Go Bold or Go Home!!
Did you know that some designers will recommend looking in your closet for color and style inspiration?
Well… these are my daughters shoes… she does not take after me with regard to apparel choices (just sayin’)… I remember her asking me to buy these for her (some years ago)… the conversation went something like this:
Sierra: Mom look at these shoes… aren’t they AWESOME!!
Me: Uh… are you serious? (me laughing)
Sierra: YES… would you please buy them for me?
Me: Nooo… you’ll never wear those shoes, they look like clown shoes!
Sierra: No they don’t!!! I will wear them, I promise! Please…I LOVE them!!!
Me: How about this… if you wear them more than 7 times then I will pay for them, but if you wear them less than that you have to pay me back?
Sierra: OK! I will wear them, don’t you worry…
She wore them just enough times not to have to pay me back. Although she still insists she loves them I don’t see her wearing them anymore… a part of me thinks she got them just because I didn’t like them… you know how that goes right?!
So Sierra is going to be a sophomore at Radford University this Fall and needs bedroom and living room furniture for her first apartment… lucky for her I just happen to know “someone”… yes… it’s ME!
She is totally in charge of color etc., I’m just here to help her put her vision onto the pieces. So up first is her bedroom set (bought on Craig’s List), which looked like this when I bought it…
It is a Bassett 9 drawer dresser, in great condition, with feminine lines.
and a mirror…
and a headboard…
Here are the colors she choose… Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Florence and Cream, both of these colors are new for me so I am excited to use them!
We flipped the dresser over onto a table in order to paint it upside down, I find it’s easier to paint this way, having it elevated makes it super easy on the back!
We painted the dresser with two coats of the Cream chalk paint and then flipped it over to finish the top. I removed the old varnish and stain by sanding down the top with 100/150/220 grit sandpaper. After removing the dust with a tack cloth I applied a coat of Dark Walnut stain, waited 10 minutes then applied a coat of Kona stain let that sit for a while and then wiped the piece down (wiping with the grain) with a paper towel.
Look how pretty it is already!
The drawers got two coats of Florence chalk paint and some Cream chalk paint accents. We went through a few variations / test runs on the drawers, but in the end I think she made a good choice.
I also think we made a great choice by painting them inside, although dinner was not served in the Morning Room that night… oops! Seriously… it was WAY too muggy to paint in the garage!
We also painted the knobs inside using Martha Stewart’s Metallic Polished Silver paint. After they were dry we applied a coat of Martha Stewart’s Black Coffee Glaze and wiped it off leaving residue in the “cracks”. I sprayed two coats of clear protective finish on them to maintain the finish.
We distressed the pieces with 220 grit sandpaper (most definitely an outdoor process) then waxed and buffed them (we did THAT inside!!)
I finished the top off with three coats of satin polyurethane, lightly sanding in between each coat.
The final results!
The “special effect” on the mirror was created by our LOVELY Richmond weather… so gross & muggy!
A close-up of the top I worked so hard on…
I LOVE how the knobs turned out… my favorite knob redo so far…
I am thrilled at how good the distressing on the drawers looks too…
I love the drawer and knob combination!
I think we will leave the mirror unattached and just hang it on the wall with a cleat…
I really love this piece and I hope she will take care of it so she can enjoy it for many years… however I wish she would hire some movers to help her get this into her new apartment because even without the drawers this sucker is H-E-A-V-Y!!
Thank goodness the headboard is light… again took a little trial and error to get the color combination just right…
Love the beautiful soft curves on this piece…
Most importantly though Sierra LOVES these pieces too… I think she’s a lucky young lady!!! She is REALLY glad that they are done 
Thanks for stopping by… until next time!!!
Linking to these great parties!
Bella Nest, Sumos Sweet Stuff, Coastal Charm, Between Naps on the Porch, Primitive and Proper, The Ivy Cottage Blog, Elizabeth & Co., Savvy Southern Style, Domestically Speaking, Restore Interiors, My Romantic Home, French Country Cottage, 2805, Chic on a Shoestring, Miss Mustard Seed
Posted on July 19, 2012, in Furniture and tagged Annie Sloan chalk paint, ASCP Cream, ASCP Florence, Bassett Dresser Painted, Blue and cream painted dresser, chalk paint dresser, Martha Stewart Painted Knobs, painted dresser, Painted French Dresser. Bookmark the permalink. 57 Comments.
I love, love this piece. You did such a great job, I love the colors.
Cynthia
Yay! That means a lot coming from you!
Wow!!! That turned out fabulous! I love the color combinations. I use the Coco a lot, but which I had a place in my home to put some Florence. Such a beautiful color. She can treasure those pieces for many years.
Thanks Kathy! But there is always room somewhere for this this blue
this is so cool…i just finished a table and did three coats of ascp in old white…and then dark wax….3 thin coats….then buffed ….it will be on my blog I hope tonight….what do you think the best top finish will be….going over dark wax….for a dining table…learning and new on blogging…..love love can I say amazing update and makeoverr…with love….
You are awesome! Thanks for the love! As far as your table goes I’m not sure… I rarely put anything on top of wax as waxing is my last step. Did I misunderstand what you are trying to do? I can’t wait to see the finished product!
Susan
It’s beautiful – she IS a lucky young lady! Love the knobs.
Thanks Deb! I do too… They came out sooo much better than I imagined!
Wow, Sierra is going to have the best looking apartment at college! The top of the dresser is beautiful and what a fun color combination! Lucky girl!
I know! I literally had a papasan, a few milk crates and a crappy melamine dresser when I moved out!
Gorgeous
Thanks Toni! The Florence reminds me of your living room color!
I knew when I read the first two sentenced which shoes you were referring. I love the dresser. Part of me wants to copy you because I have a dresser I need to refinish. It’s amazing. How awesome it is that Sierra had a mom like you!
I’m glad you love the dresser, it’s funny you remember the shoes!
Susan
Love, love, love it!!! Wow… she’s going to have one amazing room!
Thanks Kathryn! She will at least have the most “unique”
Absolutely gorgeous – and definitely family heirloom worthy!
Hugs,
Suzan
Thanks Suzan! I hope she can keep it in good shape… college kids are hard on their stuff
thank you fr kind words on my blog…and croc on with paint..
I nominated your blog for One Lovely Blog Award. Look at my blog.
Cynthia
Love the color combination! Great job!!
Thanks so much for linking up to our little party!! That looks fabulous! You were so daring with the color and it worked great!! Good eye! Hope you’ll come back for the final party this Friday…..boohoo! We’ve had SO much fun seeing all the great projects!!
Seriously, this is one beautiful piece and you did a fabulous job! Thank you for sharing. Visiting from Coastal Charm. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-7.html Hope you join in the bash! Wishing you a grand week! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Thanks for the kind comment & I’ll see you at your party!
Gorgeous color!! Love the re-do.
They are beautiful! She is a lucky girl to have such a talented mom! Oh, and you are way nicer than i would be with the shoes. No way would I have bought them.
Megan… You are sweet! Thanks for the kind words…
The colors are gorgeous! I absolutely love that dresser! Your daughter is so lucky.
Angela
Thanks Angela… I think she knows how lucky she is…
beautiful, susan! you know i love the bold color choice- it’s gorgeous!
What a beautiful set! I love the color combo and that wood top is to die for!
I LOVE it! great color choice, and the top is perfect. Do you mind if I share it on my before and after Friday feature?
Thank you! That would be great!
You did an amazing job! Beautiful colors and the top is stunning!
Thank you! It’s now my new favorite
This dresser is SO neat! I love the contrast of colors! Found you through POWW.
Your daughter will be able to use this set the rest of her life. I love what you did to the top.
Came over from Elizabeth & Co,
Distressed Donna Down Home
Very nice job on your daughters set. Bold is Beautiful!
That dresser is so pretty in those colors. Thanks for sharing it all at Wow.
Love, love, love this! It would be perfect for my main bedroom make over! Thanks for the inspiration! x J
Wow it is absolutely fabulous! I love the color combo and the distressing; thanks so much for sharing! p.s. I found your post via the Nifty Thrifty Tuesday party at Coastal Charm!
Nice to meet you, and God Bless!
Thanks Jess! I always appreciate nice feedback
I love, love the way the dresser and the hedboard turned out. You guys did a fantastic job. I really like the way you layered the stains on the top of the dresser. I would never have thought of doing that but I love the effect. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Taunnie! I also did the same on a dining room table, although it wasn’t planned that way! Thanks for visiting!
Gorgeous! I’ve not used these two AS colors, but they are so pretty together! Sierra will have the coolest apartment on campus!
It is bold and it is beautiful! Lovely job! Thanks for sharing at Potpourri Friday!
Very cool. It’s amazing you had this vision when you saw it. So creative! Great job!!
Gorgeous!! I love the color combo. I’ve never tried using two different stains. Does that just give it more dimension?
Gorgeous!! I love the color combo. I’ve never tried using two stains. Does that just give it more dimension?
Thanks Stephanie! Layering the two stains doesn’t really add more dimension as much as it just changes the color & tone of the first stain that was applied. This works only when starting with a light stain then adding a dark stain on top. It gives it a custom color and I like that.. hope this helps!
Thanks for linking up! I’ll be featuring this on my blog tomorrow!
http://www.sumossweetstuff.com
Sumo:)
A beauty!
Absolutely gorgeous! I am a girl who loves bold colours. It’s so fabulous!
These are stunning! I love the color combo! Good for you and thanks for sharing!
Elisa
home sweet nest
Beautiful!! My daughter sounds like a lot like yours. Her room is a beautiful riot of color. She’s only 9, so I’m working to mold her tastes so they’ll eventually be elegant. I just painted her dresser a similar blue to yours with silver handles, so of course I adore your version (which is superior to mine). Lovely work.
Thank you Miranda! And I think it is so great that at 9 your daughter knows what she likes… I’m sure her dresser is beautiful!
I love this piece! I have a dresser that looks very similar to that sitting in my garage right now and I think I just might use this as inspiration for that! Thanks for sharing.