Accenting an Antique Dresser with MMS Milk Paint in "Typewriter"

I love painting furniture, but my first love is the timeless beauty of true antiques.  There is no duplicating the gorgeous wood grain that's found on many pieces and the patina can be breathtaking.

Then, there are some that are really pretty, but lack some 'umph'.  That's how I felt about this Empire dresser we found recently.  To be brought back to it's former glory, it will require some serious refinishing....and this piece will take a lot of bad chemicals, hand sanding and a long process to put the shine back on.  Not on my agenda....

Instead, since we had to do some repairs on the top, I knew I wanted some paint on it.

I let it sit in my foyer for a while as I studied it, stared at it and spent hours on Pinterest trying to get some real inspiration for it.  My first thought was to paint the whole piece a soft, light color, but every time I got ready to work on it, I literally could not bring myself to put my paint brush on it.  So, I came up with a Plan B.

I wanted to highlight it's handcrafted beauty, but at the same time, cover up the repairs on the top and the large veneer chips (yes, this piece is veneered), so I decided to just accent the piece with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Typewriter.

Look how the beautiful wood grain of the drawers really show off, now!  The finish on the drawers still has the alligator-ing going on, but I feel that patina just adds to the rustic feel of it.  I actually thinned the paint a little more than usual because I wanted the wood grain to show through...then lightly sanded to reveal more in places.

The whole piece got a top coat of Hemp Oil.

I know that these are not the original knobs, but are the ones that were on it when we bought it.  I had no problems with keeping them!  They are gorgeous!

So, before anyone yells at me for defacing an antique....this piece can still be refinished just as it could have been before I painted it!  I look at it this way...I am just preserving it for now. :)

This one will be heading to the new store soon as we begin to move things in!  

For the Love of Burlap

 

 

This was one of my purchases at an auction about a month ago....and my husband thought I was just plain nuts!  It obviously had been sitting in someone's shed for years and there was a lot of veneer damage....and was just nasty.

 

 

The top was actually the worst.  The veneer was separating and there was plenty of mildew.  But it didn't scare me....oh NO!

 

This past week, I took it out of the pile and started taking off a lot of the veneer.  Luckily, it had been exposed to the elements for so long that it came off really easy.  The old varnish on the drawers was really brittle, so it didn't take any time to sand those down.  The dresser was in fact, a very sturdy piece.

At first, I stained the drawers and planned to keep them natural....but no matter what I did, it never looked right with any color I added (and this baby was painted three times).  I believe that because I am such a symmetrical freak, it had to do with the fact that the left top drawer had a straight grain and the others were curvy.  That just never looked right to me....

 

Before you start yelling at me about why I didn't refinish the entire piece...I just want to say that if I could have, I definitely would have.  I love oak.  However, I had to strip so much veneer off that it just wouldn't look right.  The secondary wood is not oak and doing veneer is beyond my ability...at the moment....

So, I finally painted the entire piece a sage green (after creamy white and milk paint).  I loved the green, but it just looked ho-hum.  Then, Mr. SC came up with a fabulous idea.  BURLAP!  I had to think about it, but I got really excited at the thought. 

 

I searched Pinterest...but didn't really see a lot on the subject.  My main concern was what to use to adhere it.  Well, Modge Podge is always a good start!

 

 

I slathered the Modge Podge over the drawer and placed the a pre-cut piece of burlap.

 

 

The Modge Podge worked great and the end result is THIS!

 

 

I did the side panels, too (this picture makes it look more gray than the color is....)

I refinished and put back on the original knobs.

 

I think the end result has a Modern Farm Chic Caribbean look to it.  What a mix, huh?  I adore it and it may not make it out of the house....

 

Now, for my staff of the day...my little helper, Molly, was just not in the mood....

 

 

and her brother decided to hunt, instead.

 

 

You just can't find good help these days.

  

Enjoy this beautiful weather and have a fabulous weekend!

 

Susan

 

 

 

 

Linking to:

 

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

Domestically Speaking

Homespun Happenings

Old Red Barn

The Sunday Showcase Party by Stephanie Lynn

 Artsy Chics Rule

Primp Your Stuff Link Party