Aubusson Blue Vanity

I picked up this vanity last summer.  My husband was a little grumbly about it.  I had recently hit an estate sale and we were pretty overloaded with furniture at that point.  He did not want to bring home yet another piece.  But it had good bones and was structurally sound.  No repairs were needed.  I had to have it!

Yet, I had no thoughts or ideas as to how I would refinish it.  The finish was VERY orange in color and I knew right away that it had to go.  I sat on this piece for a long time waiting for inspiration to hit me.

One day I just randomly grabbed a can of paint from the shelf and started painting.  The color I chose was Annie Sloan's Aubusson Blue.  I liked this color, but I had never used it on anything before.  As I began to paint, I decided that I wanted to see wood against the Aubusson Blue.  I stained the drawers and the vanity top in Minwax Dark Walnut.  Dark Walnut is one of my favorite stains and I use it quite often.  

This piece is lightly distressed and finished in clear wax.  I replaced the large wooden drawer pulls with distressed bronze knobs and pulls.

I have to say, I am thrilled with the results.  I love all of the little details and character in this piece.  It has become one of my favorite pieces.  So without further ado, here is the final result!

Are you a fan of two-toned furniture or would you rather see the piece completely painted?

*************************************************************************

Linking up to the following parties:

   

****Be sure to follow The Painted Chest on Facebook!****

Antique Empire Wardrobe

I recently finished a piece for a client.  She was looking for a neat older piece to house her craft supplies.  I had just the perfect piece for her.  An antique empire wardrobe!

Cosmetically, it was in sad shape.  After all, it was made in 1919.  The old wood veneer was chipping and peeling off and someone had painted a white latex paint on it without using any primer.  Normally with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® there is no prep work required.  However, the latex was peeling badly all over so that required stripping and scraping this piece.

Pretty scary, huh?

I call this piece "The Beast" because it is so big and heavy and required so much work.  The wood was fairly damaged under the paint. We did our best to sand and fill what we could.  I painted with a lot of texture in an attempt to camouflage all of its bumps and bruises.

My client chose Paris Grey for the exterior and Provence for the interior.  It was finished in a clear wax without distressing.

Per the client's request, we added shelves to the wardrobe compartment.  She is going to have tons of storage space between the shelves and all of those drawers!

So what do you think?  Do you like the grey and turquoise combo?  I always love a fun color on the insides of a piece!

This post was featured at Redoux Interiors!

Be sure to "like" The Painted Chest on Facebook!

***********************************************************************

Linking up to the following parties: