There’s no mistaking my obsession with 1920’s spindle legged dressers. If I can find one, and it’s not beyond repair, you can bet on selling it to me to transform. Here’s the latest and what was done to make it super cool.
This post contains several pieces that turned out particularly well and may be brief comments on each. Before pictures are sadly absent. Eagerness to make frequent posts is waning a bit this year. My obsession with the hobby has not, rest assured.
I use Sherwin-Williams paint to-go to make my own DIY Paint. I’m considering a transition to their Emerald line of paint that requires no topcoat. It’s being used now and then to see if I like it.
My first piece in red. You’ve seen these 100 year old pieces at thrift markets. They are typically beat to hell. The ones I paint are no exception. I can count on leaving the top and the legs natural wood. The unique hardware is worth what was paid for the whole piece – $25! The front emblem had to be highlighted somehow and also the back piece detail. So I did by blending with pink in the center.
But can you see the slight variations in colors on the drawers? Totally not on purpose but I’d do it again.
First, the first coat of paint contained pink center blended drawers, yeah like rare meat, lol. The second coat therefore was straight up rustic red (Sherwin Williams). Instead of a 3rd coat for total solid color, I left it and I love it. Note to self, remember it as a technique on purpose for another piece. Ornate pieces are simply no-good with out glazing or shading of some kind. The entire piece got an glaze treatment General Finishes Van Dyke Brown cut with Flow-Trol, (that makes it easier to work with).
The second blooper was applying the wrong sheen topcoat. Lesson learned, dark colors do not get satin sheen or else it looks like lacquer, bald head shiny. It’s the first time for me using General Finishes Dead Flat. It bailed me out!
Earlier this year, I bought this color paint, Sherwin Williams Toasty, based upon predictions for 2024 hot colors. Spring and summer just didn’t seem like the right time to use it. Just to try it out, this $10 dresser made a good piece to experiment. Glazing was so easy on the Rustic Red piece, for some reason it was easier than when I did it a few years ago, so I did it again. I’ve never glazed over a transfer before. General Finishes glaze hardens up quickly, which is why I cut it with Flo-Trol, and it’s perfect for going over the slick (Elegant Neutrals) transfer surface. Dark chocolate brown tops have become standard styling pretty much. This time, like almost all of my pieces, the body is sealed using General Finishes Flat sheen and the top in Satin.
A friend from Business and Professional Women’s groups of years past, reached out for a makeover for this vanity/desk. Looking at it now, it seems something missing from the top drawer but I still love the way it turned out. It’s inspired by a design I posted earlier. Paint it like that she said. The drawers are slightly lighter than the body – just slightly. Customary dark chocolate brown painted top – only when the top is not fit for refinishing.
If pairs can be found it’s a great day in the thrifting world. When I can find them, distressed black usually sell fast. I use Sherwin-Williams Black Magic which has a brown undertone that I love and General Finishes Flat sealer. The trendy knobs from Hobby Lobby made a cool difference.
It’s a cheap lightweight piece hardly worth the time and paint but, you know, I felt sorry for it. There is no use to making it elaborate so it got a easy coats of Sherwin-Williams Sea Serpent. Is it Navy or is it Teal? It keeps you guessing and that’s what I love about the color.
Seems like this piece could have been designed and painted more elaborately. But then sometimes simplicity is very attractive. I love the color my friend wanted. This is a yummy blue blend call Blustery Skies. Bar handles for the bottom drawers are easy to find at Menards but the knobs on the top weren’t that easy. I wanted 2 size knobs, smaller for the 6 top and medium for the 2 right below. No can find of the same design. Yes, I looked the internet high and low so I settled on these found at Hobby Lobby. I guess they are okay.
These 1920’s chest of drawers on spindle legs are the shining star of the bedroom – after a makeover I mean. The rest of the room can be ho hum. Add one of these and Bam, Poof, Wow it’s an entirely different room. As is the case with this one.
After a good washing and sanding of the drawers for smooth sliding, she gets an overall coat of rich, warm Latte by Sherwin Williams (see my DIY chalk paint recipe). The gorgeous details look kind of bland.
The dark wax is added using a small stiff artist paint brush directly over chalk paint. That way the wax adheres better and becomes permanent faster. There is plenty of time during the process to manipulate it as desired using baby wipes. The wax needs to set up overnight before it’s sealed with your favorite brand, other wise it might dissolve and smear.
Remember when smoking was done INSIDE the house? When there were ashtray stands by the recliner and on each side table? This is what chain smoking in the bedroom in the 70’s did to a dresser.
Seriously, I really thought this was a yellow laminate dresser. The cleaning started as usual until a bit of white started to peek through. No way, it’s really white!?
This is the first smoke stain of this severity I encountered so I was puzzled what to do to ensure a good paint job. What I did worked, and it didn’t amount to anything unusual, except a bit more elbow grease. The sponge I was using was switched out for a 3M pad. Different cleaners were tried but they all performed the same, so I continued with the Awesome All Purpose I get from ACE Hardware. Twice.
Then I primed using one coat of the Dixie Belle BOSS BONDING primer. It says that 2 coats of the primer may be needed, but I’m a rebel that way. If I can get away with one coat, I’m trying. So I did and it worked to block the stain!
Whatever you are in to, there is a plethora of vintage ads for a decoupage collage. For me, it is a therapeutic creative project to do. Collect some magazines and fetch a plain faced piece of furniture. Scroll down for some more inspiration and ideas.
The best collage installations are themed. Choose one like
The ideas are endless but hopefully those will spur some creative juices. Then go treasure scavenger hunting for images. Due to it’s weight, the best image paper for decoupage installations comes from magazines. Books can have great images but be watchful of too thick (heavy) paper.
There is an idea in my head I’ll probably never do but . . . I’d love if some one else collected vintage sewing pattern package images to make a collage – maybe on a sewing cabinet, wouldn’t that be cool?!
No one does decoupage better than Roycycled. Browser her extensive portfolio of video’s and papers. It’s mind blowing!
Cut and arrange them to fit in the size of the intended surface. Trim and re-arrange to get the look and balance you like. Over lapping edges is perfectly acceptable but gaps between images is not. I choose to cut images for exact placement edges to edge. I’m crazy that way. SNAP A PICTURE once the arrangement is finalized as a reminder how exactly is goes together.
If you are a sports fan, it’s DEEEE-troit. If said in a non-sports context is Da-troit. I love my Motor City, the history, growth, struggles, and recovery. I also love the muscle cars it built. If there are vintage magazines at a sale, you can count on a perpetual buyer in ME. The best ones for car ads is Life Magazine, mid-fifties.
Style and design inspiration can be tough for plain, no detail, no character pieces. This is one of those but for the faux rivet heads on the feet. I’m growing to like these dressers as is but the orange is still to hard to take on the eye.
It was a free bee from my estate sale friends at Family Treasures. They sold my Dad’s household belongings in 2016, (time flies) and I maintain their website. Sometimes furniture remains unsold after a sale. Denise knows what I look for and popped it in a bundle for me to buy.
Using the faux rivets at the feet and it’s overall vintage aesthetic, there are still a hundred choices for it’s makeover. The style I settled to aim for is Cabin Chic, reminiscent of Michigan Up North cabins. That’s what it looks like to me, but the knobs have to go!
I considered sage green first, nixed that for a deep latte color (even bought the paint for it), jumped to super dark green and, eventually making the circle back to this sage green. It’s Green Onyx by Sherwin Williams made into my DIY chalk paint. There is subtle dark brown shading around the drawers, side and top edges for a little age effect.
BTW, visioning, imagining and deciding furniture makeovers is my #1 mind go to shift when negative thinking takes hold. It works! it gets me out of my own head and into something more tangible. This is one reason I believe art is important to humans.
Staging with accessories of the cabin chic style make a huge difference in how it comes across in my booth. I’m learning to thrift items specifically aimed at a staging style.
Earlier this summer I won an online auction lot containing fishing related objects, (i.e. the boat lamp, vintage wood toy sail boat, a fisherman’s pocket watch and these kitchy cabin fishing signs) and way before this dresser came along. These items became very useful inspiration for painting a cabin looking dresser. The 2 framed duck prints were picked at the local St. Vincent just last week. Lucky ME!
The side by side dresser is a bit smaller than the usual. It’s 48″ wide, not too big and not too small and is available for purchase.
Check out this true peasant to princess transformation. I nearly passed on this cute dresser, borderline rickety. Making drawers slide well and easy is not my favorite thing to do. Some of the very old and cheaply made pieces will never function like modern ones, but I do my best. I sanded down the drawers, the opening and, used flat metal pushpins to act as a slider surface. That is about the best one can do without completely re-engineering. No, I didn’t remove the veneer. It was re-glued at the bottom and the missing bits filled with wood filler. But talk about great bones! Look at the front curve and I’m loving the mirror.
What I wanted to do with the top is not what is going to happen. Foiled again by red wood. I should have paid attention to the obvious red tone when I purchased, but frankly it wouldn’t have stopped me she’s so cute. So, this means that sanding the top down to raw wood, bleaching it or re-staining it for today’s wood trend won’t work. Had it been summer and warmer temperatures, the bleach might have worked, so I learned something:
Bleaching wood is best with temperatures in at least the 60’s and when it can be done in direct sunlight.
Instead of real wood top, it got a faux wood top using the same color paint as the body and chocolate brown glaze. The glaze is half paint and half Flo-Trol, (my favorite paint additive). A quick UNEVEN coat of glaze then a few swipes with a course brush. On hand is a wallpaper brush, so I use it. Perfectly straight swipes are unnecessary and unnatural so some sway up or down and some curve slightly.
I’m loving the organic feel of the Elegant Neutrals transfers from ReDesign with Prima, made even more neutral on this light beige paint color. It’s Rustic Oak by Joanna Gaines. You all know I make my own chalk paint. The freedom to select from a world of colors is especially fun. I’ve used this color often!
The old round wooden knobs had to go. They are replaced with these cool ring knobs that came from another piece a long time ago.
Gold Rub N Buff to highlight the hardware detail and on the edges of dresser help give this piece a tasteful level of glamour.
Curved Front Elegant Neutrals Antique makeover is AVAILABLE for $275 at booth inside Vintage Venue, on Maple Street Downtown Mason Michigan.
In a text message a special friend asks for a vanity makeover. I drag my feet responding. The piece looked good as it is. It goes against my moral code to paint anything but roached up pieces. She persisted so I finally visit her place to take a closer look.
Pictures can be deceiving. Even in my own experience, photographs can make my furniture look better than it is and worse. In this case, you can not see the permanent defects and damage that only paint or stripping would cure. So, we spent a good hour or so mulling over design options and ideas.
It’s like decorating a room: start with the comforter or wallpaper then work out from there. For furniture makeovers, we start with the transfer (or decoupage print). Brittany chose “Dahlia Forever” by Redesign with Prima, an excellent choice especially for her desire to keep the basic color of the piece the same.
We met up at the local Sherwin William store, (my favorite paint brand for making chalk paint). Brittany found the color that matches existing tone and compliments the transfer. Good going Brittany! I love working with others because I am introduced to new ways of looking at design. Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Golden Gate. Here’s a link how I make DIY Chalk Paint.
I went to work cleaning and prepping. Trending these days is a natural wood top surface but you can not design it in until sanding is complete. I’ve learned the hard way, you never know what lays hidden under a finish! This top sanded perfectly! It’s gorgeous! No surprises.
How to keep the raw wood showing AND make it be the same color as the body called for using the Paint Washing technique and it worked!
A few things are not hitting the mark. The drawer hardware back plates were glued on the drawers. There was no choice but the apply the transfer over them. I did a splendid job manipulating the transfer but it didn’t look right. Argh! How is that like life: doing a excellent work on the wrong decision. Yeah, the mirror color, though one could learn to live with it, looks gaudy and an overall detractor. I appreciate Brittany’s courage and honesty to speak up. It’s just not working she says. As the painter, and in life in general, I have a tendency to stick to the plan regardless. Re-doing work for any reason is no fun. Settling for mediocre is no fun either.
Brittany consulted with her Mom and partner. I think I should consult with them in the future too!
Now, it’s easier on the eye and has a softer look that is doing the piece justice. Much better! Take a look at the hardware . . . better too! Correcting for them involved a 3 step process: detail painting over the transfer using acrylic gold paint, apply and wipe brown paint glaze to get the dimension needed and, lately a bit of gold gilding wax sparkle.
The chair was a dilemma. Upholstered back with piping is not in my wheelhouse for replacement. I’ve never painted fabric before. It appeared the only option for getting any kind of improvement out of the chair. The seat however . . . posed a tragic obstacle. The fabric was not just stained but torn and ripped in many places. Somehow I had to find a way to re-cover the seat with a matching (or close to it) fabric then paint them both (seat and back) without any differences between them. That is a tall order but lesson learned . . . place priority on getting a super close match of COLOR so that when both are painted any differences are slight. Though the back has a textured print, the seat does not. But it doesn’t bother the design much at all, not like a mismatch of color would be. Whew!
Only $250 Available – KellaChic Studio in Jackson MI. Use the Contact Me page to reserve an appointment.
Linen by General Finishes (pale yellow) styled with Natural White (cream color) top drawer and new gold hardware.
In a dank dark garage with many other misfit mistreated castaways, it was her 3-paneled floral etch mirror that made me stop, look and listen. Had I not decided to violate one of my own furniture purchase rules, who knows where she’d be now. Would someone else have took and loved her? So she made me stop and vote for her features and ignore her many flaws. Chipped veneer all over her face like acne on a teenager and gouged raw wood top from a previous attempt to remove veneer nearly overwhelmed my willingness. Can you believe, without as much energy as I thought, she was transformed in to a Victorian Princess, extremely on-trend for today’s shabby chic white farmhouse style.
Brilliant, easy, fast and inexpensive. That’s how I would describe my new makeover tool for removing old finish. In a conversation with Angie, owner of Vintage One Eleven in Brooklyn, MI, we said that we love the new bare wood (nude) legs on furniture trend. Haven’t you heard to use Easy Off Oven Cleaner? I had not! It’s fantastic. No waiting but maybe 10 minutes or so then scrub off old finish down to the raw wood. But if you are going to try it, PLEASE USE GLOVES!
SALE PENDING Only $395 – inside Vintage Venue, 174 W Maple Street, Mason MI
Call Ahead – 517-604-6052