Stir It Up

Being stuck indoors because of record low temps may make some people stir crazy, but it made me stir up some paint. It was the perfect opportunity to tackle a kitchen project that my friend had been asking for... daily, for 6 months.

Here are some before shots of the kitchen. The builder grade cabinets lacked the personality that had been thoughtfully put into the rest of the room. The homeowner had already upgraded the kitchen with tile blacksplash, granite countertops, stainless matching appliances, warm earthy wall colors. 

before- stock cabinets

 She even planned out the new hardware on the drawers and doors to coordinate.  It all made the plain stock cabinets stand out even more.

before

It is 6 degrees outside which means sanding and spraying these cabinets was a no-go.  We were inspired by Savvy Southern Style to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Cream for the base color of these cabinets. ASCP requires no sanding which is a gift, but the wood was thirsty and required 2-3 coats of paint. Also, the paint needed to be thinned because the air is very cool and very dry right now. It was challenging to find the right mixture balance at first, but once I figured it out, things moved quickly. I also had a ton of support from The Purple Painted Lady where I ordered my ASCP.

 Not only did my paint arrive packaged like a gift with extra goodies inside, but she included some very helpful advice about frozen paint.  Remember how it's been 6 degrees out? 

I used a dark stain to bring out the detail in the cabinet doors and crown.  It's a tricky process, but the result was stunning. The flat cream cabinets suddenly had depth and warmth. Next they were sealed with 2 coats of ASCP Lacquer. This also needed thinning. In some areas which still seemed "flat" I added a drop of stain to the lacquer to give it a little more depth and interest. The lacquer adds just a little sheen to the paint and makes the finish feel smooth and silky. It's a great protector of the paint and and easy surface to wipe clean.

Overall, this project took 4 days of painting for 6 hours each day. 

And it was well worth it!

I am extremely happy with the way the whole thing turned out.

before and after

Friday morning mimosas to celebrate a completed project? Yes, please!

Inspired dining

             

This is a Thomasville table with 8 chairs and three leaves.  I picked up on craigslist.  It was in solid sturdy working condition, but it was ugly.  Layers of dark sticky wax and urethane, plus it had the backing of a felt table cloth sort of melted into it.  It took a lot of sanding and stripping to reveal the gorgeous surface it was meant to have.  A beautiful pattern emerged, I sealed it with 3 coats of lacquer and it still looks great.  I painted the base the lightest gray and went to work on the 8 chairs. With all three leaves in place this set is nearly 9 feet long and 44 inches wide.

  

 Inspiration for this color pallet came from a painting of my daughter, painted by my father.  

I love looking at.  

I could look at it all day.

He just completed a painting of my son and it's already inspiring some color ideas for my office area.

In the studio with Klara by Whitney Fielding