Many of my clients have sentimental pieces of furniture they’d love to keep and use in their homes, but the style and color doesn’t always work with their decor. That was the case with my client whose dining room server was previously her grandmother’s. It was also special because it (coincidentally) had her name engraved in one of the drawers. Her grandmother had the piece refinished and hand-painted grapevine leave, grapes and pears adorned the doors and drawers. The design was not something my client wanted to keep.
After researching on-line to get ideas for how she wanted it painted, she decided she loved the look of chalk paint. She chose Old White which is a popular choice for many because it is so versatile and the neutral color goes with anything. After sanding the drawers and doors to get them as smooth as possible, I painted them with primer to cover any traces of the painted design. A subtle coat of dark wax over the clear wax brought out the gorgeous architectural details. We kept the original hardware which I spray painted antique bronze. She is very happy with the outcome. What a difference from the original piece!
Before
After
