Ornate White Dresser

Believe it or not, I have done this exact same dresser before (here)!  About a year ago I found and fell in love with this dresser and painted it a turquoise/blue

So when I saw the same dresser again, I snapped it up super fast!

I decided to paint this one out white, which was very similar to a similar style of dresser I painted (here) which also had beautiful hardware.  I used a pure white and did many coats. I absolutely adore the vertical hardware, and the ornate raised detailing.

Getting the paint into all of that raised detailing took ALOT of work!  I think each drawer took about 8 minutes to paint per coat!  Very time consuming, but the end result looks great.

I custom added the legs, which is something I didn't do to the other version of this dresser I did.  I love the extra height it gives.  The dresser now stands at over 35" tall.  I like the extra versatility it gives, as it no longer looks only like a dresser.  It could easily be used in another room.

I used a technique on the hardware to get a pewter type of look by spray painting with silver and than glazing with black.  It contrasts nicely with the white.

Lots of pictures, I know!

There are six drawers, all very large.  I love that when they are closed you almost think they are cupboards, than you open up and go 'wow, these are drawers not cupboards!'  Very exciting.  ;)

Here is a close up of the hardware, all the blackish bits are where the glaze really got into the grooves and divots.

And of course, the before! I remembered to snap a pic.

CURRENTLY FOR SALE, VISIT MY ETSY SHOP HERE!

'Many Coats of Red' Dresser

This dresser was a beast to finish.  Oh my word.  It was very average when I picked her up.  Short (having no legs), and bland.  Just a boring old ‘forget-me-please’ waterfall dresser.  It was free though, so I was determined to jazz her up.

I started by adding the legs, first I added these big chunky blocky type legs, but they stuck out too far on the sides and back, so I traded for these more delicate ones.  I then (with the help of Mr. Chuckles) added the trim on the bottom to cover up the annoying trademark waterfall dresser curve.  Lastly I filled all the holes as I knew I was going to add lots of knobs.

Ok, time to start painting.  I tested my paint, and as I feared it went on like stain (next to no coverage)  I use Dulux Diamond because it dries rock hard and has great adhesion, but Im beginning to realize that in their darker colours, the coverage is pretty paltry. If I wanted stain, Id buy stain.

So I decided to prime with a darker colour.  I custom mixed up some primer first in red (but it looked too pink), so I added some gray and it created a sort of purple/gray colour. It’ll do I thought.  The problem was that when it dried it was actually quite dark.  Consequently my ‘red’ paint when on looking more like burgundy due to the dark primer lurking underneath. 

  
In the end it took about 5 coats of red paint plus the coat of primer.  That makes for a sore wrist.  I topped her off with some black glaze and finished her up with a good sand/distressing and a coat of poly.   I think she turned out pretty well considering where she started from, but lordy, Im doubtful I will use up the rest of that red paint anytime soon.

Below is the before, you'll notice she is doing a headstand.

Bedset in Coral

I leaped out of my comfort zone with this colour!  I picked up this contemporary bedroom set.  The Longboy and the Armoir were so lovely and en-trend, that they escaped my paint brush altogether.  The nightstands however, were in pretty rough shape.  And the headboard, well, it was kinda bland.

I found this lovely paper a few weeks ago and had a vision to use it on a headboard and nightstands, so when I caught a glimpse of this furniture I decided to put my matchmaking skills to the test.

I thought about painting the furniture gray and having the paper ‘pop’ off, because I think coral goes with gray nicely.  But I have painted things in gray before.  What I haven’t done is paint things in coral!

Everything got a good distressing to ‘age things up’ a bit.

I love the original hardware on these cabinets.  So unique.

I think I will definitely be using coral again.  Very happy with it!


linking up to:





savvysouthernstyle

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

Striking Turquoise Dresser

If you have looked through my blog, then you have seen a very similar piece before, ok, maybe even two.  I just love raised detailing on dressers, it adds such interest, especially once it is painted out.

I have a lot of natural light on this dresser, so it looks 'I need sunglasses' bright.  In reality it is quite a deep shade of turquoise, mostly blue, but with a subtle shade of green as well.

I left some of the wood to poke through on the detailing to add some depth.  I also did a bit of accenting with white and yellow.

The hardware was in really bad shape, I thought I was going to have to spray paint it, I started to give it a light sand so the paint would have something to grab onto, when I noticed it started to sparkle underneath.  It was quite magical, I just lightly sanded and in the process polished up the hardware.  This pic below shows the after and the before.

Turquoise End Tables

Ah Turquoise.  My favorite colour.  Sigh.  I was lucky enough to find these guys a couple of days after I found their big sister (see my earlier post).  I finished them in my favorite colour :) and distressed and let some of the wood poke through.

I made a custom chalk paint for these, and finished with clear wax.  It buffed to such a lovely sheen.

Turquoise Again!

I fell in love with this Sklar-Peppler dresser as soon as I saw it.  It was in fantastic condition, but the brownish colour was pretty uninspiring.  

I decided to pull out my favourite shade of turquoise and make her over.  

She also features small highlights of various shades of blue and some yellow to accent with the hardware.  

The oak grain is still visible through the paint which is something I really love about oak.  It adds a depth and almost gives the furniture a stained-like quality.

I love the swirly detailing on her drawers and cupboards.  I gave her a mild distressing.

Here is a before shot, you can see how lovely she was in her original state too.  It was almost a shame to paint her.  
Almost.  :)

Superbly ornate 6 drawer dresser

I fell in love with this piece when it cast its sad eyes in my direction.  Located in a dusty old used shop, it was brown, dirty and old,  it was instant chemistry.

I gave her the usual overhaul, and I just love how lovely it turned out.  So big and so bold!  I think the hardware is so cool. She is a blue turquoise and features some distressing to show the awesome wood through.  I love the texture of these pieces (Spannish Style?) and snap them up whenever I find one.  The vertical hardware is so unique.