Monday, April 19, 2010

Sophie's Bed

My husband's aunt gave us this bed a few months ago. Gave, as in we did not pay her for it. Hand me down furniture (free) is my favorite kind.

I don't remember why I only took a picture of the back?


Maybe it was because of this logo. I tried to do some research on Garver Furniture Company but came up short. It appears this company was only around for a few years and then changed its name. With my luck, it's probably an uber expensive antique and I completely ruined its value by painting it.



I love these rosettes.



And I love black spray paint.



No really, it's a beautiful bed, I swear! There's just one small problem. Or large?

The size of the bed is an x-long twin - of course it is! :(

The picture stinks, the room stinks and last night, my baby girl slept on the mattress on the floor.

Update to come...

I prepared this project for Decorating Obsessed's Paint Challenge.

22 comments:

Andrea @ The Dawley Fam said...

I LOVE this bed! You always find the best furniture! Enjoy your week! ~andrea

Ashley @ Decorating Obsessed said...

The bed looks great. Awesome job!

Anonymous said...

Well, the mattress may not fit but the bed is lovely. I especially like the rounded corners.

Heather said...

I am in love with that bed! My mom has two beds that are XL twins. They were my grandparents' beds.

Your newest follower, thanks for visiting my blog!

Unknown said...

This bed is absolutely gorgeous! I would love to have this in my spare room!

Delia said...

You did all that with just spray paint!? It looks totally transformed. Beautiful! Thanks for stopping by my blog. :)

Khaly Tory said...

Love what you did with it. It looks great. Hope you find an appropriate mattress to go with it.

Anonymous said...

The Garver Furniture Company was founded by my great grandfather Abraham Rueben Garver (1860-1944). He founded the furniture company and later changed its name to Tipp City Furniture Company. The piece was likely build around 1890-1900 and is probably worth about $2,500 (prior to painting it, that is).

David Fuller

Jenn said...

David, thanks so much for the information. The bed is so beautiful and in amazing condition. We are purchasing an XL twin box spring and mattress this weekend so we can start using it... officially. I actually painted around the logo because I thought it might make a good story. Also, there is a #4 imprinted in the wood. I'm happy to own a piece of history!

John Taylor said...

Oh yeah! The bed is really beautiful! And i like it so much when you painted it with black.It became more elegant.
John Taylor
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Anonymous said...

Talk about stupid!! You trashed the bed and even though it looks beautiful , you don't trash an antique. If I were your husband's aunt I would be really pissed off. shje sould have given it to someone who would have appreciated the piece as it was. The value will never be what it was before. Why didn't you just find a new piece and make it old? I really get pissed off when I see a perfect piece of furniture trashed if you want to do something like that, then get something already trashed so you CAN inprove its look not ruin it. What a idiot thing to do. Shame on you!!!

Jenn said...

Dear Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous,

I considered removing your post but I'm OK with leaving it here for the world to see.

Perhaps you know me? If so, shame on you! Because unfortunately you do not. Perhaps you don't know me. If so, shame on you! Why ridicule and jump to conclusions with someone you don't know?

I don't owe you the time it takes to even respond to this comment but there are plenty of people in this world that an older piece of furniture and make it theirs - whether it's worth money or not.

I'm unsure what you gained by seeking out my blog and leaving this comment but I hope you feel better about yourself.

Sincerely,

The Antique Destroyer

Endosha La Coup said...

Dear Antique Destroyer,
I enjoy your blog and ideas and feel I need to respond to you and Annonomous.
I agree with Annonymous to a degree , lets face it yes the value of the piece is compromized a great deal. I personally would not have done what you did with it , but it's yours so.... I agree with annon that it would have been better to use a less value piece and let someone else appreciate and enjoy it's beaty. I usually don't paint anything that looks great in its original condition I will give it a good cleaning with formby's and orange oil it. But if it has some wear, or surfaces are dented or severely scratched I will do a cosmetic magic on it. with paint using a primer first, less paint used.
I consider myself a Antique furniture restorer snob. I love the look of wood. using painted pieces sparingly in my home and shop. The bed is pretty, but Anonn has been too outspoken and should keep her comments to herself.

Endosha La Coup said...

Oh, I did not mean to imply that you are an Antique Destroyer, I just was just stating that to some that might be true, but I am looking towards the funny playful side. Please forgive me . It was in bad taste.

Jenn said...

No worries Endosha La Coup. The bed was given to our aunt years ago and she gave it to us since no one else wanted it - it was just sitting in her attic. We did receive her permission to paint it. I think everyone (in the family) is just happy that the bed is being used again - painted or not. We're good with our decision so I'm not sure why those that don't know us are so mad. It's not like I was going to sell it or give it to them :)

BigJohn said...

Dear Jenn ( AKA: The Antique Destroyer )
The bed looks awesome now, you've taken the old and gave it a refreshing new look, you did nothing to the piece that a REAL ANTIQUE RESTORER could not change/ fix and make it worth whatever they are telling you. I've got 2 of the exact same bed, had them for 30 yrs since my grandmother passed away and the most anyone ever wanted to give was 1000 for both.. with an original dresser. I like your idea so much, I'm painting mine this weekend, and putting them in our spare bedroom which is soon to be my First Granddaughters bedroom when she arrives in September..
Be Blessed
Big John

Anonymous said...

Garver Furniture company was started by my Great Grandfather Abraham Rueben Garver out of Tipp City in the late 1800s. It was sold in the 1920s after he lost his wife and two adult children within a couple years of each other. It was expensive furniture and is hard to find.

Anonymous said...

Garver Furniture company was started by my Great Grandfather Abraham Rueben Garver out of Tipp City in the late 1800s. It was sold in the 1920s after he lost his wife and two adult children within a couple years of each other. It was expensive furniture and is hard to find.

Anonymous said...

i am another anonymous commenting here....anonymous was right. yu trashed a gorgeous piece of furniture! i just bought this bed a few weeks ago, & came here to look it up, as it has the beautiful logo on the back....i was guessing it was from the late 1800'a, & i was right! there is is a leg missing on the outer edge, but as there are 4 legs, with wheels, its gonna stand just fine. its such an utterly gorgeous piece & aside from the legs, in great condition...unfortunately i do not have the side rails for it, & hope that the old rails i have on my current twin bed fit it. also...Anononymous, if you are still there, can you tell me why there are small metal hooks at the bottom of each piece>? i am guessing that there was no box spring, but one of those old fashioned "spring bases" for a top mattress....is this true>? i am polishing it up now & about to see if i can set it up with the rails that i do have...if not, i shall take it to a good carpenter i know & see what he can do with it for me....i love it.
so sad that some imbecile took a can of spray paint to such a gorgeous bed! the veneers, & the way they are applied, are just gorgeous...there was a 2nd set there, again, just the wooden head & footboards, no side rails, etc, & that was a week ago. beautiful old twin bed headboards are so hard to find, i wont hold my breath hoping that the other one is still there, but i do hope so. & yeah, Antique Destroyer, how could you>?!! how could you do that to such a gorgeous bed>? that's something yu do to a piece of shit, not a valuable stunning unique antique. i hope yr auntie is not rolling over in her grave, knowing what you've done to an authentic & stunning piece of furniture.
yrs truly, another anonymous.

Anonymous said...

by the way, i am an artist...making all sorts of art from drawings & paintings to constructions & installations...so i truly appreciate the beauty of this bed. i do not NEED two twin headboards, but shall love having it, & perhaps making a beautiful piece of art from it, or use it in an installation, as a bed of some sort. thank you for all the information yu kindly gave about yr family's Garver furniture, & their own history. i appreciate it, & rest assured, i shall not be spray painting the hell out of this gorgeous antique bed. sincerely, another anonymous.

Unknown said...

I would love to find out more about this furniture. I just bought some and I can find only this blog with the bed. Can anyone help with were to look to find value? I have the entire bedroom set, minus the mirror, but I can find it if it is worth it.

Unknown said...

Hello, thank you for your post. I recently acquired a beautiful piece from your grandfathers company. I’m trying to find out more information on this.