Hand Painted Furniture Archives | Page 22 of 27

Hand Painted Furniture

a dresser, a story and a decision

I find my furniture all over the place. Yard sales, consignment shops, auctions, estate sales, curbs, thrift stores, friends, family, antique stores… This one was found on Craig’s List. It looked like this when I picked it up. The shape is gorgeous, but the peeling veneer and missing details had the old girl showing her age. Instead of trying to repair and hide all of the quirks, I decided to celebrate them. This is an old dresser and it doesn’t need to look new. A heavily distressed paint camouflaged all of the imperfections and played up the texture of the piece. I really love how this one turned out. One of my favorites and I really, really wanted to keep it, but it went to Lucketts. That seems to be a theme with me, lately. A funny story about this dresser…I drove out to pick it up along with another one

April 16, 2011 94 Comments

Secretary Before & After and Lucketts

I mentioned last week that I had painted a secretary to sell at Lucketts. Well, it made it to the Lucketts parking lot, but I had a buyer before I even posted the pictures. The before wasn’t too bad, but it was a little scratched and the finish looked a little dated (in my opinion.) I thought the fretwork looked a little busy and the wood tones didn’t match. A reader named Erin sent me an e-mail, inquiring about the secretary I mentioned. I sent her some quickly-snapped pictures and it was just what she was looking for. We met this morning at Lucketts and both left happy. I must admit, I left the interior natural wood out of laziness. It’s a pain to paint all of those cubbies and it’s hard to do it well, even with a sprayer. I ended up really liking the warmth of the wood

April 9, 2011 55 Comments

French Feed Sack Chair

This is the post where I take a perfectly good chair, rip it to pieces and make it something that is totally “me”. This is the perfectly good chair. This is me ripping apart said chair. …and this is the chair now. Totally me. Frenchiness. Feed-sack-ish-ness. I know this won’t be everyones cup of tea, but it’s my cup of tea. I painted it in Louis Blue chalk paint followed by a “dry brushing” of Old White and a coat of clear wax. The piece is upholstered in faded American feed sacks with a bright white gimp trim to frame it out. I love the traditional-meets-quirky look of it. Believe it or not, I’m going to let it go. I’m taking it to my pavilion at Lucketts on Saturday to sell. Sniff-sniff. This job is getting harder and harder. See you tonight at 10:00 EST for Furniture Feature Friday and our special

April 7, 2011 101 Comments

Night Stand Makeover

I am in a mad dash to refill my space at Lucketts. I was basically wiped clean last weekend, but I’m really energized and on a creative high because of it. I’m a strange bird, but I guess I’m in the right business! Here’s my latest project… In my flurry, I didn’t take a before picture, but it was a part of a set, so it looked like the dresser below. I painted it in Graphite chalk paint with Old White details, distressed, followed by a coat of clear wax mixed with dark brown. It’s a little different for me and I think it’s really striking. (Yes, I realize the top handle is a little askew. I just put the original hardware back on in the original holes…) It looked very cool with the fan and theatre seat that are going to the space as well. I’m filling up the booth early

April 5, 2011 63 Comments

what you don’t see & a dresser makeover

I probably have enough content for two blogs, but I only have the time to keep up with one. And sometimes I can’t even do that! There are so many projects and makeovers I work on that you never see. I just don’t have the time to stage them, photograph them, write about them. I sort of hit my favorite projects and what I’m feeling most inspired by on my blog. One of the things I didn’t share was this union jack sign I made out of an old dutch barn door. It had the original red paint on it, so I kept the red and painted the blue and white in craft acrylics. It looks like it came off an old ship or something. I also recently painted that French mirror with gold leaf detail and the small shelf to the left of the dresser. Speaking of the dresser…

April 2, 2011 50 Comments

Serendipity – Dresser Before & After

I love happy accidents. This dresser was a happy accident. Someone had left it in an attic or barn or somewhere where it was exposed to heat. This heat made the poly finish bubble and it eventually cooled and hardened, leaving an amazing alligator skin texture. This would be a bad thing to most people. To me, it gave a texture I can’t begin to reproduce. Another happy accident was me being a little sloppy with the paint stripper I used on the top. Some of it stuck to the sides and the result was this amazing crazing in places. I ran out of my signature glass knobs, so I used some carved bone knobs I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby. Another happy accident. They are perfect for the piece, but not what I originally had in mind. If you read my blog, you know I’m into nice legs. These legs?

March 30, 2011 76 Comments

Dining Room Cabinets – Before & After

I once posed a question on this blog. Should I paint these corner cabinets? There were people in both camps. It was quite a comment thread to read through. What some figured out is that I already knew the answer to the question. I wanted to paint them…I just wanted a 2nd (or 80th) opinion. The truth is, I wanted to paint these cabinets the minute my aunt and uncle gave them to me. I just pictured them painted, but struggled with the age old debate about painting really nice wood. Ultimately, I followed my gut and threw out conventional wisdom about not painting nice wood pieces. I put that conventional thinking in the “dark colors make rooms feel smaller” or the “blue and green should never be seen” camp. (Boy, I really need a rug in this room! And yes, I allow my kids to ride scooters in the house.)

March 23, 2011 100 Comments

Cruel and Unusual

OK. I need to explain something, so you don’t feel like I’m just going, “Neener-neener-neener. I know a cool paint and you don’t!” I am going to share everything about the paint I used on my desk as soon as I get the green light. My source asked if I would hold off for a few days until they are ready to handle lots of orders. You know, when I posted my glitter letter tutorial my source, Meyer Imports, sold out of my glitter and I had to wait to get more! So, I sent my source an e-mail today, letting them know my readers are dying and can I please share. I’m still waiting to get the “OK”. Since I have not gotten the thumbs up, yet, I was going to post my next installment of the slipcover series. Well, the video didn’t upload and it’s going to take

March 15, 2011 88 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

A book about creativity, intention, and making things with care. Sign up to receive updates, preorder details, and exclusive bonus content.

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From original paintings and art prints to Pup Club releases and curated goods, each piece is created or chosen to bring warmth, creativity, and character into your home.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

A handpicked collection of items styled and shared throughout posts, projects, and social feeds. Every product is thoughtfully chosen to reflect a timeless, collected aesthetic.