May 26, 2014
DIY Tutorial: How To Clean (Really Really Dirty) Brass Hardware
Hello Friends, pardon my absence the last couple of weeks while we wrapped up school (which was way busier than I imagined - whoosh!) and dealt with our porte cochere ceiling collapsing on our car (more on that later), not to mention my continued recovery (I'm feeling much better by the way, and am very close to being released by my doctors!).
This past Saturday, I finally sat down to tackle a task I had been needing to work on for quite some time - cleaning the hardware on the campaign built-in for our Master Bathroom.
This is a "before" picture, and this vintage campaign piece turned bathroom built-in, purchased at Scout Design Studio in Dallas, has had a major face lift since the photo below was taken.
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scout design studio[/caption]
As you can see, there is A LOT of hardware to be cleaned here. Over 50 pieces...But I was undeterred at the beginning. After all, this is not my first go-round at cleaning campaign hardware. I've done it millions of times.
I promptly pulled out my Brasso and started scrubbing. At first, I did not remove the campaign hardware from the main piece, simply because those brass T's and L-shaped pieces are a beating to get off without bending them. (I often recommend not removing campaign hardware for this very reason) However, after scrubbing and scrubbing with Brasso, I quickly realized this was not going to be an easy job. Therefore, all of the hardware was removed from the furniture piece very, very carefully. Once I had all of the brass hardware on a flat surface, I switched to Bar Keepers Friend and started scrubbing. I was surprised, yet again, to see my cleaner was not denting this grime at all.
So that's when I decided to pull out all the stops. If you have beyond dirty brass hardware, these are the steps you need to take to ensure the quickest, most efficient way of bringing these brass beauties back to life.
This might be my first Saturday post ever, but I realize I have not written as much this week as I usually do, so I thought I would update you on the renovation of our Master Bathroom.
In fact, just yesterday, the countertop arrived for our little island furniture piece that rests next to 
The three drawers on either side of the unit will provide plenty of storage, and I am so thrilled with how the design turned out overall. The carpenter on this job has been fabulous, and I have really been impressed with his design knowledge and ideas. After I told him I wanted to incorporate the shower tile pattern somewhere else in the bathroom, he came up with the idea to turn the pattern on the horizontal and add it to the cabinet.
When the carpenter first brought in the unfinished piece, my mouth hit the floor.
I knew it was really special, and I told him again and again how spectacular I thought his work was.
Of course, then I had to find a countertop, and I visited nearly every remnant shop in my area. Since I didn't need a very large piece, I was hoping to find something exotic and interesting at a great price. I also knew I wanted a white background, and I wanted the marble to be honed. (not shiny or polished) I was sure I wanted something fairly thick too, at least 3 cm, which is a little over an inch.
There were a few stones that caught my eye...like this one.
I have long been on the quest for the perfect bamboo shade. The natural organic feel to them really grips me. I especially love them in 
lauren liess[/caption]
I have searched for the perfect, AFFORDABLE bamboo shade for years. Seriously. I have looked through clearance racks at all sorts of stores and ordered samples from all over the place. And although it is entirely possible this secret has been out for awhile, it wasn't until six months or so ago that I discovered them.
You see, a bamboo shade has to have sort of a tortoise shell feel to them, and be light in color, but not too white and not too honey. It is a very delicate balance. The weave is also very important; not too reed-like and not too wide like blinds.
I stumbled on them quite accidentally...