I am excited to show you a finished piece I have been working on for quite some time.  You may have seen a little sneak peek of my progress a little while back, but today I am showing the completion of the project.  The piece is a special one because it is the only piece of furniture my friend Tracy kept from her mom’s home after she passed away.I wanted to transform this old buffet into something a little more current for Tracy’s home.  First, I did some cleaning of the piece. Then, since the piece had been exposed to a lot of smoke and I was afraid the paint may not adhere properly, I took an extra step of starting with a coat of shellac.  Then, I painted the piece with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old Ochre, making sure to use visible brush strokes – I think that adds some character for an aged look.

After I had the entire piece painted, I decided I should have kept the top of the piece in a natural wood!  So, I stripped off the paint I had already put on and gave it a really good sanding with an electric sander.  From there, I added three coats of stain and a clear sealer.  I had made the right choice…I loved the way the top came out!

For the rest of the piece, I highlighted some areas with Annie Sloan Country Grey.  I love the subtle contrast between the Old Ochre and the Country Grey paint.  I also added a wash of Country Grey and water to add some depth of color.  Next, I added a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax. I did some light distressing before adding a second coat of wax and added some dark wax in areas.  I think the piece has a great aged look without being overly distressed.

Next, I needed to update the furniture’s hardware.  The original knobs were very simple.  I decided to use something a little more ornate and found some knobs I loved for the piece at Anthropologie.  The pulls were a little harder to figure out.  You can see one of the old pulls above.  I wanted a more updated look, but nothing was available that appealed to me in the width of the old pull.  I ended up making a special order from Klaffs – a large bath and kitchen store in my area.  I would have to fill in the holes from the old pulls and drill new ones to accommodate a newer sized pull.  It took me a couple hours to look through a large selection of pulls before I made a decision, but ordering the new hardware was definitely the right decision…the new pulls are great for the piece!

I think the new hardware is perfect!

Don’t you agree?

And, I think the decision to stain the top of the piece was a great one as well!  The piece is ready for its new home!  I hope it serves Tracy’s mom’s memory proud!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie