The Second French Provincial Chest { Furniture Makeover }

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So I shared with you a few days ago some furniture prep and cleaning tips, and gave you a peek at my new makeover project:

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I came across this gorgeous french provincial bedroom set this summer while responding to an ad on Craigslist for a cast iron bed.

The lady who was selling the bed mentioned that a dresser and nightstand set was included in the price of the bed (a mere $200 for all of it!), but that she wasn’t sure if I would be interested in the other pieces because they were that “old, gold-edged stuff with the fancy handles.”

I knew immediately that she was describing french provincial pieces, so I assured her I would be interested in all of it.

When I went to pick up the furniture, I wasn’t disappointed.  The white antique cast iron bed was stunning and the 5 piece french provincial dresser and nightstand set was in fantastic condition (except for being a little dirty).  I felt like I had won the lottery–all of this for only $200!  Not to mention the pre-lit 12 ft Christmas tree they threw in for free (that’s another story for another day . . . )  All that to say, it was a fantastic Craigslist find.

I set to work earlier this week cleaning the chest and 2 nightstands and getting them prepped for paint.  I was only able to finish the chest before leaving town, but you can get an idea what the whole of the set will look like once it’s all finished.

Here is the chest updated . . .

French Provincial Chest Makeover

Now if you’ve been following along with me for awhile, you may notice this chest looks remarkably similar to the last french provincial chest I refinished. You’re not crazy!  I decided to give them just about the same look.

French Provincial Chest Furniture Makeover

It’s kinda funny to see them side by side 🙂

My new chest is obviously larger, but the basic style is almost identical. I was so happy with how the first french chest turned out, I decided that a whole set given the same treatment would be lovely.

French Provincial Chest Furniture Makeover

First the whole chest got two coats of white paint (“Ivory Lace” by The Plaster Paint Co.), then I painted the details in two shades of gray and blue.

The underneath gray is a solid coat of a color called “Hurricane” by Maison Blanche, and the blue is a dry-brushed ASCP Duck Egg (tinted lighter by adding in some white).

I did the same treatment on the details of the first chest, but used slightly different colors.

French Provincial Chest Furniture Makeover

I sealed the piece with dark wax to further accentuate its lines and details–I think my application of the dark wax has significantly improved from the first chest to this one!

French Provincial Chest Furniture Makeover

The dark wax settles into the cracks and does so much to bring out the structural details of the piece.  It also helps to camouflage the imperfections of my trim painting, although I’m okay with the details not being perfect–it’s just the way vintage furniture is 🙂

French Provincial Chest Furniture Makeover

I think it’s lovely, and I can’t wait to finish the rest of the set now. I will probably have to wait until after Christmas to get it up into my booth space, so I may let the pieces sit in my house so I can enjoy them while I’m waiting 🙂

I wish you all a Happy, Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!  I will be taking a few days off to spend some time with family, I hope you all enjoy some rest as well.

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Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces

Tuesday 16th of December 2014

What a gorgeous set...I love Craigslist. You did a fantastic job keeping the feminine appeal. I'll be featuring your transformation at the "What's YOUR Prodigal Piece?" link party tonight. :o)

Melanie

Wednesday 7th of January 2015

Thank you Larissa! I have been so behind that I missed your comment, but thank you for featuring my piece!

chris aka monkey

Wednesday 26th of November 2014

happy thanksgiving to you xx

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