Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Updating a French Provincial Dresser



When my sister bought her condo a few years back, the seller left this dated french provincial dresser in the upstairs hallway.


I needed something to use as a small china cabinet and was able to talk my sister into a furniture trade.  She got a refurbished antique black cabinet, and I got the dresser.
The white and gold had to go, so I started by removing all of the hardware and sanding the entire piece in preparation for painting.  The top of the dresser is actually laminate, so I had to spend a lot of time sanding that surface so that it would hold the paint.
Next, I painted everything in two coats of 'Intellectual' Behr premium plus flat/matte.


Then, using a small brush, I painted 'Polished Silver' by Martha Stewart over all of the areas that had originally been gold.  This takes a bit of a steady hand. 


I wanted the piece to have more of a silver appearance overall, but I knew from a previous project that covering over the grey completely was not going to give me the desired effect.  I diluted the silver paint by alternating between dipping the brush lightly in paint and a small glass of water.  This resulted in a sort of dry brushed look without putting too much silver paint onto the surface.  I left the inside surfaces of the shelf grey.  The hardware was spray painted with Rustoleum 'Titanium Silver'.



Here is the finished piece.  Maybe someday I will get an actual china cabinet, but for now I am loving this one!


*The wonderful artwork to the right of the dresser was purchased from artists on Etsy*
Top right - Sparrow print by Marissa Buschow 
Bottom right - Crow print by Louise DeMasi 

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