Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 81 of 111

Furniture Makeovers

Before and Afters

Upholstered Chair Reveal

Here she is… Here she was… Again, I have nothing against pink, but the pink didn’t work in my home and really wanted to keep these and use them in my family room. I’ve been on a quest for years to populate my family room with comfy, yet stylish (and budget friendly) chairs and these fit perfectly. Right chair, wrong color. So, I stripped her down and gave her a new look. You can read the very G-rated post about stripping HERE. I’m so proud of the way this chair turned out. It’s definitely my best upholstery work to date. I even put a zipper in cushion. I know, right? Fancy. I trimmed out the fabric with green trim (since I have a lot of blues going on already) and I decided to leave the frame as is. I sort of like the washed look with a

November 10, 2012 5 Comments

Furniture Feature Friday – Favorites & a Link Party

I’ve been hosting this party for over two years and have sometimes thought I should stop. There are so many link parties out there now. When I started this, mine was the only furniture party and now there are several. Anytime I’m seriously thinking about it, though, something happens that changes my mind. Last week at the book signing at Lucketts a sweet woman mentioned how much she loves this party and looks forward to it each week. It’s hard to argue with that. 🙂 Here are my favorites from last week… I love everything about this dresser…the color, the finish, the birds, the knobs. I think Rachel from Shades of Blue Interiors did an amazing job. I think this old built in cabinet in the home of Jennifer from Town & Country Living. The bead board and the latches are fantastic! I’m not always going to feature milk paint

November 9, 2012 21 Comments

Furniture Makeovers

Stripping Upholstery

I finished upholstering one of the pink French chairs today. Woohoo! I even put a zipper on the cushion cover, so it’s legit. With over twelve years of sewing under my belt, this is the first zipper I have ever done! I don’t know why I’ve been so scared of zippers…ZIPPERS, people. Really?! I was determined to not be spooked by something as humble as a zipper. I dissected the old cover and figured it out and the zipper works like a champ. It’s the little victories. Anyway, let’s get to stripping the chair. The upholstery was in perfect condition , but it was pink. Nothing against pink, but it didn’t work in my house. When shopping last week, I found this amazing fabric at Hobby Lobby… It has all of the colors in my family room, so I bought eight yards for these chairs and some pillows. When I

November 8, 2012 2 Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

French Chair Makeover & White Wash Tutorial

Before I show these chairs, I am letting you know that I am selling them. Yes, they are cane chairs and they are beautifully Frenchy, but I’ve recently made room for two pairs of French chairs and I just can’t make room for a third. Now it’s out there and you can hold me to it! (It’s tough for me.) This pair of chairs have a beautiful shape, but a finish that wasn’t quite right for my taste. I painted the pair in Shutter Gray Milk Paint followed by a wash of Ironstone and one coat of Furniture Wax. The wash brings out the details of the piece and softens the finish to give it a soft, aged look. It’s a subtle finish, but makes a big difference, especially on a piece with lots of detail. Here’s my latest video tutorial to show how simple

October 24, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

Milk Painted Wardrobe Reveal

Here it is… This is the piece I’ve been walking you through as I paint and finish it. You can check out the first post about painting it HERE and the second post about distressing and waxing it HERE. I purchased this wardrobe from an antique furniture store and it was beautiful to begin with, but it felt very dark and heavy. The wood was also not in the greatest condition, so I didn’t feel too bad about painting it. This one is an oldie. It was originally a wardrobe that would easily break down into flat parts, so it could be moved in the days before we had U-Hauls at the ready. Someone glued/screwed it all together at some point, though. This is the fireplace surround that was my inspiration for the finish… Mary and her husband painted it in Tricycle, followed by Typewriter and lastly Shutter

October 20, 2012 No Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

wardrobe progress…

Sorry for the suspense, but I didn’t show the reveal of the wardrobe in yesterday’s post about working with Milk Paint because it wasn’t finished, yet. I worked on it more today and I’ll take reveal pictures tomorrow before I haul it down to Lucketts. Since you last saw it, I applied a second coat of Shutter Gray Milk Paint and painted the door panels and side panels in Grain Sack. It doesn’t look a lot like Grain Sack, though, because some yellow from the original wood seep through That doesn’t have anything to do with the Milk Paint, but the piece of furniture. If it really bothered me, I could seal it with poly and paint it over again, but it doesn’t bother me in this case. I then sanded the finish with a fine grit sanding sponge… …then a medium. With a fine sanding sponge, I

October 18, 2012 No Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

If Milk Paint freaks you out…

…this post may help prevent that. Hopefully. Let me start by saying that I love Milk Paint and I’m currently selling Milk Paint under my own brand. That doesn’t mean that I think everyone else will love Milk Paint as much as I do or that I think it’s perfect for every painting situation. I love it, but I can love it realistically. So, when people tell me they are scared to try it, I understand. It comes in powder form, which is different. It has a different texture, which is…well…different. It doesn’t behave the way modern paints do. All of those things can freak people out. BUT, it’s an amazing paint. Everything that makes it different also makes it special. I think the key to loving Milk Paint is understanding it. I think it might help to show a piece in progress, so when your milk paint starts to

October 17, 2012 No Comments

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

bonding agent video tutorial

I show in my latest “Boxwood Dresser” how Milk Paint can look when the bonding agent is added and it’s not distressed. As you can see, a beautiful finish can be achieved (without using a separate primer coat!) Here’s how… More videos to come…

October 13, 2012 No 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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