Have you ever thought about revamping your gran's old dresser, the one with sentimental value doesn't suit the decor? I am always keen on keeping anything with a story or a history, particularly a family history! But, what happens when the style or colour of a piece of furniture looks so out of place at home but you are loathed to let it go? Or, worse than that, the chest of drawers that was once treasured is gathering dust in the garage and starting to deteriorate.
This is a problem I have had myself over the years, and so I started painting and refinishing furniture to fix this problem in a way. And, the skills I learned whilst doing that later turned into my very own small business in Leicestershire working as a furniture artist!
Refinishing and upcycling your own pieces is definitely something you can try out for yourself so if you would like to learn some beginners techniques, please take a look at my upcycling course with DOMESTIKA here.
But what can you do if you don't have the tools, the skills or the inclination?!
If you want to find out more about working with on a commission, fill out the enquiry form here!
Nikki's Bluebell Blanket Box
Nikki Came to me with this old oak blanket box which was handmade by her uncle and belonged to her late mother. It had been sitting at the top of the stairs for a while with plants placed on top but had begun to look quite out of place with the decor.
In her words Nikki told me:
"I am looking forward to refreshing this for the next generation, hopefully it will last in the family for at least another 30 years at which point it can be refreshed again"
This one statement sums up so well how I feel about re-using second-hand pieces. When it comes to furniture I feel so strongly that change is good; if things just stay the same there is a much larger chance of the pieces we once loved becoming irrelevant and outdated or even falling into a state of disrepair. And, sadly this so often means landfill. It's such a waste.
But there was no way this was going to happen to Nikki's mums beautiful blanket box and we knew it had many more years ahead of it but the dark brown varnish just had to be replaced with a more contemporary and personalised look.
We discussed together some of the things that reminded Nikki of her mum and one of those was bluebells, so I set about creating a bespoke moodboard showing a possible colour palette, with hand drawn motifs to suit the brief.
Once I got the go ahead from Nikki, I was able to start work on the blanket box making sure it was fully prepped before painting onto it the bluebell design over a period of a few weeks. The old oak top came up so beautifully and the bluebell design worked so well on the base.
I am so pleased with how the project turned out and happy to say that Nikki loved it, this is what she said:
"Hi Chloe, it's gorgeous and I love the natural top. It makes me smile and think of my mum, which is exactly what I wanted. Perfect and just beautiful, so thank you for all your hard work on it "
If you were interested in taking on a project yourself, I would highly recommend Daydream Apothecary Paint for a project like this one. The shades are highly pigmented and blend so well together which is perfect for a painterly look. In particular the colours I used on this piece are Manzilla, Deadly Nightshade, Hemmingway, Ground Control, Poison Ivy, Forest Rain, Nirvana, Spirit Adrift. But otherwise you know where I am, I would love to work with you on a bespoke commission to achieve your vision!
