The Serenity of French Country

A local shop is filled with many pieces of refurbished furniture.  Bonnie, the shopkeeper, is extremely talented and she paints, upholsters, and rebuilds everything from sofas, chairs,  and lamps, to screens and mirrors.  Her "look" is French country and beautiful prints and white paint dominate.  She accents her shop decor with touches of nature:  butterflies, sea shells, twigs, and sweeping floral arrangements.  Overhead, a chandelier of painted white twigs adds a  touch of sparkle to the room.  Of course she made it herself.  Visiting her shop is like taking a mini-vacation.  The touches of shabby elegance she so carefully creates give all who enter her door a sense of quiet and calm.  Shown in the photos above are two "old" sewing machine cabinets that she has refurbished.  Once plain brown and perfect utility cabinets for sewing machines, they have been transformed into cabinetry for elegant living spaces.  One is antiqued sage paint, gold trim, and some of the original wood promote.  It promotes serenity and serve sas a base for a lamp and floral arrangement.  The other has been painted a silver-gray and has been covered with mirrors cut and glued in a bias pattern.  Its mirrored top serves as a base for a simple topiary and a painting and easel.  All it takes is a little imagination, a little elbow grease, and a great deal of appreciation for the out-dated objects in home decor.  Inspiration!