musty antique armoire?!

So I found this refinished gorgeous antique armoire recently while looking at the local online classifieds. It called to me right away - refinished in the perfect blue-green colour, in that shabby chic, rustic finish that I'm just in love with right now. It was love at first sight. So much so that I decided to ignore the slight but distinct... odour... emanating from it.

Beautiful! Where have you been all my life? A granary?

Gorgeous finish in real life - the camera didn't capture its true colour and finish.

I'm sure the lady who finished it must have found the piece in a farmer's granary somewhere! She did a beautiful job with the decorative finish on the outside and she did a coat of plain ol' white on much of the inside.  Usually, I'm more interested in starting from scratch, but this piece was so beautiful, I couldn't help myself! That, plus the paucity of good-condition antiques for me to finish myself, and I was sold!

BUT... The inside of the door, the top, the bottom and the back were all unfinished...  And after driving with it in the back of his SUV for almost an hour, my dear husband kindly said 'um, I think something smells and I think it's making my nose run.' Of course being as stubborn (and as in love with the piece) as I am, I downplayed it and suggested perhaps something else was the culprit (ha! Wishful thinking at its finest!). By the time we got it into the house, I had to admit the smell was starting to bother my sinus allergies.

I asked around and got some suggestions on how to deal with the stank.

1. Paint the unfinished wood.

Luckily I had a small can of Typhoon Lagoon kicking around from a free promo from

Glidden Paints from a couple years ago. It's not a perfect match (more blue than

blue-green) but it's harmonious enough that I hope it will look like it was planned to be that way!

2.  Fill it with bay leaves.

A tip from my mother, who has some experience in dealing with allergies and various stanks.

3. Seal it with lacquer.

Umm, I forget who came up with this.  Google search, perhaps?

4. Fill it with coffee grounds. 

Also from my mama. Though I think she said coffee beans, now that I think about it...

Despite the smell issues, I still love it (although now the armoire smells like sealant mixed with bay leaves and coffee and still a hint of mustiness!).  Here are some pictures (that you can't smell ha!) to show you why I still have hope that this beautiful piece will someday not make me want to dig at my sinuses with a fork.

What are some of your tips for getting that mustiness out of antique furniture? Do you think it's a hopeless case? Have I ruined it forever by trying all these zany methods?

This week I partied at: