Color Transformations

Tim Glastetter’s work makes you think twice about allowing that antique armoire to gather dust.

- Jeannette Cooperman

THE DOORS WERE a backdrop in a Kate Spade ad. But they caught the homeowner’s eye.

The arched top looked Old World Mediterranean. The geometry of the panels was utterly contemporary. And the color was this marvelous shade of green, restful but not flat, like grass in light summer shade. These doors would be the perfect entrance for the serenely landscaped Spanish stucco house.

With the ad tacked up for reference, a woodworking company reproduced the doors in solid mahogany. Then Tim Glastetter (owner of Refined Finishes, based in Washington, Missouri) took a deep breath and sealed that gorgeous mahogany with a tinted shellac.