Sherry – A Vintage Vanity

This maple vanity was one of five pieces of furniture I scored when a realtor friend of mine was clearing out a house and offered them to me. The label on the back shows it was made by Showers Brothers Furniture Co., Bloomington, Indiana. It was sold and shipped to Connie and Don Ray of Ohio. Somehow, over the years it made its way to Iowa. That’s one thing I love about these old pieces, wondering what their story is! According to the label on the back of the vanity and this article, Showers Brothers furniture makers was the largest furniture company in the world during the 1920s. The company folded in the 1950s so I have to assume the desk is pre-1950s. Although it is a maple vanity, the insides of the drawers appear to be oak. It’s very solid and in great condition considering its age.

I’ve said this before with other pieces I’ve finished but I really dislike that orangeish stain you see on some of these older pieces! I wanted to give this vanity a modern farmhouse look.

After a good cleaning and light sanding, I removed the knobs and puttied the holes, re-drilling new holes for some cuff handles I had in my stash. I applied two coats of primer and two coats of Valspar latex flat paint in Olive Marinade. I painted the drawers, inside and out with latex flat paint in Cold Espresso and then stenciled with Waverly Chalk in Plaster. The handles were spray-painted with Rustoleum Metallic Flat Burnished Amber. I used two coats of Minwax Polycrylic on the top. This is one of those colors that you can’t decide if it’s green or yellow but I love the soft creamy color!