Well it’s been awhile since yall have heard from me . . . What can I say? Life has been a little crazy.
But to make up for my absence, I have a great furniture makeover to share with you today!
I bought this little maple chest off of a Facebook garage sale group a few weeks ago. The owner was having trouble selling it and kept dropping the price lower and lower. I have no idea why there weren’t any takers–as soon as I saw it I was in love! I actually offered him even less than what he was asking and he took my offer, then delivered the dresser to my house when I started having car trouble! If only all of my furniture acquisitions were that easy.
So yes, this is a solid Birdseye Maple dresser. And I know some of you out there are not happy with me for painting it. But even though the wood was in pretty good shape and had a lovely pattern to it, it was very orange and very blah. It just needed something to bring a little bit of new life into it.
I am always trying to experiment with new colors in the Fusion Mineral Paint line, so I decided to try out Linen from the Designer Collection on this piece.
The little chest in this promo picture actually inspired me. It’s close to the same size and style as mine, so I thought it would be a good fit. And Linen is really an under-utilized color. It does have a little brown-ish khaki to it, but also a lot of gray. It’s a gorgeous color that can go with both cool and warm tones.
All this piece needed was a good wipe down with some spray degreasing cleaner, and it was ready to paint. I have been using my new Fusion brushes also lately, and the brush combined with Linen’s excellent coverage made this the quickest makeover I have ever done.
One coat would have almost done the trick, but I was painting in the dark and so I missed a few spots. A quick second coat and it was ready. I didn’t do any distressing because I wanted all of that orange tone gone.
And like the inspiration photo, I staged the dresser in my bedroom as a nightstand.
Isn’t it pretty?? The Linen blends so beautifully with the warmer golds and reds in my duvet cover, but also coordinates well with my cool, blue wall paint.
I have a nightstand and a chest in my bedroom that need to be painted, but I have been stuck for several years on what color to use. I think now I know–Linen it will be.
And the hardware on this piece is the 2nd best original hardware I have ever seen (click here to see the first).
What the Fusion brushes help provide is a super-smooth finish. I have been made a believer.
This little dresser looks so pretty in my room that I’m going to leave it there for a few days and just pretend it’s going to stay 🙂
Eventually though, it will make its way up to ACM to be sold.
So the pretty birdseye pattern is gone, but the curves and detail of this lovely little dresser are now highlighted as the main focal point. And if you really, really, really hate the idea of painting birdseye maple, the good news is that you can take the paint off 🙂
Linking up to: Wow Us Wednesdays
Lisa
Thursday 21st of January 2016
Hi Melanie! I have a dresser that would look beautiful in that colour. I am new to fusion, so was wondering if I was wanting to do something similar but with a slightly distressed look , how would I achieve this? Is it with the wax soap?? Your dresser is beautiful, love it!
Melanie
Friday 22nd of January 2016
Hi Lisa. Fusion will distress just like other paint, although it does take a little more elbow grease because it is very durable. You can use sandpaper to distress the edges, or do a "wet distress" technique where you wipe off the slightly dried paint with a wet rag. I prefer sandpaper, and have found it most helpful to rub the edges of my pieces with the Fusion Beeswax block, underneath each coat I paint. The wax acts as a resist and will keep the paint from sticking in those spots, making it distress very easily with the slightest rub of sandpaper. I don't have the wax block or any pints of Linen loaded in my online store right now, but if you're interested in making an order for those products email me and I can put together an invoice for you directly over email. Thanks!
Joy Bannister
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
I just happened onto your blog and am finding it very helpful. I love this piece! Also, your ideas about what to do and not to do match mine exactly. I would like to know what you would reccommend for painting a mid-century mahogany china cabinet by Bassett. It's in good shape but the look is not current. Thank you in advance!
Melanie
Wednesday 13th of January 2016
Hi Joy! So glad you stopped by. I just had a friend paint her mcm china cabinet in a dark gray, a color from the Fusion Mineral Paint line called Ash, and it looked stunning! The photo of it is on my Facebook page if you would like to see it. You may also find this post helpful, if you haven't read it yet. In general I think MCM pieces work well with a sleek finish, a darker color typically or a lighter color accented by areas where you leave the wood natural.
Debbie W
Friday 18th of December 2015
Looks amazing!! I bought the paint brush but haven't tried it yet. Definitely going to use it now! I have just started selling some of the pieces I have (can you say furniture overload??) and it's always so sad to see them go. lol
Teresa
Thursday 5th of November 2015
I'm definitely adding this color to my stash. I think your finished product looks better than the inspiration piece!
vick
Monday 2nd of November 2015
I really like your work and I appreciate you sharing painting methods and information. Did you use wax?
Melanie
Tuesday 3rd of November 2015
Thank you so much! No, I did not use any wax on this piece. Fusion Mineral Paint is an acrylic-based paint rather than a chalk-type paint, and so it does not have to be waxed to be sealed.