We have finally gotten back into our space at Waltzing Matilda to really put our stamp on it. We began sharing Mike’s expansion space back in October right around the height of our Barn Sale season and while we brought over some of our pieces, we did not have the time to make it something that reflected Life’s Patina. Right before we left for our buying trip in Atlanta, we made it a point to “patina” Waltzing Matilda.  We started by first cleaning off these fabulous wooden old mirror frames and decorative pieces that we picked from a barn that were covered in years of dirt. Upon the removal of those layers, underneath was what looked to be a dark stain for the backs of the pieces were a beautiful solid mahogany or cheery wood au natural! We sanded the pieces as best as we could to take off the shiny finish on the front for I had decided to use them in our re-do.

The first area we wanted to tackle was the entrance area which had been painted in a striped chalk paint pattern. Waltzing Matilda’s space is funky and eclectic with an industrial and bohemian aesthetic. We love it!!  but wanted to give a feel for our more subdued European aesthetic. To accomplish that, we painted over the wall with a solid black chalk paint to tone it down so our wood slab table would pop as well as Mike’s leather product.

We intend to cure the chalkboard wall so that when we write on it, those words will not be so difficult to erase. This should always be done if you do not want the shadow of the letters to always be there when you erase what you have written on the wall. To cure it, you simply color the whole wall with white chalk in both directions and then wipe it off with a dry cloth. It will tone down the brightness of the black paint but your words can be easily erased from the wall. It is a dusty proposition and it is wise to use the thick chalk sticks that you can get for kids, like sidewalk chalk. The surface is wider and it goes much further.

We hung the sanded wooden decorative piece on the chalkboard wall to mimic a framed chalkboard and will write in the interior space, events that are coming up in the store. What do you think?

Another area we wanted to tackle was the large side wall, which had been covered in an eclectic mix of product and art. I wanted to stream line the look, pare down the color and bring in neutrals to show case Mike’s leather products of a lighter hue.

Here is the finished wall with the new product we brought in.

Taking those neutrals to the back wall as well, we took everything down and built the scene again using product that are all in the same tones, integrating our pieces with the leather goods.

This photo is how the store looked when we arrived, as we were moving our new items in. The white chairs and lighter woods were all pieces new to the space.

Finished back wall utilizing another one of the sanded down dark architectural piece.

Short of three months ago, we had built a wall out of boards from an old porch ceiling that still wears its original coat of blue paint and mounted it to the wall in the store. Given that we never unified the space, we brought in a new table and a bar we made out of two beautiful white corbels and an old door. We mounted this to the blue wall.

We accessorized the space and integrated the leather pieces in.

The front of the expansion space needed a little TLC so we brought a few more pieces in and rearranged what we had already brought over and the project was finished. What are your thoughts?

We invite you to come check out the results in person and  by visiting Waltzing Matilda on 21 West Avenue in Wayne Pennsylvania. There are so many shopping and eating  opportunities to hold your attention for a morning or afternoon outing.

Waltzing Matilda Hours

Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm with occasional extended hours for  special events

 You might just catch us there adding some more elements, for we never leave something the same way for long!

~Meg