Spring Dresser in Mustard Yellow

I am sharing a dresser created by the talented, Darielle from D.D.'s Cottage Blog. I sent her some green rose knobs from my online store: www.relovedliving.com and she paired them with Miss Mustard Seed's Mustard Yellow for a fresh, spring makeover.  I love the mustard yellow paired with green roses.

You can even see this piece featured here on Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Blog.

To see more pictures of this lovely transformation visit D.D.'s cottage! 

To order decorative knobs for your own creative projects please visit my online store: Reloved Living.

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!

The Painted Sofa

Nancy and I just painted the upholstery on this gorgeous chesterfield sofa in the same home that we transformed a dining set, that you can see here.  Our clients recently purchsed this brand new, home and decided to reuse the furniture they had, so they hired us to make their pieces fit in their stylish, new space.

The shape and tufting of this chesterfield sofa are lovely and we were happy that they wanted to salvage it, rather than purchase a new couch.  

The microfiber upholstery was well-worn and stained from years of use by three small children.

The beige upholstery looked drab against the pale grey walls and they wanted a richer color.  We mixed Primer Red, Graphite, and Florence Chalk Paint® together to create this deep plum hue. 

The key to painting upholstery with Chalk Paint® is to first, mist the fabric lighty with water. It also helps to thin the paint with water before applying it and letting it dry thoroughly between coats. This ensures that you get even coverage that will soak into the fabric itself and not the material below it.  Thinning the paint with water also prevents thick coats that dry crusty.  

It took us at least three watered-down coats of paint to get this perfect coverage.  This is what the sofa looked like after the paint and before we applied the wax.

Annie Sloan's Clear Wax really gave the upholstery a polished look and deepened the color.

The fabric now has the look and feel of a soft, supple leather.

This chesterfield looks luscious in the new, deep, chocolate-purple color.  It is the perfect complement against the cocoa-colored hardwood floors and the pale, grey walls.

Check back next week to see their daughters' bedroom transformations!

Amazing Chalk Paint® Transformation on Oak Kitchen Cabinets

A few months ago, I was hired to paint the dated, oak cabinets in this spacious kitchen.  The owners wanted a custom look without replacing all the cabinetry, which would be quite costly in a kitchen this size.  

Before

The kitchen looked drab and uninviting before, with the heavily grained oak overpowering the whole space. It was definitely the perfect time for a fresh look in this kitchen.

After

After scrubbing the cabinet doors with an orange oil cleaner, I applied three coats of Old Ochre Chalk Paint® to cover the open grain of the oak. I sanded all the doors using super fine, 600 grit sandpaper before painting the third coat.  After the final coat of paint, I used 220 grit sandpaper to sand all the edges, adding dimension to the drawers and doors. When all the sanding was done, I applied two coats of Annie Sloan's Clear Wax over the paint and the finish turned out smooth and silky.

The man of the house, who happens to be a contracter with an eye for detail, was fairly skeptical that Chalk Paint® would live up to its reputation as the best paint in the world.  I think he was also a little bit doubtful in my ability to handle painting a kitchen this large all by myself and, although I did not let it show, I was a bit doubtful myself (my business partner sprained her ankle the first day on the job). However, by the time I finished painting all the cabinets, he was singing praises!

The old linoleum was replaced with a rich, dark, hardwood, which offers the perfect complement to the creamy cabinetry.

Initially, the owners were considering replacing the tile countertops with a solid surface, like granite, but after seeing the painted cabinets paired with the tile, they love the combination and decided to keep the tile.

They put iron cup pulls and knobs on the cabinetry, which definitely added to the new custom look of the kitchen.

 Old Ochre is a beautiful, soft color and it brings much needed warmth to this spacious kitchen.

Another enhancement the owners added to the cabinetry, is the lovely crown molding on top. This is such a small detail, but it made a monumental improvement to the look of the kitchen cabinets. 

The final improvement to this kitchen was replacing the boxed-in flourescent light with an elegant iron light fixture.  What a lovely kitchen we created together!

Chalk Paint® on Fabric Chairs

One of my clients needed immediate help making her two vintage chairs presentable for houseguests coming to stay with her in a week.  She did not want the expense of reupholstering the chairs and she did not have the time to get it done before the houseguests arrived.  

I suggested she try painting the fabric on the chairs with Chalk Paint®, so she hired me to come out and give it a try! 

She found these solid, well-built chairs at an antique shop. She loved the size and shape, but had always planned on replacing the fabric, which was a heavily stained, pale yellow linen.  

I used Old White on thechair fabric and Pure White on the legs. The Chalk Paint® covered the fabric, making the chairs look brand new!

You can even see the texture of the linen through the paint.

It was a time consuming process, but definitely worth it in the end.  I painted the first coat with Old Ochre Chalk Paint®, but after I got it on the chairs, my client decided she wanted the fabric to be lighter, so I painted the next two coats of paint with Old White. I applied a total of three coats of Chalk Paint® sanding the entire chair with 220 grit sandpaper, on a sanding block, between each coat.  I used a damp cloth to remove all the dust from sanding between coats.  The sanding made the fabric feel smooth and soft and removed any crusty areas. After the third coat of paint dried, I applied a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax to seal and protect the fabric.  

It does not look like the fabric is painted and it feels soft and durable.

Nursery Furniture Redo

 

An expectant mother hired me to transform a cradle and an armoire for her baby's nursery.

 

 

She found the petite, vintage armoire on craigslist.  It is the perfect scale for a nursery, but required a cosmetic intervention.

 

She wanted the piece to look shabby and distressed. I painted one coat of Paris Grey Chalk Paint® with a dry brush to allow the dark stain to show through.  I used a little Old White Chalk Paint® on the trim to show off the lines and details.  After the paint dried, I did a bit of distressing all over with sandpaper. 

 

I sealed the finish with Annie Sloan's Clear Wax. 

 

My client said this adorable cradle had been in her family a long time.  She just wanted it to be simple, shabby, and white.

 

 

I painted it with two coats of Old White Chalk Paint and finished the cradle with an all over, light distressing, to add to its vintage charm.

 

Whitewashed Vintage Dresser

 

The last time I visited my family in Sacramento, I found this awesome pair of old dressers on caster wheels at a yard sale.  I do not come across such stylish dressers often, let alone two at a time! 

 

I was so excited and the woman I bought them from was happy when I told her that I fix up furniture.  She asked me if I was going to paint them white.  I thought about it and realized that when I started fixing up furniture, it seemed like I painted everything white.  I rarely paint anything plain white anymore, but I thought this dresser would look pretty in a simple white finish.  I decided to do white with a twist by adding a French Linen wash over Pure White Chalk Paint®.



 

 

The top was scratched, gouged and well-worn.  I patched the uneven spots with wood filler and then sanded it smooth before painting.

 

I love the long legs on these dressers and the fan detail on the second drawer.

 

I like the contrast of the original dark hardware and caster wheels against the new white washed finish. 

 

I used a dry brush and only applied one coat of Pure White Chalk Paint, so that the dark stain beneath would show through and add depth to the finish.  After the Pure White dried, I mixed the French Linen 50:50 with water to create a wash and brushed it over the white.  I used a rag to wipe off and blend the wash over the white.  I left the wash darker over the fan detail on the drawer front to accent the piece.  I completed this piece with Annie Sloan's Clear Wax for a soft, smooth finish.

 

 

While this is not a true white wash finish, it is a great way to create a white washed look over wood that is in poor condition and has been patched with wood filler.  I would not have been able to do a white wash over the wood filler, without it showing through.  The dry brush provided more coverage over the imperfections and the French Linen wash blended it all together.