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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

SHE HAS GOOD BONES!


Although this post is a couple of months old, I'm submitting this in Miss Mustard Seeds Furniture Friday as I never got around to it at the time...

Oh the mistakes I made when we were newly married!  None life changing or serious, just EXPENSIVE EXPENSIVE ones, which I had to live with! How many ugly armoires can one woman buy?? It was as if I was on a mission, to give all ugly armoires a good home!

I used to think I had good taste!  I guess I did in fashion, as that had been fine tuned through years of wholesale fashion buying (though you'd NEVAH guess it by looking at how this mama dresses now!).  However, in furniture, my taste wasn't trained or fine tuned.  I think my biggest mistakes were things I HAD to buy, out of need/necessity rather than love at first sight purchases.  Can those ever be wrong?

I did an ugly armoire transformation post a few months ago, and I'm happy with that armoire now (still don't love it but can live with it).  However the elephant in the room was the armoire in my bedroom!  My husband never asked 'WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????' but he gave me that 'look' regularly.  You know 'the look'.  

This one was worse because it was pretty pricy.  It was very good quality, made by Amish in Western Ontario.  I ordered it just like the sample colours … white washed with dark oak trim!!!! AGAIN, WHAT WAS I THINKING?????  I'm embarrassed to show you the 'before' photos!  Please don't judge, we've all had expensive mistakes, haven't we?  Here is probably the only photo of the piece I have (also was painting my room at time of photo):

Good bones, but bad dated colour scheme!!!  She's only about 8 years old!
So, after eight years of living with yet another of my list of shames, I got the courage to paint her.  I think I have this mental block which stops me from painting expensive furniture even if its butt ugly!  At least until its about five years old!

First I painted it white.  I love the white look, and really want to try to live with white. As my bedroom furniture is dark in colour, and had already painted my night tables in a light paris grey and white, the all white armoire just looked…big and white and out of place.  Also, it became the third colour way in the room of furniture. The only real solution was to use the white as the under colour and trim, and paint the top coat in the paris grey (Behr) to unify the it with the end tables.

Here are the night tables. These were the traditional french repro tables you saw all over the place in the '70s.  No before photos, but you know the ones!



On to the armoire. I painted and distressed my heart out!  I also waxed with dark wax and clear wax combined. I added the appliqués after waxing as I didn't want to get the wax in the grooves.  Here is the after:



No more white and dark brown trim!



The doors not closed properly, but thats my lack of attention to detail, not the doors fault!







Just the slightest dark wood peaking through the crown…






I tried to keep a light hand with the distressing, but I just love when the edges expose the wood. 




This isn't the hardware I would have chosen, but the problem with this armoire is that it has a 3" space between the handle drawers. I don't know how it is in the US, but in Canada, most of the hardware comes in metric, and in all of Lee Valley Hardware, there was only about 4 or 5 handles which had a 3" gap.  My husband said NO DRILLING NEW HOLES.  So, this was my best option, except they were bright brass.  So I spray painted them in a hammered antiqued brass paint, and they looked great!




The appliqués are a bit stark in colour, and I will be dulling them with a grey wash.  They'll remain white but just a bit duller.




Now its perfect with my end tables:




As I was in the bedroom with my camera, I thought I would photo graph my two favourite lamps!  They haven't been tweaked yet, just left in their original conditions but I bought them separately and they are slightly different.  So terribly girly!!!!






She's the prettier more fun sister!




She's the more serious, probably older sister!



Time to make the bed!  Or possibly just sink in a take a little nap…

Please let me know if you like or dislike something!  I love hearing from you guys! 

I will be sharing on these great blogs!






PRIMITIVE AND PROPER POWW95



32 comments:

  1. Your armoire turned out beautiful!
    Great job!

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  2. Your armoire looks like a fine French antique to go with your oo la la lamps. They are so fun!

    You haven't seen UGLY unless you've seen the living room furniture we bought in 1979. Rust plaid with chunky oak wood frame. And it was expensive at the time!

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  3. Oh you have no idea how much I absolutely LOVE how the armoire turned out - it's gorgeous!!! You have given me the incentive to paint my pine armoire, I will do it very similar to yours but more bluish. I never would have thought to use the cream paint to highlight the trim detail, it makes the piece. Thank you so very much for such amazing inspiration!!!!

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  4. Love the armoire - beautiful job! I'm also from Canada - Montreal - and I'm 53 and act 33 so we're on the same wave length, lol
    Your newest follower - would love you to come visit and follow back!
    ;)))

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  5. Oh, she does have good bones and lines! Beautiful job on making her pretty. Visiting from Tuesday's Treasures. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty party at The Dedicated House. Wishing you a grand day! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  6. Forgot to give you the link. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-4.html Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  7. That make-over is perfect. It would be the very color I would choose.

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  8. That turned out very pretty, love the color choices!

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  9. Your armoire turned out beautiful! A great transformation.
    Mary Alice

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  10. Thank you for sharing this at the Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House. Hope to see you again next week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  11. Great armoire makeover - love the grey and white combination.

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  12. Oh, I love it! I have a big black (I painted it black...it was the thing a few years back) armoire in my bedroom. At the time I thought it was super expensive... garage sale $115. Probably a bit less than you paid lol. I really want to re-paint it. Everything is black though....If I get ambitious I would love to everything in this exactly color. Adding the appliques is such a great idea. It changed the whole feel of your armoire. Love it! Is this Paris Grey a bit blue? Looks like it. Reminds me of Wedgwood. New follower!!!!

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    1. Thanks for the nice comments, and following! Yes, its a bit bluey grey. I used the Behr paint/primer in one so no priming required. I had bought these paints before I ordered any of the Chalk paint (it took longer to get to Canada). They are easy to use, but harder to distress. Good luck!

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  13. I love your armoire. I have an ugly one in my bedroom from the mid 1800's that I need to do something with as all the finish has come off. I keep it oiled but need to do something with it so yours has inspired me to take it on. TFS. I'm visiting from Feathered Nest Friday. Peggy~PJH Degigns

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  14. Your armoire is lovely~ I love the colors you chose! Thank you for linking up at Feathered Nest Friday!

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  15. She wasn't so bad to begin with, but I do prefer your after! You brought out the French soul of her!

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  16. Oh! Great job! Your armoire is fantastic now. I understand what you call "mental block"...but fortunately you decided!
    Thank you for your visit, I am so happy you liked my shabby green furniture. And, answering to your question, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
    Besos!! Silvina

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  17. Love love love what you did to the armoir! I've got one waiting for me in the garage. This is just what I want her to look like! Thanks for the inspiration! btw - I find most of my hardware on ebay. It's always cheaper than my local vendors and you can find exactly what you need!

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  18. I love the transformation of your armoire! It looks like an exquisite piece of jasperware!!!
    Regards, Laura

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  19. That was a great color choice, and you had a very nice touch with the distressing. You should finally be able to look at it without cringing and be able to avoid "the look". You rocked it.
    Liz

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  20. GREAT job on your armoire! I love the colors you chose and the soft way you distressed it! Looks sooooo much better now! :) I've been looking for one like that to hold my craft/fabric supplies in my office...but pretty ones are hard to come by. You're so lucky!

    xoxo laurie

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  21. Love the Armoire. I just revamped an old armoire too. Very different style but I would love to have yours instead.

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  22. Your armoire is stunning! I love the colors and how you did the distress look. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing on Simple & Sweet Fridays. New Follower.


    Jody

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  23. It is gorgeous!!
    Thanks for sharing it at Shabbilicious Friday.

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  24. Great job on the paint re-do, love those colors!!! thanks for joining in on the party!!

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  25. Arda, Just wanted to let you know you've been featured on Simple & Sweet Fridays. Congrats! This is such a fantastic project. Thanks for sharing it and don't forget to grab a button. Have a wonderful weekend!

    Jody

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    1. Thanks so much!!! I'm so happy to be featured on such a great blog!

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  26. Beautiful makeover! And I like the hardware too, it's a nice contrast. I have the exact asme lamp in my studio!

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  27. I love it!! Going to pin it!! I am in the process of refinishing an old cupboard. I'm very hesitant about the distressing edges. I'm also from Canada (western parts).

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  28. seriously stunning and the unmade bed looks incredibly luxuirous and chic!

    found you via MMS and hope you'll hop over and follow.

    http://hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com/2012/08/living-room-new-beginning.html

    smiles.

    michele

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