Painted Armoire: Furniture Makeover

In all honesty, there are projects I bring home that I just don't want to work on. Not necessarily because they will be too difficult, but because they are just so big and ugly and I even question whether or not they can possibly be lovable again.

Case in point, this Stanley armoire that I've been sitting on or about a year.

It was in great shape, but a drawer pull was missing and somewhere along the line the previous owner used it as a TV stand so they had cut the back out. Neither of which were deal breakers, I just didn't have the energy or desire to work on it. I actually tried to sell it on craigslist for a couple weeks but  everyone kept asking for better images before they would come see it and it was so big and heavy that I couldn't stand it up by myself for decent photos ... so, I caved and just decided to push it in the shop and give it a makeover myself. {and now, this is probably one of my all time favorite makeovers, go figure!}

I painted the piece in a custom chalk paint mix and gave it a antiqued finish. The hardware was updated too. I purchased new knobs and then added some small backplates to them that I had in my stash.

I went back and forth on whether or not to paint the inside of the piece, but ultimately decided against it because the wood was in such great shape.

I hope you like this big makeover as much as I do!

Have a great weekend.
~Crystal

Debonaire Dresser {Twelve Drawer}

It's been weeks since I have had the opportunity to get into the shop and transform some furniture. So I decided to go BIG...and by big I mean this twelve drawer Empire brand dresser!

Let's be honest, this guy was a beauty from the get go: solid wood, dove tail construction and drawers that glide like new. Really the only problem was the visible signs of wear on the surface.

I got busy removing the hardware and stripping down the top. While I was messing with all that I was contemplating the color for the body. I love a two tone mix of stain and paint on pieces, so I decided to go dark grey and a rich warm brown stain. 

For the body, I mixed a custom color of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Graphite and Coco. {finished with a mix of dark and clear wax} And for the stain on the top I mixed up another custom concoction...dark walnut and natural oak. 

Part of my process is that I go through each and every drawer, cleaning, repairing {if needed} and sanitizing them thoroughly. For you, that means peace of mind to know they are clean before the new owner uses them.

As part of our thorough makeover process, we also paint all sides of the piece. You can rest assured, that in the event you want to position the piece in a way that the back is exposed ... it's finished and looks as lovely as the front. 

This guy would be perfect to store all your winter sweaters.
It would double nicely as a changing table in your newborn's room.
It would even look amazing in your dining room to store all your linens and grandma's silverware!

No matter where you can envision this handsome devil, it's ready for the task!

Here are some more shots to flip through...

It sure felt good to makeover this guy, I didn't realize how much I missed the brush these past few months.

Thanks for swinging by and looking today!

~ Crystal

Linking up:

Talk of the Town
The Creative Circle
Something to Talk About