French Provincial Hutch with Chicken Wire

I recently came across this french provincial hutch at a yard sale.  I can never pass on a frenchy piece, so this one came back to the shop with me for a little makeover.

The hutch was done in the typical cream and gold, which is a common look for the reproduction french provincial furniture made in  the 1970's.  I wanted to make the piece look more like an old world French antique than a tacky, vintage reproduction.

I gave it a softer look by painting it with Coco Chalk Paint®.  I wanted to create a weathered look to make the piece look authentically older. After applying two coats of Coco Chalk Paint®, I made a wash by mixing 50% Old Ochre Chalk Paint® with 50% water. I painted the wash on in sections and blended it over the Coco with a rag.

BEFORE

AFTER

The Old Ochre muted the Coco and transformed it into a soft, warm, neutral grey. After the wash dried, I applied a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax, which made the color even more beautiful and added a smooth, creamy look. I coated the brass hardware with rustic brown spray paint to offer a nice contrast with the paint.

I painted the, previously gold, back and shelves with Old Ochre to brighten up the inside of the hutch.

The final part of the transformation was taking the glass out and replacing it with chicken wire that was also sprayed a rustic brown.   

The transformation from 1970's French provincial to antique French country is complete!

China Cabinet with Secretary

I picked up this china cabinet from the flea market recently for a great price toward the end of the day. It is really heavy and I could tell the man selling it wanted to get rid of it, so he didn't have to haul it back home again.

I love the doors, trim moldings and metal wire fronts on the cabinet.  The man that sold it to me also gave me the orignial old skeleton key that locks all the cabinet doors.

This cabinet is really special and even has a secret secretary in the center, disguised as a drawer.

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I mixed a batch of Chalk Paint® using equal parts French Linen and Old Ochre.  The resulting color is a soft and pretty, warm grey.

I clear waxed the entire piece and applied the dark wax with an artist brush only along the edges, grooves, and molding to bring out the details on this lovely piece of furniture.

The upper cabinet was dark inside, so I lightened it up by painting the interior with Old Ochre Chalk Paint®.

This amazing cabinet did not last very long at Loot.  This is one that I would have kept for myself, had I the space for it. Besides being easy on the eyes, it is also a very functional piece.  I love the amount of storage it has and the added convenience of a little desk, which is an ideal place for sitting to write letters and/or pay bills.

Graphite and French Linen China Cabinet

 

A customer at Loot traded me this beautiful china cabinet for a desk I painted.  I love the simple, clean lines and the doors remind me of paned windows.

 

The veneer was damaged in places, which I repaired with Gorilla glue and wood filler.

 

 

 

I painted the exterior of the cabinet with Graphite Chalk Paint.

I applied both Annie Sloan clear and dark waxes to give the Graphite an aged appearance.  I only painted one coat of Graphite Chalk Paint on the moldings and details, so the wood showed through on the details after I waxed the piece.

 

The interior of the cabinet is painted with French Linen Chalk Paint. 

 

 

The clean lines and color combination created quite a sophisticated look.  This cabinet is one of my most masculine makeovers and reminds me of an old doctor's cabinet or an apothecary.

I love horses and I found this ceramic one at a rummage charity sale last week.  He was cracked and chipped everywhere and was falling off his little stand.  I had to rescue him from his fated future at the dump.

 

I filled all the little cracks and chips with wood filler and reattached the horse to his base with Gorilla Glue.  I painted him with Coco Chalk Paint followed by a Graphite wash.

 

He looks regal now, atop the cabinet.

 

 

 

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Pretty Paloma Dresser

Paloma Chalk Paint is a soft, pretty, lavender with grey undertones.  Annie Sloan knows how to create beautiful colors!

I recently moved and I needed a dresser for my new room.  I had this old, black dresser in my closet at my previous house and decided to spruce it up and bring it out of the closet.

I love it so much more painted with pretty Paloma!  The crystal pulls and silver keyhole look lovely with this subtle shade of lavender.

I found the perfect pair of vintage lamps at a yard sale for $10 each.  They are actually brass, if you can believe it?  I have never seen brass lamps in this shape.  I love these unique, French shaped lamps so much, that I knew I would keep them for myself.

I love using Chalk Paint on metal because it adheres so well and looks so natural.  I painted so many layers of paint on these, that I do not remember the exact order or colors.  It was something like this:  Old Ochre base coat, French Linen second coat, a lot of distressing, then an old ochre wash followed by a little more Old Ochre with a dry brush.

I needed a mirror to complete my bedroom vignette.  I just went shopping at Loot and took home this large, shapely, vintage mirror that I painted a few months ago.  I got it for $10 at The Salvation Army.  The frame is a plastic material, not wood, but you would never know by looking at it now.  Chalk Paint does amazing things!  I painted one coat of Pure White on the mirror frame and finished it with a wash of French Linen.  Because the plastic frame was dark brown and had faux wood grain the one coat of Pure White makes the mirror look like white washed wood.

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