Painted Built In Cabinet and Beach House Tour

I was recently hired by a customer from Loot to paint a built in cabinet in the master bedroom in her beach house. 

During the recent remodel of her beach house, she had a cabinet builder make the built in to fit the space between her two closet doors.  

She wanted it to be neutral enough to blend in with the white and grey color palette, while still standing out against the white walls.  

I painted the cabinet with Country Grey Chalk Paint.  To define the top, above the drawers, I whitewashed the natural wood and sanded to distress it.  I also added the same distressed white finish to the trim on the drawer fronts

To tie the cabinet in with the greys in the room and, because Country Grey is not technically grey, I applied a wash of French Linen Chalk Paint.

This woman has exquisite taste and I want to give you a tour of her gorgeous, sophisticated beach home.

Isn't that an amazing headboard?! It is a salvaged architectural piece from an old house.

The luxurious, velvet and linen bedding is by Bella Notte. The blues, greys, and creams of the bedding tie in perfectly with the color scheme of the room and the newly painted, built in cabinet.

She created a relaxed eclectic look by using two different night stands and lamps and adding unexpected pieces like this perfectly shabby chair.  

  Her sister bought this darling, ratty, old chair at Loot and it looks perfect in its new home.

The living room is neutral and beachy too.  The grey washed hardwood floor is not actually wood; it is tile.  I could not tell, even in person, until I touched it. No need to worry about scratching this flooring!

One of my favorite things in the whole house is the chippy, old front door.

Look at that charming letter slot on the front.

I sure do love that door!

The elegant kitchen was remodeled with custom cabinetry and stainless appliances.

The guest suite is ocean inspired and so lovely to look at.  Besides the pretty interior, the guest bedroom looks out on a beautiful flower farm.  What a location!  Beach on one side and flowers on the other!

She created an eclectic look in the bedroom with more mismatched lamps and night stands.

On the other side of the bed is this dear, weathered, vintage night stand with original paint and curvy, little legs.

On to the bath...

I want to know where she got that adorable occupied/vacant sign on the door of the guest bath.  

Both bathrooms are outfitted with custom cabinets, complete with louvered doors, and topped with marble.  

Just when I think it can't get any lovelier, I step out on their deck and take in the panoramic view of the great Pacific.

This was an inspiring place to paint!  

My Favorite Projects of 2012

As we approach 2013, I have been thinking about the new opportunities for transformation that come with each new year.  In honor of the new year, I would like to share my favorite furniture transformations from 2012.

All of my projects are painted with Chalk Paint decorative paints by Annie Sloan.  I love using Chalk Paint and I, like thousands of others, think it is the best paint in the world!

1. Restoration Hardware Coffee Table Restored

This table was one of the original pieces of furniture I bought to furnish my first house.  I loved the solid wood and column legs, but the old espresso finish was in bad shape.  I removed the finish from the top and made a wash with French Linen Chalk Paint to put over the base.

2. French Linen Caned Headboard

I painted this headboard for a client with French Linen and Old White.  I finished it with clear wax and dark wax glaze for an antique look.  

3. French Linen Buffet

I know, three French Linen pieces in a row...but, it is a gorgeous color.  I love this piece of furniture! I delivered this buffet to a lovely woman that lives north of San Francisco in a pristine and elegant home.  I felt like I was walking into a Veranda Magazine feature when I walked through her front door.  She has exquisite taste and I was thrilled when she told me that this buffet is now her favorite piece of furniture in her very well-furnished home.

4. Louis Blue Frenchy Mirror

Judging by the number of pins this mirror has on Pinterest, I would say that I am not the only one that favors it.  This mirror was transformed with Louis Blue, a little Old White and a wash made with Coco Chalk Paint. This one was hard to part with, but I have no space for it in my house and I cannot keep everything.

5. Paris Grey Bedroom Set

This vintage bedroom set came complete with two twin beds, a nightstand, a dresser and a vanity.  I painted the vanity for a client to use in her salon. The rest of the set I painted with Paris Grey, Old White, and a Coco wash, making it perfect for a Parisian bedroom.

6. Dresser & Vanity with Gilding wax and Crackle

I consider this vanity and dresser one of my masterpieces.  The details and age of this set make it special and I wanted to make sure I gave it a finish that was worthy.  I mixed Provence with Old White to make a soft aqua color and then crackled, antiqued, and gilded the set to perfection.  A sweet husband came in and bought this set for his wife, who had seen it and fell in love with it the week before at Loot.

7. Louis Blue Buffet with Graphite Top

I am a little obsessed with French Provincial style furniture and this gorgeous buffet has all the lovely lines and  French style I love.  I painted the base with Louis Blue & Old White and the top with Graphite for contrast.

8. Graphite Sideboard

I have painted many pieces of vintage, Thomasville furniture and I am always impressed by the quality and craftsmanship.  This vintage, Thomasville Sideboard turned into a stunning piece of furniture with two Coats of Graphite Chalk Paint and a dark wax glaze to deepen the color. 

9. Vintage Union Jack Chair

I am not sure why this little, vintage chair is one of my favorite projects of 2012, but it is.  Maybe because, as you can see in the before picture, it had a worrisome future, possibly destined for the dump.  This was the first time I used Chalk Paint on vinyl and I was impressed, not only by the adhering ability, but also by the texture of the finished, painted and waxed vinyl.  This chair went to a loving home when a mom brought in her three sons and bought it for a new desk in their bedroom.  The boys were arguing about whose turn it was to sit in the chair and their mom told them they would have plenty of time to sit in it once they got it home. I am sure this vintage chair is well-loved now.

10.  Country Grey Kidney-Shaped Vanity

I rarely see kidney-shaped vanities and luckily spotted this one at a yard sale.  I painted the vanity with Country Grey and Old White with a French Linen wash.

I wish a fulfilling New Year to all of you, filled with many positive transformations and new opportunities! 

Happy 2013!

Kidney Shaped Vanity in Country Grey

I was thrilled when I found this elegant vanity at a yard sale.  I love the kidney shape and the carved details on the drawer fronts. 

The finish on the top was damaged and scratched, so I filled the top with wood filler and sanded it smooth before painting.

For this special piece of furniture, I chose one of my favorite colors of Chalk Paint: Country Grey.  Country Grey is one of the colors I picked when I placed my very first Chalk Paint order, via the internet, back in June of 2011.  Since then, my love for this sophisticated neutral has never waned.

I wanted the carved, scrolling details to stand out, so I dry brushed Old White over them and then distressed, allowing the wood underneath to show through. To soften the contrast between the Country Grey and Old White, I went over them with a wash made by mixing half French Linen and half water.

click to enlarge

This vanity is no wallflower!  The backside, with its rounded sides and graceful lines, is just as stunning as the front.

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Grey and White Desk With Hutch

Desks with hutches on top are a great invention.  I found this one at a yard sale and at first I passed it up because I really did not need another big project.  Then, I kept thinking about this piece later in the afternoon, so I sent Mr. Rubbish back to the sale to see if the desk was still there and to try to negotiate a better price than they offered me.  He accomplished both goals!

I was not crazy about the desk portion of this two-piece ensemble.  I think the dated drawer pulls were detracting from this desk's potential beauty.

The half clover shapes on the top are what I really loved about this piece.

I wanted a two-toned finish, so I painted the outer part of the desk and hutch with the same grey, custom mixed, Chalk Paint color I used on the cane back dining chairs.  I painted the inside of the hutch with Old White Chalk Paint.

For the drawer hardware, I wanted to keep it simple while complementing the clover arches on the top of the hutch.  I ordered inexpensive bin pulls from Ebay that had the same screw width as the existing hardware, for easy installation and no re-drilling of holes.

I painted and distressed the bin pulls to match the rest of the desk.

I love that this desk is both functional and beautiful now. Couldn't everybody use a desk with a hutch somewhere in their house?

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Grey Cane Back Dining Chairs

These vintage cane back dining chairs came from a community yard sale.  I was just heading back to my car, after an unsuccessful visit to the community sale, when I saw a woman carry one of these chairs out to her front yard.  I stopped her immediately and purchased the four chairs for a very good deal!

The chairs looked similar to the first set of cane chairs that I fixed up here.  They were old and dirty with flaking paint covering up their beautiful bones.

The gold velvet upholstery is indicative of the era from whence they came.

I used a mixture of about 50/50 Paris Grey and Country Grey Chalk Paint to create a soft, pale grey hue for these chairs.  

I love the wooden details above the caning on these dining chairs.

I dry brushed some Old White Chalk Paint over the appliques and along the edges of the chairs and then distressed them with 220 grit sandpaper.

Fortunately, the cane backs were all in flawless condition.

I reupholstered the seat cushions with a charcoal grey and white striped, hemp linen fabric.

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