Have you ever had a piece of furniture that you couldn’t wait to start painting? And once you did, every part of your restyle was fun and flowed perfectly? And then when it was finished, you loved the end result, but you were a bit disappointed that you couldn’t work on it anymore? For me, this was one of those perfectly fun pieces!
There’s nothing I don’t like about this piece. I’m hooked on every last detail. The curves framing the three section bevelled mirror, ornate carvings and floral embellishments on the body, large rounded carved feet – everything is amazing!
If my bathroom was large enough, I’d drop in a beautiful sink and this baby would be mine!
The Color – General Finishes Coastal Blue
To get this rich finish, I used General Finishes Coastal Blue Milk Paint. I would describe this color as a heavily saturated deep ocean blue – stunning and sophisticated. This paint really updates the look of this dresser. It also compliments the warm tones of the wood peeking through. Together, these rich tones keep the old-world-integrity of this piece.
The Paint Technique
To achieve this two tone look, I used a painterly approach. I know this may sound non-technical – maybe even vague, but imagine an artist laying down paint on a canvas and then working the paint harder in some areas and softer in others. This is exactly what I did. I kept my brush strokes loose and inconsistent – and just had fun. You can see where the paint is applied heavily in some areas and very lightly in others. I love the end result!
Although I’m a sucker for original hardware, I picked up these beautiful floral knobs from The Painted Bench in Hamilton. I really like the large size and the striking contrast. They also tie in nicely with the floral motif on the mirror and top drawer!
As a finishing touch, I lined the drawers with paper I picked up at TJ Maxx on my cross border shopping trip.
A big thanks to General Finishes for providing the product and including me in their Blogger Of The Month series! And thank you Andrea for ‘sharing’ your Milk Glass Collection to help stage this piece! 🙂
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this finish and the Coastal Blue! Chime in – let’s chat! 😉
Have a great day and happy painting friends!
Denise x
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This, Is. Stunning!!!! I’m so in love!!!!
Thank you Lauren! x
Very well done.Going to try something similar on a beautiful antique secretary I just picked up at Salvation Army. Did you have to use some muscle “pushing” the paint? Blues dry so quickly. Wondering.
No muscle needed. 🙂 The painting process is smooth and fun…I’ll bet that antique secretary’s desk is going to look stunning!
So I love the look of this piece and I have a couple pieces that I am wanting to antique/ just give a face lift. Could you explain more about the actual process? Did you do any sanding? staining? priming? before you started or did you literally just paint on top of what was already there?
Absolutely beautiful! I am going to to try this on a similar piece that I own. So, after the milk paint was applied how you wanted, what did you use for a top coat?
Thanks so much Melissa – and this piece was topcoated/protected with wax.
Oh my, if there was ever any doubt that sometimes less is more…you’ve erased such doubt with this beautiful piece. And I’m with you..I’ve love it in my bathroom, too. Congrats on a great makeover. Susie from The Chelsea Project
Denise,
Did you paint the entire piece, or leave pieces of bare wood while sporadically putting Coastal Blue in places?
Thanks!
Hi Karie! The entire piece was painted. The GF Coastal Blue Paint was applied very lightly in some areas – and heavily in other using painterly/random brush stokes. Then when I did my final sanding, the lightly painted areas were exposed even more letting the warm wood show through.
Hi
That technique is beautiful. If you do another project like that could you please record it. I would love to see the steps! It’s just “Bazinga” (LOL)
Love it.
Anna
…lol…another BBT fan!;) I will do that Anna and thank you! 🙂
I think this is stunning! I want to try this the next time I stumble across a piece with a pretty base finish! It doesn’t look streaky at all, did you sand it before applying a top coat to smooth out the blue? Absolutely lovely!
Thank you Bethany! While I was painting, I made sure everything blended beautifully and then I did give it a light sanding before applying the top coat. It’s a really fun paint technique!
Nicely done Denise 🙂 I’ve never used milk paint, I always thought it was best used when you’re looking for a more ‘chippy’ look? I might just have to give General Finishes products a try! Like you I usually try to use the original hardware whenever possible however some times a piece screams ‘I need a change’! I love the floral knobs, good choice 🙂
Thanks Annie! And General Finishes Milk Paints are dreamy to work with! But as I was explaining to Suzy in the comments above, it’s not ‘really’ a milk paint. It’s a water based interior/exterior and applies just like a ‘regular’ paint does. 🙂
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! I am right there with you! There is nothing about this that I don’t like! You did a beautiful job. Congratulations!
Thanks so much Teresa!
Love it, Love it, Love it!!
thanks Rosanne 🙂
Beautifully done! You never disappoint!
Thanks Rosemary 🙂
You are truly an artist!
You put a big smile on my face…thanks Kim 😀
Everything IS amazing !!! And You have outdone it !
thanks so much Catherine!
Oh my…technique is stunning on this particular piece. Very subtle and a perfect color choice. Personally, I’m a sucker for old hardware but these are pretty fun too. Nice work, indeed!
haha…so I’m not the only one! I LOVE old original hardware. I actually spent an hour cleaning/polishing the original brass for this piece – and then switched to the new floral knobs. 🙂
So, a clarifying question, Denise, from someone who is very artistic but also very new to the whole furniture refinishing scene! The “brown” that I see in all your stunning photos of the finished piece (which is gorgeous!) is actually the original wood showing through the milk paint you applied? You didn’t add any sort of glaze on top or use anything besides the Coastal Blue milk paint? And only one coat of paint? I’ve never used milk paints — only various homemade chalk paints, occasionally with a glaze or wax finish on top — so I’d love to hear your answer to my question, thanks!
Great question! Yes, the warm tones showing through is the original wood Suzy. And nothing other than Coastal Blue was used to achieve this look. I should mention that General Finishes Milk Paint is NOT a traditional casein based milk paint though. It’s a high quality pre-mixed water based acrylic/mineral paint. I believe they labeled it a ‘milk paint’ because the original colors mimicked old fashion milk paint hues.
This is simply STUNNING! One of the most beautiful pieces I’ve seen. I’m so envious of your talents.
So kind of you to say Betty….thanks!!!
Best piece I have EVER had the good fortune to see!!!! Inspirational…
Ohhhh!…thank you Lequita!!! <3
Oh wow! I love so many of your pieces. But this might be my all time favorite!
Thank you Laurie! 🙂 I think this piece was gorgeous to start with so it makes updating and restyling it feel fun and easy.
Absolutely beautiful!
Thank you Cristi 🙂
OMG… I love EVERYTHING about this piece… Down to the staging.
How are you ever going to let this piece go ?!?
My sister will appreciate your staging compliment… thanks Maria! And I’ll be posting it for sale because unfortunately, I just don’t have the space. {I’m putting on my pouty face} 😉
Ok. I loved the idea of light with dry-brushing & wax to bring out the detail, but I didn’t know it was in such great condition.
Now I have to try that color. it’s gorgeous !
Beautiful job Denise. <3
And no doubt it's one of the more stunning finds I've seen as far as a furniture piece goes. Lol. I'd never have given that up. You're a better woman than I 🙂
If I had the space I’d be keeping this for sure! And I bounced back and forth with light-dark but when I opened this can of coastal blue – wow – decision made! 🙂
Stunning! Love your paint technique 🙂
Thank you Chris!
Simply smashing! Not only do you always know how to perform the technique, but you possess a sixth sense when it comes to matching color/look to a particular piece. This for me is the hardest part. You amaze me every time, and your pieces never look contrived. Could you tell me if you sanded this piece completely to remove all the finish or just rouged it up? This is outstanding & really does maintain an old world look.
Aw thanks Tracy…very sweet of you to say. 🙂 It feels good when a creative process flows smoothly because it doesn’t always work out that way…lol! As for the sanding, I gave this piece an overall once over with 220 grit just to rough it up. 🙂
Thanks Denise.
As always, a gorgeous re-do Denise!!! Love the blue with the contrasting white flower knobs.
Thanks Monique! I really like the contrast on this piece too. And blue and white…a classic combo right! 🙂
Well done! It’s Beautiful! I love your “painterly” technique.
Thanks JoAnne! It was a lot of fun 🙂
Gorgeous!! I love the inside of the drawers, too. 😀 I must admit I’m totally jealous of those knobs. Wish we had that store around here, those are some bea-u-ti-ful knobs.
Love the way you roughed on the blue. <3 Really unique finish, it'll be going to a very happy home!!
Thanks Zovesta! I’m totally in love with these knobs too! As for the drawers, they’re clean and in good shape but I thought some interesting paper would add that little-extra-something. Having said that, I haven’t been adhering my drawer liners in. This way, whoever purchases the piece can choose to keep them, or swap them out. 🙂