Rocking Chairs in Old White

I had a wonderful new client drop off this rocker a couple of weeks ago.  I must admit that when I saw it had a cane back and seat I was instantly stressed.  Cane takes forever to paint!!! But, the end product was worth it!  This piece turned out beautiful.

 Painting cane with a itty biity brush.... not fun.

 Here it is all complete.  (Her friend brought one over as well!)

Soooooo much "Old White" this week!!!

Coffee Table Before & After

Here is a quick before & after...

AFTER!

I gave this piece a few repairs and painted it in Annie Sloan's Old White.  Turned out gorgeous.  I recently sold it to a lady who then commissioned me to do a matching side table, and 2 rocking chairs.  I'm keeping busy!!!

Design Boards

One of my favourite things to do after the monkeys go to bed is to create design boards.  I have a zillion for my own home, so I love when I get to do some for other homes.  It's a challenge, becuase I am usually working with other people's pieces that they don't want to let go.  But it's great to be able to show people they can have a whole new room with just a few new additions.  

Here are a few that I worked on for a friend...

Painted Furniture and LOTS of pics!!

I still can't believe how much painted furniture I have seen in designer rooms these days.  It really has become a huge trend.  And, it's not just for us lovers of shabby chic, it really is for any style.

Tropical Dining Room by Miami Furniture & Accessories Custom Furniture World

Contemporary Kids by Woodbridge Interior Designers & Decorators Pierre Jean-Baptiste Interiors

Tropical Bedroom by Naples General Contractors London Bay Homes

Transitional Dining Room by Charleston Interior Designers & Decorators LORRAINE G VALE, Allied ASID

The best part of painted furniture, is you can save a ton of money by repurposing the pieces you have laying around your house.  No need to spend money on new pieces - just bring it back to life with a few coats of paint.

I have many clients who have heirloom pieces that are beat up and dated, but they can't bear to give it away or trash it.  So, the pieces end up wasting space and collecting dust in the basement.  Rather than have the piece be forgotten, I paint it, and they are proud to make it a part of their home.

Traditional Dining Room

Traditional Bedroom by Little Rock Interior Designers & Decorators Tobi Fairley Interior Design

Traditional Dining Room by Spring Architects & Designers Maison Market

Traditional Dining Room by Princeville Media & Bloggers Kasey Buick

My husband and I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this year.  In the first couple of years of marriage, we purchased a lot of quality furniture pieces with the mind set that it will last us forever.  After a couple of moves (okay, several moves) our pieces are banged up, and some are looking dated.  We spent so much money, I don't want to replace anything.  And, it's such a shame to sell the pieces for a fraction of what they are worth.

I hear this complaint all of the time.  Especially from folks that purchased that quality, 'Amish' made, honey oak furniture that was so popular 20 years ago.    The pieces really did stand true to their quality claims.  They look brand new, but unfortunately, the 'look' doesn't look so current.

These are the types of pieces that are fabulous to paint.  Give them new life, and they will last another 20 years.

Traditional Dining Room by Duxbury Design-Build Firms Joseph B Lanza Design + Building

Contemporary Dining Room by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Glenn Gissler Design

Traditional Kitchen by Victoria Architects & Designers jodi foster design + planning

Eclectic Spaces by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Story & Space - Interior Design and Color Guidance

Transitional Dining Room by Oakville General Contractors DW Homes Inc.

Contemporary Dining Room by Tel Aviv Photographers Yaniv Schwartz - Photographer

Repurposing furniture is not only thirfty, and eco- friendly, it's a way to be creative, and to have one of a kind pieces in your home that no one else has!

Eclectic Bathroom by Dallas Media & Bloggers Sarah Greenman

Transitional Bedroom by Toronto Architects & Designers Rad Design Inc

Beach Style Dining Room by Chatham Architects & Designers Polhemus Savery DaSilva

Eclectic Hall by Dublin Architects & Designers Optimise Design

All of my examples can be found on Houzz.com or by clicking on the pictures.
Do you have a piece of furniture that you would like painted?  Send me a note!!

Painted Hutch Before & After

Rememeber the guy that bought my black accent tables???  (blog post found here) 

I just finished up his first piece - the hutch.  It used to be that forest green stain that was only popular in the early 90s, but now, it's updated and gorgeous in black and beige.

Before:

After:

  

The exterior is painted in Annie Sloan Graphite.  The inside is Country Grey.

I did a layer of Country Grey beneath the Graphite so when I distressed the piece, you could see Counrty Grey, not forest green!! The drawer hardware was an awkward size, so I couldn't just replace it.  I would have had to do something like drill new holes, fill holes, use a black plate blah blah blah... no thanks.  I just painted them graphite and they look great!

Huge Trend!!

I can't believe what a trend painted furniture has become.  I was in Home Sense last night and was overwhelmed at the amount of painted pieces they had.  And even more overwhelmed at the prices!!!  They charge a fortune for this stuff.  

Before I started getting an evil eye from one of the staff, I snapped some pics of what they had on the floor.

I can do ALL of these finishes.... for half the price :)