A Little Sparkle with Black is Never a Bad Thing!

Old, tired, cracked and peeling veneer.  What can I say?

 But if you look closely, there are some beautiful carved details on each side and on the top drawer.

After lots of repairs (drawer guide replaced, veneer gluing and wood filling), a soft black was what the doctor ordered.  I used a combination of ASCP Graphite and General Finishes Lamp Black.  You might ask why combine them, RPK?  Well, I didn't want a deep black from the LB, but wanted a darker black than Graphite..So there you have it!

I didn't want the highlighting of the carved detail to be too gold, so I added a bit of my silver wax to the gold wax to make a champagne color of gilding wax.

And here's the sparkle....I love the knobs!

I've found there is always a lot of sanding needed when working with black.

And there it is...a gorgeous Chippendale style chest, reloved and ready for another 50 

years!

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Vintage Vanity/Desk in Antique White

I've done a lot in Antique White lately....and if you follow along, you know the drill.  Strip the top, shellac the base to keep from having any bleed through issues, and then paint, sand, paint, sand, paint, sand...and then finally paint and sand!  :)  A little light distressing to show off the gorgeous details.  Let the pictures speak for themselves:

The lovely lady who spotted this also inquired about some chairs and stools.  I had this stool in my inventory along with a classic Rose Back Mahogany chair:

Clean, pretty and classic....

Thanks for stopping by...

Robin

Linking Up At:

Miss Mustard Seed

Finding Silver Pennies

Elizabeth & Co

Vintage Chest in Need of Some Veneer Removal

I took in a pitiful looking vintage chest that had good bones, drawers worked well, but the veneer on the top was messed up.  I had not attempted to remove veneer up to this point in my "painting career". Oh, what the heck...let's give it a try.

It was a little tedious, but with some patience, and elbow grease, it all came off.  The wood underneath was not very pretty, so I painted the entire piece.

The base coat is Old Ochre, and the top coats are layers of a custom mix of Duck Egg nd a smidge of Provence.

I needed to replace the top knobs, so I chose crystal to complement the overall feel of the lovely, vintage look.

I loved the vintage look, so I opted to distress this piece more heavily than my general process or distressing around the edges.

The pulls were imperceptible, but with a little paint, you can see the lovely detail in them.

I tried some pretty white knobs, but the new owner opted for the crystal knobs.

She's going to use it in her new baby's room!  Isn't this fun?  I bet the original owner would be thrilled to know this piece has a new life with a new life!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Linking up at:

Elizabeth & Co

My First Mid Century Modern

Reloving vintage furniture has been a great joy to me for the past few years.  I've limited myself to classic chippendale, some early american and depression era furniture.  I came upon a mid century buffet a few weeks ago...and have long admired the transformations of others (especially Reeves @ The Weathered Door).  I decided to bring it home and give it a try.

A wonderful client spotted it when I posted this 'before' picture on my FB page and claimed it.  A few weeks later, and after some discussion, I sent her some of my own paint swatches....

Very professional looking swatches, wouldn't you agree!  Ha!  Anyway, it works for me and the folks that want a custom color....

Here is the finished piece....

I finished it with several coats of the General Finishes High Performance Satin Poly.  It leaves a lovely sheen without being to shiny!

I love the way it turned out....I know it's not everyone's style, but if you like straighter lines and are looking for the proverbial 'pop of color', this is a style and color for you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Linking up at:

Miss Mustardseed

Finding Silver Pennies

Elizabeth & Co.

Savvy Southern Style

French Linen for a French Dresser

When a client came over to pick up a desk and chair, she mentioned also needing a dresser for her bedroom.  I asked for forgiveness as I took her into my very messy shop.  I lifted the blanket off of this nine drawer dresser made by Dixie:

It was a little tired, but she felt confident that an "RPK Relove" could transform it.  Her vision was the same technique I used on this vanity which was mostly Paris Gray.

As I got into it, the Paris Gray on this piece started to look like a battleship....so the layering began.

Here is a picture of the one of the drawers before any top coats or glazes:

It's Old Ochre, Paris Gray, French Linen and then Old White.

The top stripped beautifully....original hardware....and here it is:

Although I started with one plan for this piece, the transformation evolved as I started to see it come to life.  The softening of the Paris Gray with French Linen and Old White really helped create a the final piece.

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Linking up at:

Miss Mustardseed

Vintage Side Tables

When I spotted this pair of vintage side tables (at the right price), I knew they would find a loving home soon after an RPK Relove.  

 I had already started the prep when the light bulb went off "Don't forget to take a Before Pic!"  Tada!

A little stripping and sanding of the top revealed another beautiful wood grain just screaming to be stained.

I used General Finished Java Gel Stain, with several coats of their High Performance Satin Poly.

A little light distressing....

Love the rungs....such pretty details with these older pieces...

And one small surprise as I put on the finishing touches...What slight difference do you see in these two pieces?

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Linking at:

Elizabeth & Co

Savvy Southern Style

MissMustardseed

More Antique White Furniture

I really do love playing with color, mixing colors, layering colors, and just generally experimenting!  But for some reason, Antique White has been occupying my color palette these days.  This lovely 3 piece set from National Mt Airy, late 1950s era, was decidedly going to be soft whites...especially when the tops stripped so beautifully.

For this set, I tried a few new things....The stain on the tops is General Finishes Brown Mahogany.  It is a beautiful warm brown...not as dark as Minwax Dark Walnut and definitely not as dark at General Finishes Java Gel.  

I'm really enjoying their stains and will do another post at a later time about using them, and the pros & cons of their gel stains.  I finished the top with 4 coats of their High Performance Satin Poly.  The satin provides a soft sheen...not a glossy finish.

The pieces received a very light coat of Van Dyke glaze...which I've found a little tricky to use.  I put the flat high performance poly on the base, lightly sanded, applied another coat of poly, lightly sanded and then the glaze.  With a damp cloth in one hand, and a small artist's brush in the other, I applied the glaze, and then immediately wiped it off....allowing it to settle into the grooved areas.

The structure of the drawers was interesting in that there appeared to be 12 drawers, when in reality there were only 8 drawers.  All of the pieces had the original hardware.

If you are a regular follower, you know I have an obsession about the interiors of drawers...and these were no different.  They cleaned up beautifully....

A very lovely woman saw the dresser posted on my Facebook Page and decided the three pieces needed to come live with her!  :)  That always warms my heart!

As I write this post, all of my lovely blue hydrangeas have begun to turn brown....so sad to know summer is winding down.  But for now, I'm thankful for every day that is not freezing, sleeting and snowing!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

Linking up at:

Finding Silver Pennies

Elizabeth & Co

Savvy Southern Style

Miss Mustardseed