Dixie Dutch Design

I’ve inherited this gorgeous chair and we are in love with its character.

When it arrived it needed to be cleaned up.  Two of the back rungs were missing and new ones had been cut to fit the chair and replaced but were unstained to match the rest of the chair.  I love paint, but this beauty needed to be stained to bring out the aged wood.

It is a unique, statement piece that is at the same time classic and traditional.

The chair was sanded down with an orbital sander with 150 grit paper for a smooth finish.  Two separate coats of Minwax Special Walnut were applied according to the manufacturer’s directions.  After allowing the stain to dry overnight, ASCP Dark Wax was applied to create a protective finishing coat.

I have to give credit where credit is due and brag on my helper: my husband did a lot of work on these tables!  I had the idea in my head, gathered the supplies, and had a few inspirational photos to jump off from, but he took it on full force.  At one point the end table was completely done but he was not happy with it.  He sanded the top down again and started over, and completely re-waxed the base.  (Now that’s dedication to the end result.)

Before:

Several months ago I had distress painted a sofa table and a matching end table in white.  However, I started to dislike them more and more.  Our living space was lacking color and depth and we knew we needed to change things up.  For a few months now I have been trying to settle on a color palette for our sitting room.  I had to think strategically since our walls are beige and our sofa and recliner are a rust colored leather.

Through research and mixing textures, fabrics, and colors I came up with a color palette consisting of several blue hues accented with mustard yellows and earthy greens (I’m inspired by nature!)  We settled on bringing mustard into the room with the tables.

During:

We settled on using ASCP in Arles.  (You can find the full range of colors in this line here.)  The benefit of chalk paint is that zero, and I do mean zero, prep work is required.  Prep work in the painting business is tedious but absolutely necessary for professional results.  It takes just as long, if not a longer, than actually painting with the main color.  Chalk paint is also extremely versatile for a number of different techniques.

 Specific Method:

~Apply paint stripper to the top portion of table, several times if necessary

~Sand top portion of table with an orbital, electric sander, 80 grit paper, until paint and gouges are smoothed out.

~Follow up with 150 grit paper to smooth out completely

Note: The above prep work steps were required because the table tops were to be stained, not painted.  If you are using ASCP on a piece of your own furniture and do not want to stain any portion of your piece, simply skip any prep work and just start painting!

~Paint table legs/base with ASCP in Arles, no prep work necessary on this portion of table

~Stencil large motif of choice in a pattern onto bare wood of tabletop in ASCP in Arles

~After table top stencil is dry, apply Minwax wood stain in Special Walnut to entire surface of bare wood, directly over chalk paint stencil detail, wiping off after 5-15 minutes.  Reapply as directed, as desired.

~Allow stained wood to dry overnight

~Finish table top by applying ASCP Dark Wax over entire stained wood surface

~Finish table legs by applying ASCP Clear Wax over entire table base, followed by ASCP Dark wax and distress sanding corners/edges

After:

I give you my latest project!

The body of the buffet/hutch is painted in ASCP in Aubusson Blue.  The inner shelving was painted in Paris Grey and then I used a water coloring technique (that I kind of just made up on the fly!) with more Aubusson Blue.  I wanted to create contrasting shelving but not anything too overwhelming.

Clear wax was buffed onto the paint’s surface to create a strong, matte, protective coat.  This created an aged, flat appearance versus a shiny, high-gloss, modern look.  Dark wax was then buffed on in circles to create a deepened, intense color with a soft brown cast.  Distress sanding took off some of the paint for depth and interest.

Let me know what you think!

Being timid with color is definately out.

I have to admit that I am loving the rich, deep hues that are showing up in home decor.  The key to these vibrant tones is to have a lot of natural lighting and white trim to keep the room from feeling weighed down.

  So here is some bold color inspiration that I have been pouring over this week for you to enjoy!

via

via

via

via

Dixie Dutch Design / Photo by SCarter Studios

Dixie Dutch Design / Photo by SCarter Studios

This post is part 3 in the Library Reveal series.  If you haven’t read through Part 1 or Part 2 be sure to check them out!

One of the great things about reinventing furniture is thinking of new ways to use existing pieces unexpectedly.  My friend had this footlocker for years and I told her we could absolutely transform it to be used as a coffee table.

Dixie Dutch Design / Photo by SCarter Studios

I painted the entire trunk in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Paris Grey.  Then, I went through and distress sanded the piece and dark waxed the edges for a worn in look around the metal and hardware.  Lastly, brown paint was added to give some depth.

Photo by SCarter Studios

Dixie Dutch Design / Photo by SCarter Studios

Dixie Dutch Design / Photo by SCarter Studios

I hope you enjoyed going through the library with me the past couple of weeks!  Enjoy this wonderful spring and don’t be afraid to get out there and give your own DIY projects a whirl!