Say Hello to Aviary & dresser reveal

by | Apr 17, 2018 | Before and Afters, Furniture Makeovers, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Popular | 70 comments

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Since the very beginning, I’ve asked you to say “hello” to each new color I add to the MMS Milk Paint line.   Now, for the 27th time, I’m asking you to “say hello” to Aviary!

Aviary is a smoky blue/gray with green undertones.

It was designed to match the paint on an antique French birdcage I purchased a couple of years ago.  It was a cool piece, but I bought it mostly because I loved the color.

As I was thinking about a new color to add to the line, to replace Dried Lavender, I kept coming back to this one, knowing it would look lovely in milk paint.


Like many of our colors, it’s a chameleon.  It looks gray next to blue and blue next to gray.  It looks light and soft next to darker colors and rich and smoky next to whites.

Here is how it compares to the blues and grays currently in our line (Aviary is the background color)…

And, here is how it looks on the dresser I painted last week!

I shared how I prepped the piece in THIS POST and how I painted and finished it HERE.

I opted to apply only one coat of paint, to allow a little more variation in the color and for the grain of the wood to show through.  Those are qualities that are unique to milk paint and I think they make for a more interesting finish, especially on an old piece of furniture.  It looks like this piece has been wearing the paint for a while.

I used the original hardware, because I liked how the soft brass played against the blue.

It’s such a subtle simple piece and I’m glad I didn’t add decorative painting or things that may have detracted from that beauty.

If you want to get your hands on some Aviary, here are US, Canadian, and Australian retailers who I know have it in stock in their online shops (while supplies last)…

US

Illinois – From Shabby to Fabby

Indiana – Five Thirty Home

Texas – Silk & Sage Designs

Texas – Lost & Found Decor

Wisconsin – Painted

California – Knot Too Shabby

Georgia – BrushStokes by Mary Anne

 

CANADA

Ontario – Concession Road Mercantile 

Ontario – My Painted Door

Alberta – Happy Little Paint Shop

 

AUSTRALIA

I Restore Stuff

Coast & Country Vintage

 

You can find a full list of our online retailers HERE and brick & mortar retailers HERE.  Since the color is new, call ahead for availability to make sure it’s in stock.

We’ll be featuring brick & mortar locations who have it in stock on the MMSMP Facebook page throughout the week, so keep an eye out for your area!

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    70 Comments

    1. Susie

      Love it! It’s a beautiful color. Perfect on the dresser.

    2. Cheri

      I absolutely LOVE it!!!

      • Marian Parsons

        Yay! I’m so glad. I love how it turned out, too!

    3. Rita

      I have this exact same dresser. I mean, identical. I painted a chalk dove grey as a first coat, the a dark chocolate chalk paint one top of that. “Chipped” a few pieces away and put on a wax finish. It turned out really nice ( or so I thought), until I saw your fabulous finish. Love it.

    4. Dawn

      Absolutely in love ???. Can hardly wait until it’s available near me in BC, Canada

    5. Donna

      I love this color, and will buy it when my Stockist has it, or who knows, may have to order….but this color will speak to a lot of people.

    6. Marsha Kern

      Beautiful color!

    7. Rebecca G

      This is a favorite shade of mine and I have it throughout my home in pillows and decor. I have an old serpentine 6 drawer that is mahogany I scored for $25! I haven’t been able to decide what to do with it but now I think I know! Thanks so much for the info on sanding a piece as well. It’s lovely!

    8. Deborah Raney

      Stunning! The sanding after painting is the part I never get right. Yours shows the perfect amount of wood, that picks up the colors in the hardware. Just beautiful!

    9. Janet Metzger

      Beautiful color, I am sure Aviary will be a big hit with furniture painters. Well done Marian.
      Hugs,
      Janet
      The Empty Nest

      PS….love the original hardware!

      • Marian Parsons

        Thank you! Yes, I love how the hardware plays with the color and distressing. 🙂

    10. Kristen

      So pretty! I used your milk paint recently for the first time, and it was great.

      • Marian Parsons

        Wonderful to hear!

    11. Marianne

      Beautiful new color! Can milk paint be applied on furniture that is already painted?

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, it can. Just give it a light sanding first.

    12. Eva Contreras

      Such a pretty color, and it goes well with the Aviary Toile drapery from your master!!!

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, it would!

    13. Linda at q is for quandie

      I just love your painted furniture posts! Beautiful job! Your styling is always spot on, the ironstone looks gorgeous paired with the Aviary. Have a great time at Junk Bonanza this week. Wish I could be there on Thursday, but my employer doesn’t seem to agree that JB should have a higher priority than our annual audit 🙁

      • Marian Parsons

        Aw, sorry I will miss seeing you!

    14. Debbie

      Hi Marian. I ordered it and it should arrive in a few days. I am beginning work on two vintage pieces for my first Grandson’s Rustic Farmhouse Nursery! Cannot wait to use Aviary on the chest of drawers (very different with 9 drawers) and a beautiful changing table. I have not used your milk paint before but have been following you for years. I feel confident I can do this. I paint many pieces of furniture but never have used the milk paint. I hope I get hooked.

      I miss your Luckett’s postings. I se you will be at Junk Bonanza. Went a few years ago and was blown away. Came home with many wonderful treasures. Enjoy your time there and good luck on your presentation.

      Blessings.

      • Marian Parsons

        I am missing getting ready for Lucketts this year, too, but it’s also nice to have a break. It is always so much physical work!

    15. Janet in Kansas City

      How would this color work with the Stonington Gray you used in your master bedroom?

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, definitely!

      • Janet in Kansas City

        Well it is beautiful, I love it and hope I can find it near me soon!

    16. Connie J in GA

      Love this color and this chest and the original brass hardware! I gasped when I saw it against your white wall. We are installing shiplap in our den which will be white and I have a large pine cabinet that leans kind of orangey. I think its going to be Aviary!!! .. with ironstone on top! As always, thanks for your inspiration.

    17. Kim

      Wouldn’t that be lovely against stone grin gray walls??

      • Kim

        Stonington gray. Stupid auto correct.

    18. Jodie Felten

      This is my favorite “Blue” so far! Ordering today, CAN NOT WAIT!!!

    19. Rowena

      Beautiful color. I just love greys…its a beautiful dresser.

    20. Debbie

      This is my favorite color you have introduced.

      • Marian Parsons

        It’s a new favorite to me, too!

    21. Ellenann

      Also my favorite! You have won over so many of us with this wonderful choice.

      • Marian Parsons

        So glad to hear!

    22. Krista

      So pretty and love the hardware too!

    23. Ellen

      Love this color!

    24. Jennifer C.

      I think that looks like the perfect mix of blue and gray! I love it!

    25. MaryLisa Noyes

      Looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I have a cabinet that this would be lovely wearing…Thabks for sharing

    26. MaryLisa Noyes

      I ordered it from Silk and Sage Design in Texas. Can’t wait!!!

    27. Jeannie McBride

      LOVE what you’ve done to this one. It’s gorgeous.

      That exact dresser was my youngest’s baby dresser. Got it at a flea market & refinished (stained) it. I still love it.

    28. Stephanie

      ‘Tis my favorite!! :-). Great color.

    29. Cathy Whiteway

      Love this new color, and it’s so aptly named…it’s the color of a Blue Gray Gnatcatcher! 🙂

    30. Moriah

      Love this color! The dresser looks amazing ?

    31. Patti

      I REALLY like Aviary! Beautiful! I can see this color working in a lot of interiors. I didn’t notice the hardware before you painted. It’s lovely!

      • Marian Parsons

        So glad! Thank you!

    32. Diane

      This is just personal to me and i know that a lot of people are loving grey, its very trendy..i know i know…but it reminds me of the sky in the UK dull, rainy with clouds that sit on your shoulders and never seem to go! I love the bright turquoise sky where I live now and could not go back to living in the UK! I loved the chest of drawers before with that beautiful grain…I still love the style but grey no i do not like it…sorry Marian, but when you have lived in the UK with that dark and dingy sky you would understand I am sure!

      • Vicki

        So funny. To each his own for sure. This color reminds me of the Oregon Coast sky which is exactly why I love it. I love a dark dingy sky as you described it Diane.

      • Marian Parsons

        Ha, I understand! There was a song in a musical I did in college and it went, “Over all domains, England reigns, England reigns. And it seems like it rains everyday.” When I see rain and gray skies in British movies and tvs shows, that song always comes to mind.

    33. Sheila

      Beautiful but I’m surprised that you painted it with the drawers in place. Do you always do that? I spend so much time taping everything off.

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, I always do that. It’s much more efficient than taping, I have found.

    34. Susan

      The palette is grand. Simply, wonderfully grand. Aviary is my cup of tea. Thanks, Marian, you continue to inspire me, challenge me, and give me ideas. I’ve been playing in my back yard a LOT, planting, transplanting, weeding, trimming, marveling, and nurturing. Dirt is in my blood. I should be inside organizing but can’t on these glorious days in Atlanta. Soon it will be too hot and humid. Keep on keeping on!

      • Marian Parsons

        Enjoy that weather! We’re getting snow tomorrow!

    35. Cherylan

      Enjoyed your alchemist description of the color and its reference to various contrasting colors.

    36. Vicki

      It reminds me of the Oregon Coast on an overcast day, which is most days. Beautiful. Marian, I noticed that you paint the drawers while still in the dresser. Is this how you keep the paint from getting on the top edge of the drawer fronts? Any tricks you could share? Do you paint toward the edge? I always seem to get paint on the edges of the drawer fronts. Your drawers look so nice. LOL. I meant that to sound weird. Happy Day!

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, I keep them in and that keeps the paint off the edges of the drawers. I also use a dry brush around the drawer edges to prevent drips and ledges. Lastly, I’ll sand the edges of each drawer to clean them up a bit, if needed.

    37. Vicki

      So funny. To each his own for sure. This color reminds me of the Oregon Coast sky which is exactly why I love it. I love a dark dingy sky as you described it Diane.

      • Marian Parsons

        I love that description as well!

    38. DeAnna

      Gorgeous color! May be my new favorite!

    39. Naomi S

      Oooh, that’s a fabulous color! Mmm, I love it! Let’s see, what can I paint with it? Maybe my great-great aunt’s desk. And it has the same kind of hardware that your dresser has. Yup, I think I’ve decided!

      How does it work for you to add a new color? Do you just mix something up and send a painted sample to the paint company or….? Just curious.

      • Marian Parsons

        Basically. I create a color with existing colors as well as pigments, other colors from the manufacturer, etc. and they I send them the recipe as well as painted swatches. The process then starts on their end to match it from raw materials. There’s a lot of back-and-forth testing and samples until we get it right. It’s especially tricky with milk paint!

    40. Jane

      Question! What is a draw brush.? How do you use one? Thanks Marion.

      • Marian Parsons

        Oh, a “dry brush”, meaning there isn’t a lot of paint on the brush.

    41. Liz

      I don’t know why all the controversy about painting the wood on this dresser. Part of your business is to sell paint. Duh! If you are reading this blog chances are you are gonna see painted furniture! I think it looks alot better painted with this beautiful color. I keep a stock of MMS milk paint on hand for when I catch a wild hair to paint something. I need to order some to paint a couple pieces when we move to our new home. It fits beautifully into my new palette of blues and grays.

      • Marian Parsons

        Believe it or not, there’s always a bit of blowback with almost every wood piece I paint. Some of them get more attention than others, though! 🙂 I understand it. There are people who are passionate about natural wood and it really upsets them to see it painted. I agree with you, though, this might not be the best blog/instagram to follow if you’re one of those people!

    42. Catherine

      Gorgeous new color! As soon as I finish painting my walls I am going to start on some furniture pieces and will be ordering some of your milk paint!

    43. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!)

      Love, love, love this color, Marian! It’s so pretty! Now I have to find a supplier near us!

      Enjoy your day!

    44. Sue

      What a lovely piece!! The color is gorgeous. Enjoy!

    45. Elisabeth Mackey

      Oh this is simply stunning. I love this blue, it really complements your line. I will order it online, I have a Queen Anne secretary desk I have been wanting to paint and I think it will look fantastic in this color. I have wanted to use your paints for a long time and can’t wait to get started with Aviary! Thank you for your inspiration, I’ve been following you for years and love your style!

    46. Annie Looysen

      It’s absolutely perfect in every way Marian! I have so enjoyed using this color. My customers are in love with it!

    47. Beverly O

      Hi Marian,
      What a beautiful blue! I love the dresser. I used to have one very similar but I passed it along to my daughter when her third little one came along.

      I love that last image with the 25 colors. Could you post one with each of the colors labeled with the name beside the puddle of the color?

    48. michelle bergsma

      This new color is perfection!!!! I am absolutely in love with it!!!! Now I have to figure out what to use it on ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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