The New TV Stand {Part 1}

The other day, my hubby {Kevin}, was out and about getting things accomplished for our rehab house.

I had been out with my mom and sister-in-law shopping a bit and just got home. My phone rang and it was my Mr. telling me that he found a nightstand for $5 and should he get it. I said wow, where are you and why are you shopping for furniture? {I am always shocked when he does stuff like this because he is the saver and I am the spender}.

Kevin: I stopped by Habitat Re-Store to see if they had any stainless steel appliances, they don’t. So, I looked around the new store to see what they had and I bumped into a great 3 drawer nightstand and I am buying it for you.

Me: Wow, really? OK.

Kevin: I also found a buffet that matches the description of the TV stand you have in mind. You know, it has a curvy front {bow front}and is really nice. It’s $300 though and I think we didn’t want to spend that much. Do they haggle prices here? I don’t want to buy it unless you see it. I am going to send you picture texts of both then call me.

Me: Great…

I get the pics and I was floored. {Yes, I saw through this ugly text with the ugly floral arrangement on top}…

Kevin: Hey Baby, what did you think?

Me: Um super cute night stand, but it!

Kevin: I am, it is already at the register.

Me: I love, love, love that buffet/TV stand but $300 is really expensive. Ask if they will go lower and call me.

A few minutes later…

Kevin: The manager said I could have it for $250 but I don’t want to pay that until you have seen it. They close at 7 so maybe come by because they won’t hold it.

Me: OK {as I was jumping in the car}.

I got there and spotted it immediately. I stared at it for like 15 minutes straight. I sat on a nearby sofa to make sure it wouldn’t be too high for a TV… perfect! The manager came over and said I know who you are… you must be the wife.  I said of course I am. He said make an offer. I said I need to call my man first. So, I decided to offer $100 because the bottom needs to be refinished and needs a little TLC.

Manager: How about I meet you in the middle… $119.

Me: SOLD.

I didn’t know how I was getting it in our car, we have a smaller SUV and the piece is pretty big. I called up my dad {who happens to be the General Contractor on our rehab home} and he happened to be right around the corner. He picked it up in the “big boy truck” and dropped it over at our house.

We took away the old TV stand and I had imagined that the cable box, Wii and DVD player would fit in the two cabinets of the new stand.

Wrong. Our cable box is longer than I thought. Normally, I would have measured that and been prepared, but I was in a hurry and they wouldn’t hold it for me. So, we decided to drill holes in the back of the unit for the DVD player and VCR {which is rarely used}.

The cable is still sitting on top because we have a plan…We are taking the top drawer and making it the cable box’s home. We are going to have to cut the drawer front off and add hinges to make the drawer front flip open instead… that way changing the channels will be super easy. Also, I love the idea because it will keep the top clean and we can hide the ugly cable box in the drawer and DVD and player and the Wii in the cabinets when we are having people over!

So, to paint or not to paint, that is the question. You might remember my original post about my tv stand wish list that I wanted to find something I could paint a fun color. When Kevin first sent me the picture text, I thought it was perfect to paint. Then, I got there and realized the finish is absolutely gorgeous and I really think I should leave it as is. It is beautiful.

The piece itself is in great condition and I had a feeling it was worth something. In the top drawer a metal tag says…

Apparently, Landstrom formally was Central Furniture until it was bought by the Landstrom family in 1879. It became Consolidated Industries in 1928, but continued to use the Landstrom tag. The firm was dissolved in 1958.

Rockford once was the furniture capital of the United States, even surpassing Grand Rapids, Mich., in terms of volume. Its heyday spanned from about 1880 through the 1930s.

So… now I am curious and wondering how much is this piece really worth?? I emailed a local contact inquiring about it so I hope to hear back soon… of course I will let you know if I find anything out!

Even though the piece is actually a dining room buffet, we are going to use it as our TV stand for now. The top drawers have the felt and silverware holders still in place and I will probably keep them like that in case we decide to use it for a dining room later on. I plan on lining the other drawers with some fun patterned paper just to keep the in good condition.

Right now this beauty is sitting in our living room not against the wall, not centered, waiting for the bottom to be fixed up a bit and for the drawer to be hinged. I will keep you updated on the improvements and where we are putting the wall decor that currently is being covered up by the TV now that it sits up higher…

 

Nice, right? It is driving the interior designer in me crazy. It was kind of hard getting use to looking up at our TV… now we love it!

What a good hubby and good finds. He is a keeper. He knows what his wife likes. He rocks my world.

I will show you the lovely nightstand too soon and what I did to re-vamp it a bit.

What about you? Any good finds lately? DO TELL…

{P.S. You may have noticed we aren’t posting everyday like we usually do… we are getting back to that schedule soon! We are in the middle of redesigning our site and should be done soon. Stick around!}