Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 28 of 111

Furniture Makeovers

All Things Home

creating a chippy finish

One of the reasons I love milk paint is because it can chip and flake in a way that makes a freshly painted finish look authentically old. This chipping can be a bit random, though. I’ve tested out a lot of different products and techniques to consistently force chipping to happen and, while I’ve achieved some great finishes, the consistent, authentic-looking chipping has been illusive. Until now. Last week, I had several of my milk paint retailers in the studio for some refresher training and we played with some products and techniques to see what we came up with. On of the favorite teachniques was painting a coat of milk paint, followed by some 100% Beeswax Finish in select places, then another coat of paint, another coat of Beeswax Finish, and so on. I think I did five coats altogether, using a heat gun to help dry time. The result was

February 1, 2016 32 Comments

Before and Afters

ticking slipcover for an industrial stool

I had a full, productive day in the studio on Thursday and it was glorious. I worked on the tufted sofa and I made a slipcover out of some antique ticking for the white industrial stool I bought at the Raleigh Flea Market over Thanksgiving. I love how sweet and simple the skirt turned out. Yeah, it’s a little crooked, but that’s okay. I don’t do perfect well at all! Here’s how the stool looked before. The black pleather seat cover lent the stool a decidedly more clinical feel than I was going for. I started out by cutting a band of fabric off the scrap of antique mattress ticking I had in my stash. I used the portion of it that had a hand stitched initial and year (1913). I wrapped the piece around the stool, inside-out and pinned the ends together where they meet, right sides together, raw edges facing

January 30, 2016 38 Comments

All Things Home

furniture in waiting…

I know it’s only January, but I’m already starting to think ahead to the Lucketts Spring Market in May. It’s my biggest event of the year and I work really hard to fill my booth with goodies. So, the shopping has begun. I was trolling craigslist this weekend, sending links along to my craigslist-shopping-secret-weapon (my dad.) He contacts the seller, negotiates for me, picks it up in his truck and then delivers it to the studio. He’s probably for hire, but he’s ridiculously expensive for everyone but his baby girl. Anyway, I found a couple of really great dressers and, as soon as his driveway was plowed, he went to pick them up for me. This one is an oldie with amazing details. The hardware, the keyholes, the trim…and it’s actually on little wheels and it has a white marble top. (It was just too heavy for me to lift on

January 28, 2016 44 Comments

All Things Home

this sofa will be the death of me…

I don’t know about you, but I always start projects with great optimism and enthusiasm. And most of the time things go smoothly. This is not one of those times. Stripping the upholstery was pretty easy, because three of us worked on it in turns… And painting the frame? No problem. I added a layer of batting to the back, so it would soften the foam a bit… And I used the pieces of fabric that were removed from the sofa as templates for the new fabric pieces. That back piece was huge! I happened to have an antique hemp mattress cover (that would’ve been stuffed with hay or feathers, depending on how affluent the owners were) that was long enough once opened up. We pinned all of the pieces in place and cut them out. I cut the back piece much larger than the fabric template, because of the tufting,

January 22, 2016 79 Comments

All Things Home

tufting a sofa | fabric covered buttons

I totally understand that tufting is intimidating. It’s tedious and it can look really bad if it’s not done well. And, if you’re tufting from scratch, it involves math. Geometry at that. So, if you’ve shied away from tufting, that’s okay. You are in the company of many, many other good people who would just rather buy a piece of furniture than deal with tufting. I generally don’t buy tufted pieces for this reason, but this one sort of fell in my lap. It was a leftover from Lucketts last year and the dealer, my friend Edie, gave it to me for free. Who can say no to a free Belgian sofa, tufting or no? After eye-balling it for a few months, I finally mustered the gumption to tear the sofa apart and start putting it back together. I’m not a tufting rookie, which is probably why I’m not eager to tackle

January 20, 2016 23 Comments

All Things Home

farmhouse white ticket & reviving old metal

If you haven’t noticed, I am just a little excited about our new MMS Milk Paint color, Farmhouse White. I’ve been into white lately, anyway, but I’m just so in love with the tone and coverage of this paint. It’s a winner. Launching the color in the usual way just didn’t seem like enough. I got this idea that it would be fun to offer a “golden ticket” style giveaway as we launch this color. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a scavenger hunt? A hidden surprise tucked into a product? The suspense of opening each bag, thinking it might be the one! So, somewhere out in the US, there are two $250 USD Farmhouse White Tickets hidden in two bags of Farmhouse White milk paint! The ticket will work like a gift card that you can spend on any MMSMP products, colors, finishes, brushes, etc. that you want. AND, we don’t want

January 17, 2016 26 Comments

All Things Home

tufted sofa progress

I have a lot of “business-y” things on my to-do list for the month, so it’s important that I balance it out with creative work…projects that are fun for me to work on, take pictures of, and share here on the blog. I’m trying to resist the urge to buy new things and, instead, work on pieces that have been hanging out in the studio for a while, waiting for a makeover. So, Kriste, Katie (I’ll tell you about her in a minute) and I have been picking away at the sofa for a couple of days, stripping off the circa 1980’s blue and mauve fabric that is reminiscent of fabric you’d find on dentist office chairs. It looked okay at a quick glance, but it was stained and the cushion fabric is worn in several places. It’s a fantastic Belgian-made sofa with a sturdy frame and good guts, so

January 15, 2016 27 Comments

All Things Home

milk paint 101 | first coat & the ugly stage

Sorry that it’s been over a month since I last posted in the milk paint 101 series! I like blog series, because they help me focus my writing efforts, but I am still Marian and I still get distracted. So, let’s continue. But first, here are links to the first three parts of this series, in case you missed them… part 1 | what is milk paint? part 2 | how to mix milk paint part 3 | surface prep And now you’ve brushed on your first coat of milk paint and you’re pretty certain you’ve destroyed your piece of furniture. Because it looks something like this… I’ve talked about the ugly stage before. It’s just a thing with makeovers. It’s the part of the makeover when you have foil all over your head or when the entire contents of your closet are on your floor. It gets worse before it gets better. The key

January 13, 2016 21 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

August 13th, 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.