of it.  I think her talent is incredibly over-rated, but I'm clearly in the minority because she is very popular!

 

I like some of it.  Sigh, I like "some" of a lot of styles.  That is my problem.  I can be quite eclectic.  But the table in washed gray would go very nicely in my house, so we are going to try.  I have seen some washed gray tables with solid black chairs and that looks nice.  I am still debating.

[DawnM]

Here are the table and chairs as is currently. I will be painting AND recovering the seats in more of a gray/blue tone something or other.

Previous owner of the house was really into French Providential.    That I know isn't my style!  I am going to be changing some of that stuff out.

There is a leaf, but it won't fit in that smaller space in the kitchen with the leaf.

 

  

[Katy]

1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

 

I think I may be the only person on the planet who is entirely unimpressed by Joanna Gaines' sense of style.

Joanna and Chip seem like nice people and their kids are adorable, but I thought the renovations on their TV show were mostly all very similar and predictable, and I don't care for Joanna's furniture or accessory lines, either, and would never buy any of it.  I think her talent is incredibly over-rated, but I'm clearly in the minority because she is very popular!

 

I totally agree with you.  I think the trend is partially that they're nice, and partially that it's aspirational without being unattainable, but it's not going to be looked back at with favor in 10 years.  Nor is tearing down every wall.  I don't want the random person who drops by to be in my family room with my kid's mess.  I want a foyer and a formal living room that are always company ready (and where only adults and music is allowed).  And I don't like all those cluttered decor items she chooses.  Bookshelves should be filled with books, not random junk from her shop.

I prefer traditional decor.  The bad news is that it's basically not for sale anywhere.  The good news is that the prices of antiques they are based on are WAY down.  So by carefully shopping estate sales and occasionally checking Habitat ReStore, I've managed to fill my house with them for practically nothing.  Someday the market will bounce back.

[Katy]

5 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

I like some of it.  Sigh, I like "some" of a lot of styles.  That is my problem.  I can be quite eclectic.  But the table in washed gray would go very nicely in my house, so we are going to try.  I have seen some washed gray tables with solid black chairs and that looks nice.  I am still debating.

 

I've made some shelving for DH's  office with a gray wash stain.  It was super simple and water based.  I think it was Rustoleum, but it was basically diluted acrylic paint.  It was super simple.  I'm sure you can get it exactly how you want it.

[matrips]

26 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Here are the table and chairs as is currently. I will be painting AND recovering the seats in more of a gray/blue tone something or other.

Previous owner of the house was really into French Providential.    That I know isn't my style!  I am going to be changing some of that stuff out.

There is a leaf, but it won't fit in that smaller space in the kitchen with the leaf.

 

  

That’s a very pretty set as it is.  Can’t wait to see the remake!

[DawnM]

6 minutes ago, matrips said:

That’s a very pretty set as it is.  Can’t wait to see the remake!

 

Thanks. I. thought so too.  I will get a pic of the base later, it is very nice., other than all the scuffs and such.

[Catwoman]

3 hours ago, DawnM said:

 

Thanks. I. thought so too.  I will get a pic of the base later, it is very nice., other than all the scuffs and such.

 

Can you refinish it instead of painting it? The wood looks like it's good quality and it has a nice grain. 

[DawnM]

8 hours ago, Catwoman said:

 

Can you refinish it instead of painting it? The wood looks like it's good quality and it has a nice grain. 

 

Of course.  Anything can be done to it.  But the previous owner had the exact finish I am going for and it looked so nice in this space.  I am trying to replicate it to some degree.  

[DawnM]

When I took a little quiz online (yeah, yeah, I know) it said my style is rustic coastal.  

Now, my style is really Craftsman, but that isn't happening here and Craftsman style doesn't go all that well in this house, and we have already decided to get rid of our dark brick red leather sofas (not yet, but after they sell, I will get a new sofa, possibly a sectional, for the family room)

But I am far too eclectic to slap a label on my decorating style.   I have to incorporate my African things in there, and I am keeping some lighter wood pieces.  But the darker Craftsman style will either be painted or sold at this point.  And a lot of my artwork is dark, and, unless it is sentimental, it is going to go.  

[Carrie12345]

57 minutes ago, DawnM said:

When I took a little quiz online (yeah, yeah, I know) it said my style is rustic coastal.  

Now, my style is really Craftsman, but that isn't happening here and Craftsman style doesn't go all that well in this house, and we have already decided to get rid of our dark brick red leather sofas (not yet, but after they sell, I will get a new sofa, possibly a sectional, for the family room)

But I am far too eclectic to slap a label on my decorating style.   I have to incorporate my African things in there, and I am keeping some lighter wood pieces.  But the darker Craftsman style will either be painted or sold at this point.  And a lot of my artwork is dark, and, unless it is sentimental, it is going to go.  

Craftsman and farmy-house have always been my favorite styles, but the architecture of my house is “90s contemporary” which feels more like an homage to the 70s, or at least a spin-off. NOTHING feels quite right for it in 2019. 😞 

 

[Pen]

Is it solid wood or laminate?

 

[DawnM]

9 minutes ago, Pen said:

Is it solid wood or laminate?

 

 

It is solid wood, but the edges are laminate I think.