Leather Transformation

I have wanted a reclining armchair for a while to replace a very nice Edwardian armchair in my study. Nice as it was, the armchair was deep and you felt like you had a wall either side of you. I saw a dark green swivel recliner on Facebook sales (where else!) for £20. Right price, but wrong colour. My study is white and blue. With chalk paint, that is no problem.  Here is the process and the result. It is painted in Sarah Jane Vintage, which has a light cream tint, and then has two coats of Annie Sloan Clear Wax.  

It looks so comfortable. Just a horrible colour!

Here it is in an upright more sensible position

You can see that the first coat is not promising.

However, here you can see how well the paint has covered in two thinned coats and two coats of clear wax.
Very comfortable and it looks perfect in my study.

Play Your Cards Right.

Facebook Sales can be a treasure trove of lovely things, and also some horrible things. I have bought both!   recently bought a card table that had been in the wars. It cost £20 and when I picked it up, I did wonder if it was worth the effort.  The green baize was stained and torn and the wood on the top was scratched and stained. The legs had also had some damage. This is how it looked.

Its saving grace was its pretty shape.  I took off the green baize and the wood underneath was in good condition after sanding off the glue, so I painted it in Annie Sloan Emperor's Silk and  then added two coats of Polyvine Wax Finish Matt varnish.

I kept the polished edge of the card playing surface as it was the only part in good condition.  The frame and legs were painted in Sarah Jane Noir and waxed with Annie Sloan Dark Wax. The top and the lower shelf were sanded and waxed in clear wax.

I doubt it will see many card games, but it is now a really pretty and useful side table.

Laundry Room revamp.

Laundry Room Renewed

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My laundry room is very functional, the units are solid pine but it was too yellow!  Chalk paint in hand, I decided to change it.  This is how it looked at the beginning:

Not looking its best.  A pot of chalk paint, and some new handles later. It took two coats of paint and one of Polyvine Matt Wax Finish varnish.

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I plan on replacing the worktop and adding a large single ceramic inset sink from Ikea. When that is done, I will upload the final look.

As you can now see, the sink, new work top and tap are in and it looks transformed.

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I was given two very rusty bird cages by a friend in France.Although always optimistic about ‘finds’, I did wonder whether they would be worth the effort.  One had no base and both were very battered. Well, here is the before and after.

 The perfect pet!

Another Standard Lamp!

I wish I could pass by on the other side of the road when I see something that looks like it might need some tlc.   Usually I can't. However, I never regret taking home something that I think can be improved, renovated or sometimes literally brought back to life.  

Although I did not need a standard lamp for my UK home, I have a holiday home in France and so that opens more possibilities. This standard lamp came with a very large shade, which coincidentally was in the same shade as the colour I decided to paint the base, duck egg blue. However, it is too large and jazzy for the French house.

As you can see, this lamp, although very dusty, has lovely carving and is very elegant. It just needed bringing back to life.

Two coats of Duck Egg Blue followed by one coat of clear wax and then one coat of dark wax has given it a slightly aged look but has also enhanced the lovely detail. A cream shade, trimmed with bobble trim is the finishing touch and it will soon be on its way to France.

FURNITURE MERRY-GO-ROUND

Having replaced the two yellow pine chests of drawers in a guest room with the two sewing boxes already on this blog, I then had to find a home for them.  The chests of drawers were good quality, dovetail joints and all, but too yellow and too pine. My own bedside chests of drawers were, however, needing either a big makeover or replacing. Painting the pine seemed the easier option because of course chalk paint means no prep!

The knobs were definitely going. Two coats of Sarah Jane Cricket Pitch, which is a pale green with greyish tones covered perfectly.

After the paint, one coat of Polyvine Clear Matt Wax Finish varnish, but two coats on the top. Next the new handles, courtesy of eBay.

I am now left with a pair of bedside chests of drawers that need to be re-homed! 

AND SEW IT GOES

AND SEW IT GOES

I have had a sewing box for some years that never really had a home. It has beautiful, if slightly faded, lilac satin lining and inside the lid is beautiful embroidery commemorating the coronation in 1937. The outside was very battered! Then I bought another one! Well, it was equally pretty inside, with dusky pink lining and padded areas inside the lid for needles etc. However, it too was  shabby outside and crying out for a chalk paint rescue. I could also see that now I had two, they could be a pair of slightly different bedside tables.

So, never one to hold back with the chalk paint, I got to work. After one coat of Grand Illusions Vintage paint in Stockholm, which is a pale blue, I realised I should have done a first coat of Polyvine Dead Flat Wax Finish varnish.  Without this, the original varnish on the piece is likely to bleed through and turn it yellow!  I then coated both with the Polyvine, and then two more coats of chalk paint, followed by a final coat of Polyvine. Here are the results:

After one coat, not covering very well and starting to leak the old varnish.

 These are going into a bedroom in my B&B, and although I have coasters beside the bed, guests prefer to bypass them and make their mark with wet glasses, so the coat of varnish is essential.  The inside of both sewing boxes was so pretty, if a bit faded, I decided to leave them as they were.  Inside the lid of one is the beautiful embroidery commemorating George lV's coronation.