So spring has just about sprung, which so invigorating - I feel like I am solar powered and am so ready to get going on my next designs! My last couple of pieces took inspiration from natural tones that could well be described as 'boho chic', with the neutral soft colours and textural detailing to the drawer sides - I love adding that hidden bit of personality!
The chest of drawers had a previously bad paint job that needed sanding off, and underneath was solid, but knotty orange pine. The drawers needed some attention as the dovetail joints were loose, so wood glue to the rescue to firm them up! I used a Valspar primer specifically designed for knotty bare wood, as sometimes the knots can weep or alter the colour, and the primer ensures a great finish for the paint to stick to. I love the colour Pompeian Ash by Little Greene (and have this in my own bathroom and hallway... embracing the dark side but is actually very cosy and luxurious on the walls!), and have been longing to do a piece of furniture in it. I used the Intelligent Eggshell as gives a stronger finish, and built up the depth of colour in multiple thin coats with a small roller to avoid brush strokes. Although it won't be seen often, the orange pine had to go so I watered down a lovely creamy taupe shade of chalk paint (Country Grey by Annie Sloan) and applied to the drawers. For the stencilled patterns at the side of the draws, I tossed up between using the same Pompeian Ash or a black acrylic, but in the end I wanted to keep it tonal and subtle so used same but unwatered chalk paint over the colour wash and I really like the result!
Finally I used a sponge brush to apply three thin coats of Polyvine Wax Finish Varnish in the satin finish to keep a sheen. Polyvine also do a flat finish but I feel the subtle sheen to reflect the light makes the colour pop a little more! The finish is so important to to keep the furniture in good condition and a little more 'life proof'!
The little side table was a sewing table that I have enjoyed owning myself, but the legs were wobbly and it was no longer needed. I had the idea of stenciling some mandala style patterns within the piece and to add wooden dowels to the front as a rib detailing as I felt it was a little plain looking, and wasn't sure whether to leave the dowels as natural wood or painted, but in the end the wood on the top and the dowels were too different in tone so painted it was. The top was interesting as the veneer was not in great condition, so I removed it to find a nice piece of solid wood underneath - bonus! The wobbly legs were mended and all was sanded back to smooth wood. The internal top hinged storage area had once had a piece of material glued in which left a poor surface at the bottom, so I did some decoupage in a matching tone to cover this for a better finish.
I love the colour of Country Grey Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan, and the versatility of using chalk paint means that I can adjust the colour - I added some additional burnt umber acrylic paint to give a little more warmth and depth to the paint which I felt was needed here. In this instance I finished the piece with clear wax for protection, and again felt it was a little plain so added some more dimension with black wax to the edges, which gives a slightly more aged vintage look which is perfect for this piece. Wax needs to cure for around 3 weeks to harden off to offer the best protection, so plenty of time to finish cleaning and renovating the brass hardware to make it shine as good as new!
What do you think of the finished results?
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