To The Victor Belongs The Spoils...

...Allow me if you will to tell you of the "Battle Of Matilda".  It began with a woman named Julie and her efforts to tame the beast which she named "Matilda".  That, dear readers, is Matilda pictured on the right.

Julie operates "Matilda & The Owl" in the UK.   Julie likes to give each and every one of her furniture makeovers a unique name and because she was up to the letter "M" she decided to name this one after her business.   

She painted her in an eggshell paint from the English company Neptune..  Julie says, "They do a lovely range of soft shades which have a nice subtle sheen ... the colour I chose for Matilda is Calico, which is a soft beige.  To compliment the paintwork, the thick work top, shelves and removable plate rack were left unpainted.  I sealed them with a laquer to provide a protective waterproof finish and then waxed to give a gorgeous rich colour and a subtle soft sheen."  

Julie replaced the old dated handles.  She chose cast iron cup handles for the four large drawers and new wooden knobs for the smaller drawers and the doors. 

The doors originally had stained glass in the top cupboard doors and Julie writes, "As beautiful as it was I didn't think it was in keeping with the look I was aiming for and so I made the decision to replace it with clear glass.  I think it looks much better for it."  (I agree!) 

Let's take a look at the entire piece looking so gorgeous...

What did I tell you?  Ah-MAZING!!  I want it.  Alas, it is sold.  I think it even looks fantastic sitting outside posing for it's "after" picture.  After all of the hard work that was put into her, I'd be tempted to call the neighbors over and we could sit around staring at her beauty all night long.  

Once Julie had finished the makeover she wrote the following on her Facebook page about "Matilda":  "The refurb itself was a real challenge mainly due to her size.  Finally, even though at times I was beginning to doubt myself, I have managed to tame the beast that is 'The Matilda'. It was a long hard battle, perhaps the longest hardest battle yet... it has required a lot of stamina and a heck of a lot of cake!  She resisted and fought back at every opportunity.  I have been left battered and bruised (bit of an exaggeration)... I have the bloodied and blistered hands to prove it (not an exaggeration)... but even though it was touch and go at times... finally... I have emerged the worthy victor!"  

There you have it!  The Battle of Matilda.  You can check out Julie and her work on her "Matilda & The Owl" Facebook Page.  Let her know you saw her on Furniture Flippin'.  

Thanks so much Julie for sharing your drop dead gorgeous furniture flip!

If you, dear readers, have a furniture flip you'd like to share, please don't hesitate to email me at furnitureflippin@yahoo.com .  Before/after pictures and plenty of details will do it.  We are also accepting your witty comments here on the blog.  So, peck away at that keyboard and let's hear what you come up with!

~ Stephanie