Kidney Shaped Vanity in French Linen

Late in the 1800s a young man immigrated from Germany to the United States.  He settled in Ohio where he and his wife raised 2 sweet girls.  He commissioned with a furniture craftsman to make a vanity for each daughter.  After being loved by four generations of young women, I had the pleasure of acquiring this tired vanity.  

I did not start to work on it for almost a year.  I read, studied, and practiced on other pieces before approaching this treasure.  My initial plan was to paint the entire piece in French Linen so I didn’t bother to strip the top.  I figured it was too far gone.  However, as you can see, that plan changed.  The beautiful wood was so worth saving. 

My version of French Linen is Coco mixed with Paris Gray.  I highlighted the moldings with a dry brush of Old White, and did a very subtle wash of Old White over the entire piece.  After the clear wax, I used some dark wax in strategic areas to add depth and character.

She has not yet been adopted into a new family.  It was an honor to have such a special piece come into our home.  So for now,  I will keep her safe in our foster care.

Thanks for stopping by.

Robin

Linking to:

LilyFieldLife

Miss Mustard Seed

Classic French Dresser

I love finding quality, stylish pieces.  In this case, it was a Dixie French style dresser. 

The dovetail drawers, wood on wood drawer guides and wood dust covers were all the ‘buy’ signals for me.

By now, I guess you know I try to save the tops of pieces.  So this dresser was no different.  After I stripped it, this is what I found: 

What do you think?  Is that some beautiful grain, or what?

I kept the base simple, Old White.  I am diligent with the Shellac, but have noticed after painting and beginning the waxing process, the wax seems to pull off some of the paint.  When I want thorough coverage, I am not a fan of a streaky paint job.  Hmmm…what to do?  I added a small amount of Old White to the clear wax and that helped immensely.   

Does anyone have any other suggestions for keeping the paint from pulling off while waxing?  If so, please, please share!

Anyway, after some light distressing, dark walnut stain, and several coats of poly acrylic, this lovely old dresser was complete.

I was so thrilled to be able to include some flowers from my yard in my pictures.  Azaleas along with tulips are so lovely to see at the end of a long, cold winter.  But now, we’re in a hot summer…and my hydrangeas couldn’t be happier!

Thanks for stopping by…

Robin

Linking to:

LilyFieldLife

BlueEggBrownNest

StoneGable

MissMustardseed

Update:  I heard from Suzanne at The Painted Drawer and Fiona from LilyField Life, both very talented ladies.  One suggestion was to make sure the paint was completely dry before applying the wax.  Another suggestion was to lightly sand between each coat of wax, and make sure to use a very thin coat of wax applied with a soft cloth.  So I tossed my wax brush aside, used MMS wax (I find this easier to apply than Annie Sloan wax), and used a soft cloth to apply the wax.  I've just finished a Dixie Hepplewhite dresser in Old White and there was NO STREAKING!  

Thank you ladies!

My First Empire Styled Chest

I have long admired the beautiful transformation so many talented folks have done with Empire styled chests.  At long last, I acquired one and had an immediate vision for its transformation.  

The veneer needed a bit of repair work.  A little wood filler and lots of sanding took care of that.

I wasn’t sure if the top was salvageable. 

When working on a piece, if at all possible, I usually opt to restore some of the natural wood.  In this case, the top looked good after I stripped it so I applied my favorite dark walnut stain. This was my first attempt at using dark wax as the protective coat.  It took me a few days to feel okay with the choice, but I really like how warm and natural it kept the look of the gorgeous grain of the wood.  

After the prep work, it took 2 coats of ASCP Graphite to cover the base and drawers and then a light distressing.  I was really looking for a warm black, so I skipped the clear wax and went straight to the dark wax.  The dark wax deepens the color value of the Graphite.  

After the obligatory buffing (oy vey, there must be an easier way!),  the chest was done. I was pleased with the final results.  

And as always, those legs......

This lovely chest now has found a new home with Melissa and Carl.  It was such a pleasure working with Melissa and watching her develop a her own sense of design.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

A Tedious Makeover Done with Love

This post is dedicated to my dear daughter.  Your father and I couldn't be more proud...

A few months ago, my lovely daughter moved into a beautiful, but small apartment in NYC.  She was in need of a white chest for her bedroom.  Her color scheme is dark gray, white and pops of red for an accent.  When this chest appeared on CL, I responded right away.  I felt confident it was well made and as long as the width was right for the space, this was going to get an RPK makeover.  

When I spoke with the seller, I asked my usual questions:  Is the piece structurally sound?  Are the drawer guides wood on wood?  Do the drawers work well?  I got all of the right answers and headed over to the house to take a look and pick her up.  This was perfect timing! I had a few weeks to get this done before we headed up to NYC.  I was so excited!

When we arrived, I opened a drawer and this is what I saw:  

Oh my goodness!  Red spray paint on every square inch of the drawers!  I’m so excited about the shape, quality and size of the piece, I think “Aw, I can work with the red!”

My vision is a clean, Old White finish (no distressing) with clear knobs.  The original hardware  is a bit old fashioned for my daughter's taste, and a little sparkle would work well in her room.  I filled in the holes in the drawers and gave the chest a light sanding.

The more I looked at those drawers, I knew I had to ‘clean’ them up.  So I stripped them!  It took me a few days and a ton of elbow grease.  Sorry there are no pictures, but I wasn’t in the mental mind set to be snapping pictures.  I was in ‘determination’ mode. 

And heck, while I have the stripper out, let’s see what’s “under the hood” of the layers of paint on the top of the chest!  So I stripped and sanded the top!  (If anyone wants to send a therapist my way, it may be helpful!)  

After a week of prep, I finally started the painting.  I decided the top wasn't worth saving, so I painted it and the rest of the chest in Old White.  It took a few coats to get thorough coverage.  I waxed the body of the chest, but put polyacrylic on the top since she uses it a lot for makeup and others girlie things!  I thought it would clean up easier for her.

I like to rub a little bar soap to the drawer guides to ensure the drawers move smoothly.  

And here she is, all finished!

And look at those drawers!

But in our family, we can be jokers.  She knew I had been working on the piece, but hadn't seen any pictures.  So I sent her the following note with a "before" picture of the tan chest with red drawers:

don't u just love it???  i love the tan and the red drawers!  it will pick up the red accents in your bedroom!  see you Friday!

After a few moments of freaking out and wondering if her mother had completely lost her mind, she realized I was just pulling her leg!

It was a cloudy day on our way up to NYC, but as we approached the Holland Tunnel, I had to snap a picture of the Freedom Tower (in between teary eyes).

I’m so proud of my daughter and so proud to be an American. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin

The Other Sister

I am blessed to have a daughter (age 26) and son (age 23) so I’m not sure what sibling rivalry is between two girls.  I did purchase two girly vanities that needed some RPK love and I’m thinking there was some sibling rivalry between the two.

The first of the two I finished was done in a lovely French Blue, with some gold highlights.  

If you’re interested in the steps I took to transform her, you can read “here” about a similar vanity I reloved a few months ago.

I placed ads for the first vanity, French Blue Delight  and started on ‘her younger sister’, which we’ll call “The Curvaceous Victorian Sweetheart”.  

She was old, but had all the components to be a beauty.  I just received some ASCP Provence and started working with a mix of Old White with the Provence.  I settled with 1:2 Old White to Provence.  

My prep process is such:

1) Assess any necessary repairs.  In this case, she needed a piece added to the back portion of her top where a mirror once sat.  I sent this out to be professionally done.  When I got it back, I added some wood filler to close any gaps and then sanded to a smooth finish.  

2) Remove all hardware

3) Light sanding, brushing away any grit from the sanding with an old, soft paint brush and then wiping down with warm water with drop of detergent.  The cloth is barely damp…don’t want to get the wood soaking wet!  I know ASCP says no sanding necessary, but it is my way of really getting involved with the piece.  I see all of its nooks and crannies and if there is any real grimy dirt, I discover it as I’m sanding.  

4) If I am concerned with bleed through, I’ll then give the piece a coat of shellac.  In this case, I felt the Provence had enough pigment and the wood wasn’t that red mahogany color, so there shouldn’t be any bleed through.

Now that the ‘dirty’ work is done, comes the fun.  I flipped her over on the dolly and began painting.  

I like a look of thorough coverage, so after the first coat, I knew she needed a second coat. 

The curves and carvings on this vanity were screaming to be highlighted, so I did a dry brush treatment on the raised areas and inside the curved areas of the legs.

I also applied a very light wash of Old White over the entire piece.  I just add a small amount of water to OW, lightly apply it and then lightly wipe it off with a damp rag until I get the effect I am looking for.  

A little distressing, clear wax and the base is done. 

In the meantime, her older sister, French Blue Delight has not received any suitors.  It’s been about 10 days since the ad was posted…but I’m sure someone will come calling.  

And now I turn my attention to the inside of the drawers.  I think I may need a drawer intervention, but that will be another post.  These older pieces can often be very nasty inside.  I can’t, in all good conscience, put up a piece for adoption without knowing she is sparkly clean on the inside.  I do what I can to remove any stains (sanding, stripper, steel wool and mineral spirits).  Once I feel they are as blemish free as I can get them, I apply a coat of shellac.  Usually the outside of each drawer is not as nasty as the inside, so a light hand sanding and then a good wiping with mineral spirits cleans that up.

And now to the ‘jewelry’:  the hardware.  I painted the 4 lower knobs in the base color with a wash of Old White.  I thought she deserved a little sparkle, so I added crystal knobs to the two top drawers.

French Blue Delight gets a call…a suitor is interested!  They’ll be over in two days to take a look!  Yea!

The Curvaceous Victorian Sweetheart moves into the house for her ‘photo shoot’!  Ha!  I know my photography skills are lacking…but I can only learn one trade at a time…so painting is getting my focus now and learning to use a fancy camera will come later!  (Thanks for your patience!) 

It’s now time for the ‘suitor’ to come a callin’ for French Blue Delight.  When she arrives, this is what she sees:

We move the bench and small cocktail table aside so she can get a good look at Miss French Blue Delight, but she gravitates to Miss Curvaceous.  Oh no…!  What about French Blue Delight?  Nope…she falls in love with Miss CVS.  What’s a mother to do?  So the younger sister was asked out before the older sister…There weren’t any tears in this case, but I can imagine there have been mothers of two daughters who have had to deal with tears…  My heart goes out to you!

But take heart, because a week later, another suitor came for Miss French Blue Delight and they were both adopted into lovely families.  

I hope the step by step was helpful.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Robin