Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Big Blue Buffet

When evaluating furniture to refinish, there's a fine line between 'Classic' and 'Dated'.  This latest project of mine started out just over the line in "Dated' territory.  After a dose of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I think it now sits squarely in the "Classic" category.  Let's see if you agree.




When I saw this piece at Salvation Army, I knew that it would be a beauty when I finished with it.  The body is solid maple, and the innerds are solid plywood ... this piece is HEAVY.  It's from a great maker, and is well worth the effort needed to bring it back to life.



The first thing I did when I got it home was to pull out my heat gun and strip the dated lacquer finish off the top.  Two coats of Rustoleum 'Kona' stain, and two coats of polyurethane, and the top was beautiful.  I waited until this point to choose the color for the body ... because I wasn't exactly sure what color the maple top would end up.  As I hoped, it was a perfect compliment for a coat of my favorite ASCP color ... Aubusson Blue!



Even though I stripped and sanded and refinished the top to make it practically pristine, I wanted to acknowledge and honor the age on rest of the buffet.  In places, it had the most wonderful wear in the finish ... which I left in place and accentuated with some careful distressing.




Speaking of distressing, the rest of the buffet got quite a workout with my sandpaper and sanding block.  As I was doing it, I was imagining all the hands that have touched the hardware, opening the drawers and doors, and all the feet and brooms and vacuums that have run into the skirt and feet.

Bottom drawer, before distressing and clear wax.  Top drawer, after.  (The color in this photo is off, way too yellow, and I couldn't fix it to my satisfaction.)






Up until now, I have always replaced these 'bat wing' colonial-style drawer pulls.  In this case, the style is a little different and I loved the wear on them ... so I gave them a spritz of oil-rubbed bronze spray paint to update the color a bit.  I think they're perfect.



This buffet is now ready for its new home.  I wish that could be here, because I have the PERFECT spot for it in our dining room.



Unlike other pieces, this one is not heading for my shop.  It's the first piece that I have finished specifically for the Lucketts Spring Market.  I'm so excited to be a vendor there this year!!!  It's unfortunate that this is happening during my busiest nursery season ... but I'm balancing things pretty well so far. 

Can't rest on my laurels, though ... I have work to do.

As the magician said, "... and now for my next trick ..."



Wait till you see what I'm going to do with this one!

28 comments:

  1. Looks great! Can't wait to see your next piece of work.♥♫

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  2. If only I lived close to you! That is gorgeous and can't wait to see more!!!
    hugs, Linda

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  3. Gorgeous redo~ beautiful painting~
    smiles
    Teresa

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  4. It's absolutely gorgeous! You do such great work!

    I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve for the next piece...

    BTW, I've got to check out ASCP. Everything that I've seen painted with ASCP has turned out great.

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  5. Connie- What a GREAT looking piece and I do think the hardware fits the piece. I love the color and you did a fine job refinishing it.

    And...I can't wait to see your NEXT magic trick- xo Diana

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  6. I just LOVE this...I've been searching for the perfect color to paint an old family desk, and your post was my 'aha' moment...one question though, it looks more turquoise than the shade the aubusson blue does on the Annie Sloan web site...did you mix colors at all, or is this the true color? Or does the color change after waxing? Thank you so much! Karen

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  7. Very nice Connie! I love that you left some of the "aged wear and tear" makes this piece honest. I think this piece will appeal to a lot of people, and won't last long at the Market. :) Happy rainy Wednesday!

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  8. Anonymous, dear, every monitor reads color differently, so I can't tell exactly what you see. I CAN tell you that this is one coat of Aubusson Blue, straight from the can, with a light touch-up on any areas that weren't covered to suit me. After I lightly sanded the whole piece, the only top coat on the paint is Annie Sloan's clear wax ... which deepens the color a little bit. You can see in the photo of the two drawers, one waxed and one not, how the color changes slightly.

    Don't go by the colors on Annie's web site. Get to your nearest stockist and experience these colors for yourself. I love them all, and I can't wait to try my next one. :)

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  9. That beauty won't last long at Lucketts! And please tell me you are painting that second piece white?! I know, it sounds boring, but with those beautiful carvings I can just picture it in white or grey!

    Kat

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  10. Connie, this piece looks fantastic. I believe it is my very favorite.♥

    Great job.

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  11. OMG.. what a difference the paint makes! LOVE it. And I have to tell you... that second piece not revealed yet? I am REALLY curious to see what you do with it...

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  12. Wel done my friend!!!!!

    What a change. She is stunning now and will sell very fast I am sure!

    Ok...now show me the next one ;->

    janet xox
    The Empty Nest

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  13. Great color choice! I love that next dresser, great little details.

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  14. that color is SO perfect for this piece and so is your distressing. great job, connie!

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  15. Not sure how you do it, but they keep getting better & better! Nice work!

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  16. I love the color it is beautiful! Can't wait to see what the next dresser looks like.

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  18. Love the dresser and great call on keeping the hardware. It's just perfect. Can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeve on the next piece!

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  19. Very pretty. I have a maple dresser I'm working on now for Lucketts. I love the other dresser -- can't wait to see what you do with that one!

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  20. Love that color! I'm a big fan of Aubusson too.

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  21. Nice job Connie! It looks FABulous!
    But I can't wait to see the 2nd one--I l-o-v-e the style!
    Catherine

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  22. It looks fantastic Connie! Did you go on a course to learn how to restore/update furniture or are you self-taught? I really love the second piece, so yes, I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do with that!
    Dan
    -x-

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  23. Beautiful work! The distressing is impeccable. I truly can't wait to see what you do with the next one!

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  24. What a beauty Connie! Looking forward to checking out your booth at Lucketts and getting a chance to say hello in person!

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  25. Yummy! I love Aubousson too.. Great score and what a great job you did! - Susan

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  26. It is such a stunning buffet! I really like Aubusson Blue too! Great job!

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  27. Goodness! you have a great eye for bringing new life to dated pieces of furniture! Can't wait to see what you do with the next beauty.

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  28. Hello Connie

    Thank you for dropping by my blog, lovely to meet you too, turns out we have a lot in common, although mine is on a much smaller scale, I used to be a garden designer in a previous job and as you know I have the " to paint or not too paint" dilemma just now, off to peruse your blog.
    Annie

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