I have been buying furniture and painting like a mad woman getting ready for the Prairie Sisters Party in Billings next month.
Furniture makeovers float my boat… in spite of the fact that I recently read a comment on an online article that called the painting of vintage/antique furniture the “Annie Sloan Holocaust”!
Yikes! What a brutal statement.
Personally, I think leaving this cabinet in it’s former condition would have been the true horror.
I just finished this China cabinet last night. I’m thrilled with how it came out.
This is it’s humble 1970ish beginning.
Oy! Those huge pulls make me dry heave a little.
The inside got a quick spray of primer. (Don’t worry…I opened a window!)
And then I rolled on some blue latex paint. This was one of the colors that I was considering in my kitchen remodel.
Please ignore the paint dust on the floor.
I prefer my furniture pulls, like I prefer my jewelry…small. I like my furniture to wear the hardware, not the hardware to wear the furniture. Know what I mean?
This cabinet didn’t come cheap and I put a lot of work into it. I sure hope it sells ‘cuz I have nowhere to put it!
Today, I’m working on a small desk/vanity. Someone “refinished” it, but as you can see by the photo above, they sanded it AGAINST the grain instead of WITH the grain. Oy!
Loooocy, you got some sanding to do!
Bye from the bungalow,
Linking up to: Knick of Time, House of Hepworths, Shabby Creek Cottage, Miss Mustard Seed
Hi, I'm Jean. I live in historic Butte, Montana in a Craftsman home built in 1920. This blog is all about my adventures (and sometimes misadventures) in updating and decorating my house with antiques and vintage goods I find at garage sales, thrift stores, estate sales or wherever cool things from the past are waiting to be discovered.
“The Annie Sloan Holocaust” huh? Better than the landfill overflow where butt ugly old furniture goes to die I say- LOL!!! The china cabinet is fabulous-way to envision its new life!
Love the lighter look to the china cabinet, Jean. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinions when it comes to painting furniture, but sometimes I think it’s better if those opinions are kept to themselves.
Jean- I have picked up a couple of pieces, too, where they sanded against the grain…ugh!!! I love that china cabinet! You did a great job on it- xo Diana
Definitely looks a thousand times better than originally. Yes ,to paint or not to paint, is a personal thing. There are many lovely antiques out there where I can appreciate the beautiful woods they’re made of. And because that kind of seasoned , fine wood , and fine craftsmanship, is getting more rare every generation, I ,personally,would find it difficult to cover in paint. But anything that was mass produced, and made with inferior woods, not so much. Like this cabinet, you just did. And that lovely grey dresser with the red handles. Bringing new life to an otherwise dull,uninteresting , outdated piece. Love your style,Jean!
Exactly – well said!
That’s what I told her!
Good to see you at the Prairie Sisters Party in Kalispell. That was fun. I love how you “renewed” that now wonderful cabinet. Good luck in Billings. Sue
OK, making a note not to wear any gigantic earrings or necklaces as I drive through Montana. Don’t want you dry heaving!
Bliss
I love people who hate the idea of painting wood furniture – I used to be one! And now? Now I find use in things I would have passed by without a second glance in the past. Now I paint with abandon and enjoy things other would have sent to landfills. Now I use desks which maybe would have been part of a bonfire in the past. Now needs are met in my house with old unloved furniture painted to be spiffy and happy where before spaces were bare. To each their own. I would much rather have an old piece of well made ugly furniture I can make suit my tastes than some plastic or cardboard or particleboard item for sale today for hundreds of dollars.
You certainly gave this ugly duckling a new start at life. Love the lighter and updated look.
Love the way this came out Jean! A thousand times better – who would think something so ugly would come out so nice?! The interior color is beautiful – it looks classy now. I’m forwarding to my sister so she can visualize what her not quite so ugly hutch will look like once I help her paint it! Isn’t it sad when people sand against the grain? What were they thinking???
Beautiful transformation!
xx
Anne
Love what you did with the china cabinet, you did a great job. I also love seeing what you do and you should be proud of how well you are doing. You can’t please all the people all the time, so keep up the great work. I personally love the colors, hardware, and wish I lived in MT. Used to go to Rollins every summer and really miss the lake. Jan
absolutely gorgeous!
Ooooh I love that fun inside color and the pop of the white dishes off it! Beautiful job! Here’s to the demise of the 70′s yuck furniture…been there and it wasn’t that great then!
~Pendra
Hi, Jean
I love this piece. I want to do this to my hutch now. LOL
You have been a furniture painting crazy woman! And what a fabulous job of getting rid of that 70′s ugly!
There isn’t much that chalk paint can do to furniture that can’t be undone. Most painted pieces I see are either not antique, not rare, or their original finish was too far gone to worry about losing value. Other considerations are merely a matter of taste. I have pieces that I’d never paint, and pieces that I couldn’t get painted fast enough. I’d rather see someone enjoy an old piece of furniture in their home than let it rot in a barn or landfill because it wasn’t loved anymore.
The piece looks great! Upcycling an old piece into something you love and will keep is so much better than throwing it out.
Crazy people – everything would be so ugly if no one painted anything old! I love how it turned out. Definitely would have not put it in my house in its previous condition but now I’m thinking of painting something similar to this because I LOVE it so much
Brie @ Breezy Pink Daisies
What an awful statement for someone to make! As if painting furniture compared to that event. Wow.
I think your cabinet looks lovely!
Love the redone cabinet! However, I also really like those big old pulls from the before pic. Let me know if you want to sell them!