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