Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 5 of 110

Furniture Makeovers

a slice of life

milk paint backdrops, blueberry ink, & creative community

Last week was the first week that I felt like I was settling into a new routine. The previous weeks were about figuring out this new normal…the stress of feeling like I’m bringing toxic waste into the house when I order groceries or check the mail, the struggle of learning how to do school from home, the worry of the unknown, trying to sleep after reading the news. I know so many of you can relate to the upheaval. But, I’m settling now, just as one would after a move or starting a new job, having a baby, or some other life-changing event. I’ve grown used to having groceries delivered and wiping them all down before bringing them into the house. The boys have gotten into their own routine and have been doing schoolwork with more independence. We’ve been able to treat ourselves with one outing to Home Depot to

May 11, 2020 16 Comments

All Things Home

Furniture Dilemmas | Connie’s Queen Anne Highboy

Let’s talk about furniture, shall we? That seems like a welcome diversion! Today, I’m going to share the step-by-step how-to for painting and finishing a piece like Connie’s Queen Anne highboy…. Here is how it looks in the context of her room… Isn’t that a lovely space? It reminds me a lot of my Opa’s house. And I mean that in a good way, not in a way like it looks like an “old person’s” house! It looks welcoming and traditional, but tasteful and stylish. It’s collected and comfortable. I think it also has something to do with the fact that they had a similar rug and an almost identical gooseneck rocker. Anyway, I love her room! The dresser in the corner was a piece handed along to her and she feels like it’s a little dark in the room and just another heavy wood piece next to that

March 20, 2020 48 Comments

All Things Home

Furniture Dilemmas | Marylisa’s French Chairs

When Marylisa sent me a picture of her chairs, I knew I had just the posts, tutorials, and examples to share with her! If you’ve followed me for a few years, you probably know how much I enjoy buying and reupholstering French-style chairs. Well, I don’t really enjoy upholstery, but I enjoy the results and this style of chair is much easier to upholster because of the wood frame. If you’re considering diving into the world of upholstery, this kind of chair is a good place to start. So, here is what Marylisa’s chairs look like now… The last photo shows an antique linen sheet draped over one of the chairs. She purchased a few at an antique store to use on these chairs. I won’t ever argue with antique linen! These chairs are almost identical in style to the buffalo checked chairs in my kitchen eating area… But I

March 3, 2020 20 Comments

Before and Afters

Furniture Dilemmas

I’ve been working on my second Decorating Dilemma and should be ready to post that next week, but it got me thinking… What about doing Furniture Dilemmas? I know my readers love furniture makeovers and, since I don’t have a studio space outside of my home any longer and I’m not getting ready for markets and events, I don’t work on furniture anywhere near as much as I used to. So, since I’m not working on furniture for me, why don’t we work on it for you? I receive e-mails and DMs pretty regularly asking about what to do with a piece of furniture and it would be fun to bring those conversations to the blog. So, here is how it will work… Send a few pictures of your piece of furniture to me at marian@missmustardseed.com with the e-mail title Furniture Dilemma. They can be wood, painted, upholstered, whatever. All

February 20, 2020 33 Comments

a slice of life

milk paint makeovers in barga

The main reason for my trip to Europe was teaching at a creative retreat in Barga. For one of our creative sessions, we painted an antique chest from the Cordati house where we had our workshop space. We did this last year and it was a ton of fun and a great success. Not everyone in our group this year was a furniture painter, but it was a great creative exercise for everyone. It was a sweet spot for some and way out of their comfort zone for others. As a group, we decided to take inspiration from the painted panels on the doors in the room. The designs are beautiful and they have always caught my eye, so I was excited to paint a piece of furniture using those as inspiration. I took a few minutes to sketch some elements in my sketchbook and to test out swatches of

October 10, 2019 16 Comments

All Things Home

parsons chair slipcovers

The time has come to make some slipcovers for the parsons’ chairs at either end of our kitchen table. Well, technically, they are sort of hybrid mini-wing/parsons’ chairs. I lucked out when I bought them in that they were listed as a pair even though the price was just for one. So, I got two for the price of one! ( is the chair, but it’s out of stock and the price on the listing is double what I paid for two, but it might help you find something similar.) Anyway, I knew when I bought them that the light, linen-ish upholstery would be toast. There was just no way with two pre-teen boys that they were going to stay pristine. They are their favorite chairs, so they have taken a beating with drips and spills. To make matters worse, my youngest son likes to have his insulin pods changed

August 5, 2019 45 Comments

All Things Home

how to decide when/if to paint a piece

One of the questions I am asked frequently is how to decide when and if to paint a piece of furniture. This is a question that comes up again and again, especially when I show a makeover of an old, wooden dresser that involves paint. Before we get into how I make a decision about what to paint, let me say that I love natural wood pieces just as much as I love painted pieces. There is a place for both in a home and, surprisingly enough, my unpainted pieces outweigh my painted pieces. I paint a lot of furniture because, for years, it’s been a key part of my business. Painted furniture was a large part of my decorative painting business in the early days and it ended up being my favorite part, so it became “my thing”. As my business evolved and I launched my own paint line,

July 30, 2019 19 Comments

All Things Home

Hand Painted Mora Dresser | Part 2

In case you missed part one of this dresser makeover, you can check it out HERE. At the end of yesterday’s post, I said I would show how the dresser turned out as well as how I distressed and finished it, so this post is fulfilling that promise. And here it is… I did a light distressing with 120 grit sandpaper, just to “knock down the newness” of the fresh paint. I also wanted to soften the decorative painting. You can see how I did it in the video… I also replaced the broken caster, added new glass knobs, and finished the piece in MMSMP’s Hemp Oil… This piece still followed my tradition of scrolly decorative painting on drawer fronts, but I changed it up a bit by adding the folk art animals as well as some different strokes. I love the rabbit and I think I need to play

July 23, 2019 50 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.

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