Favorite Hidden Makeovers 2014

Yesterday I delivered my last furniture makeover to a client for 2014. And I got to reflecting on this year and just.how.many furniture makeovers I’ve done. I honestly have lost count! Probably well over 100 (keep in mind, I had family helping to expedite the process for some). There were MANY times that I didn’t even take a pictures of something I did, even if it was beautiful. I’d run out of time or felt too lazy to stage it pretty for pictures. So, I thought it would be fun to see my top 6 favorite makeovers this year that were previously “hidden” or never received their own “reveal” blog post.

Here they are!

6. Gray and White French Girl’s Set

I only got a couple shots of this custom order… but it was painted ASCP Paris Gray with Old White details. And might I add, I LOVE the hand-rubbed lustre that only wax can give!

5.. Louis Blue Lingerie Chest

Painted with ASCP Louis Blue and distressed in all the right places. 😉

The original hardware on this one kills me. So.Beautiful.

4. Charcoal and Coral Secretary

I used ASCP Graphite with white wax on top (giving a really pretty weathered look)…

…then MMS Apron Strings on the inside.

3. Blue and White Buffet

This hepplewhite-style buffet was ENORMOUS. The top was stained super dark (I think Rustoleum Kona), the body was painted with ASCP Old White and the drawers in Louis Blue.

LOVE the curves, don’t you?

2. Layered Milk Painted Wardrobe

This wardrobe was the perfect candidate for milk paint. I wanted chippy, layered, and authentic. MMS Milk Paint delivered.

I used Artissimo all over (2 coats), then a layer of Grain Sack. Then I used a fine grit sanding sponge and sanded it down super smooth, to just start to reveal the darker tones of the navy underneath. I wanted brush strokes to show up, because I wanted that artistic, hand-painted look to really stand out.

  I also used Grain Sack on the inside for a white-washed look. 

Here is a fun trick I did on this one. I used hemp oil on the body and door trim, which brought out the blue undertone more, making it look slightly darker. Then I used clear wax on the inner door panel and drawer fronts. This gave the entire thing a two-tone look, without using different paint!

and drumroll please….

🙂

1. Midcentury Two-Tone

This one was such a labor of love. Almost all of the glides were loose and had to be glued and screwed back down. One of the wooden drawer glides was missing, so we had to cut a new piece of wood, router grooves, sand it down super smooth and reattach. Then we stripped, sanded and stained each individual drawer. This is a great example of using General Finishes Java Gel Stain as an actual stain/varnish combo. I’ve seen a lot of makeovers where people will use it very opaque-ly to cover up imperfections or just to get a really dark look.

But I wanted the grain to shine through, so I applied it on bare wood, and look how pretty!

 

The body was painted with ASCP Old White and clear waxed, not distressed, and buffed to a super shiny finish. I kinda wish I had another one of these to keep, I love(d) it so!

Fun, right? Each one of these makeovers stood out to me as teaching me something new, whether it was using a new color for me, discovering a new technique, or simply pushing myself to see beyond the ordinary, to create something extraordinary.

Next week is Christmas and I STILL don’t have all my Christmas shopping done! Yikes!

I’ll be posting a recap of 2014 as well as a couple of helpful round-ups in the coming weeks, so make sure to subscribe if you don’t want to miss anything!

xo