the hand painted landscape dresser

by | Mar 9, 2016 | Before and Afters, Furniture Makeovers, Hand Painted Furniture | 84 comments

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The theme for the space at Lucketts this year is Farmhouse White, yes, but that doesn’t mean that everything will be white.  A lot of things will be white, as you may have noticed, but we don’t want to neglect the “farmhouse” side of that theme.  After some creative brainstorm sessions, we decided one way to bring that in was the use of landscapes.

And, of course, I immediately imagined a landscape on the front of a dresser.

Here is how the dresser started…

And how it looks now with it’s sweet, folk-art landscape painting…

Now, I can’t take full credit for this one.  It really was a collaborative effort between Kriste and I.  We had a highly technical conversation about “blobby little trees” and “blobby sheep” and “brush stroke-ish grass”.   I painted the base colors, did the distressing and finishing, and chimed in now and then with some thoughts for the composition.  Kriste painted the real heart of the landscape, though, and I just love how it all turned out.

Oh, and all of the painting was done in milk paint, which was a bit of an experiment, since Kriste was used to working with watercolors and I was used to acrylics from my mural-painting days.  So, we played and fiddled and watched what happened.

The way the paint chipped and flaked is just perfection.

I finished the paint with Furniture Wax followed by Antiquing Wax to bring out the crackling and texture.

Kriste made the clouds by dabbing the dry milk paint powder over wet paint.  The texture of this piece is really special.

The landscape wraps loosely around the sides of the dresser to finish off the look.

This was a fun one to style and photograph.  I was pretty giddy the entire time.

I picked up this little child’s chair a couple of weeks ago and the warmth of the wood and details of the turned legs and spindles captured my affection.

It’s all going to the Lucketts booth, though.  Affection or not.  I find myself in a selling mood and if I kept everything I had affection for, I would need eight storage units.

Anyway, here’s the side-by-side recap of the makeover…

It’s sometimes fun to step “out of the box” so to speak and I feel like we did with this dresser.

More to come…

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    84 Comments

    1. Sunny

      Wow! How many people have contacted you already to buy that beautiful piece before it even gets to Lucketts??? It is absolutely gorgeous! Both of you did a marvelous job!

      • carswell

        My thought exactly. It is so charming – it’s not going to last five minutes at the sale.

    2. Jenny B.

      That is so lovely! I’m a sucker for landscapes, and especially little houses! 🙂 Great job!

    3. B Folk

      The “blobby little sheep” and “blobby little trees” are perfect!

    4. debra

      Absolutely love it Marian, Love all your work but is definitely a favorite. Well done to both of you.

    5. Ariel

      Beautiful job, Marian and Kriste! Such a unique and charming piece!

      Whenever you post something, I imagine it in my space…crazy, I know. Haha. This would look so perfect in my girls’ room. Next to their reading nook with special books stacked on top and their vintage stuffed Steiff lamb next to a small calf painting and a sweet lamp. I wish I was going to Luckett’s, but it’s probably for the best since I would go nuts in your booth and leave with a drained bank account. Haha.

    6. Katherine Farrow

      Wow, I love it! It’s so neat to see another take on the landscape dressers we’ve been doing for several years. This one reminds me of one I shared on your Furniture Feature Friday in 2013. It was called, ‘Cottage Daydream’ I believe! Even down to the little house, rolling hills, and sheep! Wish i could share a photo here, it’s almost eerie. You guys did great work on this one. Love your staging, as always!

      • marian

        I clicked over to your page and those landscape dressers are so pretty! 🙂

    7. Susie

      The sweetest little piece, well done.

    8. Karin

      You absolutely hit this one out of the park! Insanely adorable! Your choice of colors is fabulous. I have seen a few of these dressers done with more misses than hits. Yours looks like it it truly an antique primitive painted piece. I don’t think it will make it to Luckett’s!

      • belinda abbott-shaw

        I so agree with Karin. Your dresser is tastefully and beautifully done! And the subtle MMS colors are what make it perfect for so many settings and timeless…Beautiful work girls, as usual!

    9. Melanie

      Very sweet. I really think it’s perfect for a child’s room. All the green makes it perfect for Lucketts in spring.

    10. amy joanne mogish

      So beautiful and soft and beautiful and pretty and beautiful…..did I say beautiful! Love it!

    11. Kathleen Grace

      I love this much. Absolutely beautiful!

    12. JeanFB

      Oh. My. WOW! You might just have a bit of pushing and shoving, a micro mustard seed stampede at Luckett’s….. love!

    13. Argelia Brown

      Beautimous!!! Looks like an English country setting. Job well done, ladies!

    14. Tori

      Love it!!!!

    15. Gina

      you have both outdone yourselves!!! Huge kudos…..

    16. Heart

      What a talent! I can say that this is a great piece of art!

    17. kristyn baker

      That is absolutely beautiful! I LOVE it!

    18. SueSchneid22

      I think I’ll come to Lucketts Friday so I can watch all the action. 😉 This may be your best yet…

    19. Melissa Leach

      A true piece of art! What a great collaborative effort. Kudos to you both.

    20. Krista

      Absolutely adorable! I agree, it will be gone in a minute at the sale.

    21. Lisa Silfwerbrand

      Gorgeous! What a soothing and pretty piece… just makes me want to hop right in, lay on the grass and enjoy the sun 🙂

    22. Vicki @ EntriWays.com

      Ooooh Marian! You’ve done it again. You’re so far ahead of the curve! This will be the furniture painting trend everyone tries to imitate. Absolutely gorgeous.

    23. Lisa Sraders

      I. Want. That. 🙂

    24. Teresa Hayes-Balooshi

      You both have done a truly beautiful job.

    25. Laura Pishnak-Sylvia

      I especially love the sheep and the trees. Great color. Fantastic job. It’s gonna sell really fast.

    26. Eileen

      This dresser is perfection!! Again, you’ve come up with another fabulous idea!! Kudos to you and Kristi.

    27. Nan, Odessa, DE

      Good job!
      It would be nice in your Mother’s bedroom.

      How do we shop with you? You are missing business by not shipping and selling!!!

    28. Michelle Gaul

      Simply beautiful! Wow!

    29. Jane Allen

      Love the sweet soft colors and relaxed composition. Beautiful!

    30. Deanna Rabe

      That is an awesome piece! Perfect!

    31. Janine R

      Love this. It was a stroke of genius to paint this dresser with a mural. Going to file this idea away for future use.

    32. AnnW

      I think you’ve found a winner. Lets see some more with this theme! Like Spring, Fall, and Winter.
      The Next Big Thing!

    33. Tricia

      This is absolutely stunning! ?

    34. Carol

      All I can say, is…AWESOME!

    35. Nancy

      I would buy this in a heartbeat if you shipped to Australia!

    36. Kim

      I love those greens! So fresh and springy! Well done!

    37. Jelena

      Oh, my goodness! This dresser is so much fun!

    38. Nancy

      What a great job you two accomplished. But, I still saw the ledgers! I love old ledgers. The dresser too.

    39. trish tokar

      SO wonderful!!! love it. wish i could have it!!

    40. Kerry

      I am dying over this dresser!!!!!!! I want it so badly! It’s amazingly beautiful! It feels so good when you spot something that gives you inspiration. I might just drive to Lucketts, although I know I’m not lucky enough to get to it first. People will be lined up to buy this beauty. First piece gone I guarantee!

    41. Anna Belanger

      LOVE THE LANDSCAPE!!!

    42. Jessica @ Petal + Ply

      Lovely! One of my favorite pieces ever (and how I first found Barb Blair’s work) was her landscape dresser. Your’s has a similar soothing serene feel to it and I love it! Great job ladies!

      • marian

        Oh, I love Barb, but I never realized she did a landscape dresser! I will have to go check it out. One of my favorites of hers is the “bug dresser”. That was just such a cool piece.

    43. Susan

      Absolutely adorable!!!

    44. Sherri Gonyier

      Just So Sweet!

    45. Gloria

      Kriste and Marian, this is such a “WOW” piece!!! Absolutely fabulous!!! By any chance, could you please explain the painting process and some of the milk paint colors that were used and blended? I, too, would be in line to claim dibs on this dressers for I lived closer!!! Maybe, with a little guidance from you if possible, some of us would venture to try our hand at something like this ?

      • marian

        Yep, I’ll write a post about that, but the “base” of the dresser is Boxwood for the grass and then Shutter Gray + Ironstone for the sky. Lucketts Green is the paler green. Kriste used Farmhouse White for the house and sheep and she played with a new product we’re experimenting with, a Hemp Oil gel stain as sort of a burnt umber tint.

        I have a couple of pictures of the process that I’ll share.

    46. Naomi S.

      That is about as darling as they come! Just how charming and sweet would it be for a child’s room? You two did a lovely job on that drab, dark, old chest of drawers. What a transformation a little paint and artistry can make!

    47. Erin

      Bring back “Design Ramblings”!

      • marian

        Oh, good to know! We shelved it for a while, but have talked about bringing it back with a new format. Thanks for the request!

    48. Robin Leach

      Breathtaking. I might be dying.

    49. Nancy

      This is the sweetest ever dresser! Love it!!

    50. Kathy

      wow i love that dresser, i have one i was thinking of painting like that, what inspiration to look at.
      have a couple of little chairs like that to. love, love, love it all.

    51. karen

      OMG!!!

    52. peggy

      Very charming. The soft colors will go so well with a variety of pieces.

      • Stephanie C

        Love it!

    53. Kate

      Bravo on the “Blobby Dresser”! Such a unique piece.

    54. WendyJ

      You deserve to be giddy!!!

    55. lynne

      i just wanted you to know that i have been a recent convert to your blog… to your fabulous style and great taste…. and that is a whole ‘nother comment section to come later! but i do want you to know that dealing with the decor steals people through your blog has been an absolute delight for me…. their prompt replies and efforts to answer my questions are a breath of fresh air in this day and age when product emails may often go unanswered…. thank you not only for the high standards that you adhere to, but also for the products advertised by your blog…. i really appreciate everyone’s efforts!!!!

    56. Jenny Riley

      I absolutely LOVE that you did the landscape in milk paint. It looks amazing!!!!

    57. Patti

      Love this piece! Beautiful job –

    58. Laurie

      Awesomeness!

    59. logan wilhelm

      This collaboration between you and Kriste is fabulous….LOVE it!

    60. Barbara Ann

      As my kids would say. “Sweet!”

    61. Vicki King

      Adore the greens and white: my new fave, and my kitchen if I ever get a round tuit. Feng Shui says red above the stove, fire for the hearth, but I need to feel relaxed, so not that much red in the kitchen. Green bottoms and white tops. My kitchen curtain is 3 Crate & Barrel identical (green, red, all colors really, on white) dish towels on white clip rings and tension rod. Compliments. Have a red on white ceramic plate hanging on the wall, and a red glass heart on the windowsill by the green ivy. One ivy in red opaque vase, one in green glass. (Both in water, cannot abide soil gnats). I think I’m covered.

      CRAVE the wonderful ironstone pitcher!!

    62. Sherie Bruns

      Love this! What a great idea!
      it would be perfect in my foyer…

    63. Alicia

      This is where your background really comes to the foreground (intentional play on words…LOL). This is one of your strongsuits (and Kristie’s). This piece is going to fly out the door! And I love the blob trees and especially the blob sheep!!!!

    64. Jackie

      All I can say is WOW! absolutely beautiful. Love it!

    65. Lisa

      Bravo Ladies!! Love the texture in this peice!

    66. Cheryl

      I simply lost my breath on seeing this one? Kudos!!! To you both.??

    67. Cheryl

      I just finished my second MMS milk paint piece, a sweet rush seat chair for my sewing room. In ironstone /clear wax then antiquing wax?. It didn’t disappoint me, it’s chippy in all the right places?. Onto my next piece, a search for the perfect blue. I found it in the Old Village line (soldier blue) of latex though I would love to finish it in milk paint. It is a super deep dark teal blue. I’m just not sure which colors to mix to get it the same. Flow Blue and boxwood green and perhaps typewriter?? Decisions decisions?

    68. Karen Keller-Eyer

      Could you share the milk paint color or mixture of colors and method that you painted the base of the painted dresser. The close-up of the leg seems to show more than one color and perhaps dry brushing of another????
      It’s so lovely !!!!

    69. Lorna Wooldridge

      Hi Marian and Kristie,

      Would you be willing to share a step by step tutorial for this project with materials required and colors? I’d love to repeat this on two smaller dressers we have in our bedroom, but I would just need a little more guidance. It has a lovely sleepy bedroom feel to it. Thank you always for your great ideas. 🙂

    70. LaurieY

      Fairytale Farm. Dreamy colors. Love the clouds . . and the “chips” in the clouds look like a flock of birds. This tutorial could be an MP4 Download in your online shop.

      Absolutely darling. Good job, you guys!

      Mother of Pearl, is that ever going to tug hearts at Lucketts.

      Pitter Patter.

    71. Sandi Magle

      I sold sheep milk soap when I had a brickmortar shop—-and painted two cabinet/bookcases like this…and had happy little sheep dancing across the green grass. When I closed my shop a lady snagged them for over $130.00 each….but they were perfect for a child’s room—-I simply love this idea…and may have to resurrect the idea —somehwere in the new kitchen. Grins…and baaaaaa!utiful day! Sandi

    72. Linda

      Oh, you are so talented. I’ve always yearned to be artistic to absolutely no avail.

    73. Jennifer

      Once again I am crushing on one of your pieces – the dresser is amazing! I too would love a step-by-step tutorial showing how I might recreate this look. It’s hard to tell what colors were put down first or what colors were mixed to achieve the soft look. It is beautiful.

    74. Martha

      Absolutely charming! I’m especially in love with the green tones at the bottom of the piece. I’m sure it’s a mix but could you tell us what mix?

    75. Tina

      Sweet, sweet, sweet!!

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