Duck-egg Blue Dresser / Buffet

It must be the gorgeous weather we've been having!  Yep, all 30 hours of that great spring weather put a spring in my step and inspired my colour choices (sadly, the subzero temps and snow have reemerged from their gloomy labyrinth).  I custom mixed this gorgeous colour up, and I think it is perfect for the Easter season.  Light and bright, but still with some gray tones, it reminds me of duck egg.

I used chalkpaint, sanding in between coats for a smooth finish.  The piece was in fantastic condition, and a light sanding was all she needed for preparation.  No holes, no dings, no chips - yay~!

I decided to keep it simple.  Often I do a lot of 'highlighting' on pieces with carved detailing with lighter/darker complimentary colours.  But on this girl, I wanted the result to be understated, so all I did after finishing the painting was seal with a polyacrylic in a satin sheen.  I was going to wax, but I have to admit, I still find that waxing large surfaces (ie, the top of this 74" piece), gives a splotchy and uneven result.  I still use wax, especially on small pieces, but the poly gave a great and even finish, and Im very happy with it.

I bought new ceramic knobs.  They are white with a blue crazing effect.  Very cute and a great contrast with the blue.

I love the great height that this piece has.  It stands at 34" tall which is unusual for a vintage piece in this style (without having legs).  I find 31 or 32" is the norm.  I love tall furniture, I think it looks more stately and commanding.

The drawers have wooden inserts, after I stripped them of their old and dingy fabric, I applied some contemporary gray and white contact paper I have.  A cute little surprise.

There is lots of great storage space in the cupboards, I painted the bases and the backer board, but I left the side walls to add a hint of their original personality.

I was halfway through painting when I remembered to take the 'before' picture - Give me a 'woop-woop' if you have done this yourself!

Union Jack: The Sequel

Round two!  My other union jack dresser was pretty rustic and vintage inspired.  I went for a different feel with this one.  I wanted it to feel a little playful, a little retro, a little 'Andy Warhol pop culture'.

I used a lighter shade of blue, almost a duck egg, but combined that with the bold red.  Instead of painting the whole body of the dresser blue, I opted for white to keep it light and fresh.

  

The hardware is shiny silver.  I love the retro feel the little knobs give.  

Its pretty neat how you can work one flag so many ways!  Ive seen so many cool renditions of the Union Jack in Blogland.

linking up to savvysouthernstyle