l'amour Armoire

l'amour Armoire!

This armoire was bought for my French second home.  We had been looking for a long time for an armoire that was affordable at a time when they were very trendy and popular in the UK. Eventually a French man who had sold two to my daughter suggested that there was one for sale on la Bon Coin and because it was in Albi, it was too far for him to go.  It was 2 hours from us in France so off we went.  It had already been disassembled so we had to guess what it would be like.  However, it appeared to be exactly what we wanted.  Double size, mirrored doors, a lot of shelves inside but with the possibility of installing a hanging rail.  The woman we bought it from told us it had been made by her grandfather, but it was too tall for her modern house and so had been consigned to the cellar.  It cost 150 euros! Solid wood and like all armoires, no nails or screws. It is in three parts, top, middle and base and just slots together.  We have loved it, but because we want the house to be as light as possible, I was always going to paint it.  Here is the process and the result.

Although beautifully made and carved, the wood was semi matte and probably oak.  It was not easy to see the carving and detail.

One coat of Everlong Lady Grey chalk paint, but it needed two coats.  It was then dry brushed with Annie Sloan Louis Blue on the edges of the carvings and the locks.

The splendid and very traditional top decoration.

Decoration around the lock.

Here it is finished.  It now lights up the room.

Let There Be Light

This lamp base was £5 from a young woman in my village. She had bought it to paint, but had not got round to doing it.  Lucky for me! It is very heavy, possibly oak with lovely reeding on the stem. However, it was dark brown and all the detail could not be seen.
It is painted in Annie Sloan French Linen, one coat, and dry brushed with Old White before waxing with Annie Sloan clear wax.

An Art Nouveau Table

This table was about to be taken to the dump  by a friend.  It had been in their conservatory and had suffered greatly from too much sun, water damage etc.  The top had crumbled veneer around the edge and the underneath of the top had somehow moved, leaving a ledge. Part of the upstanding rim had come off too, just to add to the list of ailments.  However, in its favour were the beautiful art nouveau legs and sun ray pattern of the veneer on the top.  I tried to repair the veneer around the edge, but it was too difficult for my limited skills. Instead I scraped it all out, filled and sanded it.  The edge both on the top and underneath was overhanging the base about a quarter of an inch in some places, so copious amounts of filler were needed to build it up until it looked like it had always been like that!  I then glued on the missing upstand on the top, which I think once retained a glass insert, and then lots more sanding.  Finally I got to a point where there was no more that could be done, so I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Cream, then built up the wax with trial and error. Plain cream was too stark, and eventually a lot of dark wax and some distressing was the only answer.  I could not distress  too much on the edges, because of exposing the filler.  I think its 'done' but of course with Chalk Paint, you can always change things!

Look at those beautiful legs!  My friend is in her 80's and she told me the table had belonged to her mother, so it was well worth the effort.

FRENCH DRESSING

I am a big fan of Emmaus, a charity offering work and a roof over their heads for the homeless.  It started in France, and there are now some depots in the UK and elsewhere.  Donated furniture, ornaments etc. are sold at bargain prices and most of the furniture needs some TLC. Each time I am in France I like to visit all three depots within an hour of my house. In September I found two bedside cabinets. Not identical, but both with potential, and both with undamaged marble tops. 20 euros each including cobwebs, dead spiders and a very little woodworm in the back of one!  This is how they progressed and look now.

Firstly, the woodworm was treated. I very much doubt it was live, but better safe than sorry. Then they were sprayed with stain block before two coats of Annie Sloan Paris Grey Chalk Paint, followed by a coat of Annie Sloan clear lacquer.  The carvings are dry brushed with Annie Sloan Pure and now stand out beautifully.

They are now installed in a guest bedroom. Looking lovely. Another two things saved from landfill!

ANOTHER SAVED TREASURE
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This cupboard/set of drawers was put on the pavement outside the house of an elderly neighbour.  She had gone to live with her son and the family were clearing the house. It was marked 'FREE', so of course I decided to rescue it.  I love the result, and it will always be a reminder of my lovely friend Marion Macdonald.  As we carried it across the green to my house, one of the legs fell off. Shortly after getting it into the office, a second one came off too!  So, before any painting, a lot of repairs and wood glue.  However, it was so worth the effort.

The outside is painted in Annie Sloan Louis Blue and the inside is Annie Sloan Emperor's Silk.  Perhaps the nicest feature is the Art Nouveau brass handles.  I know I have a close up picture somewhere, so will post it when it emerges.

A LITTLE FRENCH TABLE
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When I am in France, I always try to visit Emmaus, a charity that provides work and a home for people who would otherwise be homeless.  They have to work in the depots that sell furniture and other household items, in return for a small wage and a room of their own.  On my visit in April, I bought this small table, which although rather sad, had obvious potential.  Apart from the chrome handles, its biggest problems were lots of cracks on the top and a large bulge where something wet and/or hot had been left.  After filling and sanding the top, it was on with the Annie Sloan Old White. Disaster when the original varnish bled through and it turned orange! I decided to admit defeat and painted it with Dulux Eggshell, but painted the outside of the drawers in Annie Sloan Old Violet and Emperors Silk inside. Finished off with two crystal handles. Something else saved from landfill for 20 euros plus the paint.

Dining Chairs

DINING CHAIR PROJECT

My dining chairs were looking a little tired, not to mention that the backs were becoming loose.  I bought them 40 years ago second hand and they had been through a lot of use.  I found four Chippendale style dining chairs in a local house clearance shop for £90. Two were carvers and the wood was in good condition. More importantly, the seats were the drop in variety, so easy to renovate and recover. I sold four of my original chairs for £20, so in my mind the new ones only cost £70. I sold the four I had not done any work on,  so kept the better four.  I reupholstered the seats of the Chippendale ones, and they looked good, but of course looked very odd, as I now had two different styles.  Then I found four more very similar Chippendale chairs on eBay and amazingly bought them for 99p! Wood was shabby, but the seats were sound and all side chairs, so exactly what I needed.

Here is what they looked like:

I knew the wood needed a lot of tlc to stay as polished wood, but also wanted to lighten my dining room, so it was out with the Annie Sloan!  I wiped all the chairs with white spirit to remove dust and dirt and painted two coats of Old Ochre, which is a cream colour. I then waxed with clear wax.  The seats were recovered in the same fabric as my other four chairs, i.e. Sandersons William Morris Vine in Black/Dusky Pink and they were done.  The original varnish has bled through slightly, but I am happy with that as it gives the chairs an antiqued look.  It has slightly darkened the Old Ochre, which again suits the setting.

So here they are in their harlequin setting.  Ii don't think I will paint the original four, but you never know! I also sold my remaining four original chairs for £40, further reducing the cost to £31 for eight dining chairs. Why would you buy anything new???