Furniture Makeover: Weathered Farmhouse Bed

In the last year most of my work has been finding specific pieces for customers. It’s always a gamble when you do this because what the customer has in their mind of what the piece will turn out like, is not always what I have in my mind. If I’ve learned one thing refinishing furniture, it’s that you just can’t please everyone…hard as you may try!

This was one of those pieces. I found this bed on Craigslist for a customer wanting a full size for their daughter’s room to be refinished in black. So technically this isn’t the true “before” picture since I did refinish and distress it.
   
I try to make everyone as happy as possible and sometimes I just risk being left with a piece the customer decides against unfortunately. They just weren’t feelin’ this one.

So, since the bed was no longer needing to be black….I was free to make it more “my style” which always seems to lean towards a weathered farmhouse look.
 
The look came about as a dry brushing experiment. I tend to do that with pieces that aren’t promised to a specific customer. I like not having the pressure to make it look a certain way.
 
I love how this one turned out after the second makeover! I really think the dry brushed look suits this style of bed. Hope I’ve inspired you to rethink your plain, black pieces and try out some color too!

Thrift Find: Shadow Box Console Makeover

Sometimes I find pieces and have no idea just how great they’re going to turn out until I start painting.
I almost walked right past this little fella’ at a local thrift last fall. In fact the only reason I noticed him, was that a client was searching for a hall table with specific measurements and this one just happened to fit the bill.
Meet the Little Green Wallflower…



I decided he needed a rustic iron knob on the faux drawer to give him some visual interest.

My favorite part of this piece was what I did to the inside underneath the glass. After I ripped out that disgusting interesting forest green velvet lining, I recovered the inside case in burlap fabric. It transformed it into a custom shadow box that my clients could use to mount pictures underneath the glass with pretty pearl stick pins.
I Cannot believe I don’t get enough pictures of these pieces before I send them to their new homes! Sadly, I don’t have a picture of the shadow box inside the table, but it looks something like this one at our beach house in Destin.

This console fit perfectly in my computer niche hallway where I took these pictures. It was really hard to let him go! I haven’t found one since, but it made me realize how great a skinny console looks in my little niche!

This is still one of my all time fav’s that I’ve redone! Sometimes the simpler the piece is, the better the transformation! Wallflower No More!

The Yellow School Bus Buffet Makeover

I have a thrifting addiction. Yes, at least I OWN it! I’m a sucker in every sense of the word for a great piece at a great price.
You know, the pieces that are considered cast-offs, rejects…. doomed for the landfill.
I especially have a soft spot for those poor, pathetic pieces that were once beautiful, but had a run-in with a what were they thinking! unfortunate paint job. Such is the case with the “Yellow School Bus Buffet.”

Oh, I just had to bring her home with me! Like that puppy at the pound with the big eyes giving you those, well…puppy eyes.
After fixing the broken front leg and adding another caster wheel, she got a new paint job and….

Voila!

It’s amazing what a little paint and glaze can do for these pieces. (note the leg is still mending in this picture when I transported her into the store).

…and She Lived Happily Ever After!

(in a new home and thankfully NOT the landfill!)

My First Giveaway! (and it’s a good one!)

Goals are a good thing, right? I like setting them…not always so good at keeping up with’ em.
Objective: Keep Exciting New Posts on this Blog to Gain More Followers!
Motivation: Followers! I need YOU to HELP ME stay motivated to write exciting new posts (so I don’t feel like I’m talkin’ to myself out here in Blogland!)
Reward:I’m GIVING AWAY a Piece of Furniture refinished by yours truly once I reach 100 Blog Followers!
So tell your friends…if you already follow me, Good News!…you’re already entered to win!
If you signed up to get my emails or follow on Facebook, you need to sign up at FarmStyle Studio, cause you’re not entered to win yet!
I’ll reveal the piece here shortly! Thank you so much for following my ramblings about my obsession with furniture makeovers and giving me feedback! I truly love hearing from you…it makes my day!

DIY: Driftwood Faux Finish Tutorial Part One

So I decided to try my luck at refinishing a dark espresso dining table in that weathered, driftwood finish that is becoming so popular right now. (Ya know you might have seen it at Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Wisteria, Ballard Designs)
My Objective: To paint OVER the dark wood instead of sanding down the tabletop to the raw wood for hours on end.
Here’s a look at the table when I initially started sanding it. (Realized about 20 minutes into the process what I had gotten myself into and decided to find an easier way to achieve the look with paint).

Here’s the finished product….remember this is NOT sanded down to the grain…just looks this way with paint!

The pictures don’t really do it justice since you can’t see the true depth of all the colors.
 
So to start the process, you will need the following materials:
1. Wood Graining Tool-(I got mine at Lowe’s in the paint section)

2. Small Paint Brush (doesn’t need to be anything expensive, you can even use your kids watercolor paint brush)

3. Big Paint Brush: A large good quality bristle brush (Purdy makes a good one. I swear I’ve used mine a hundred times already…even forgot to wash it and left paint dried up on it and it’s still my fav!)

4. Steel Wool: the courser the better

5. Clear Mixing Glaze: I get mine at Lowe’s in the Faux Finishing Specialty Paint Section

6. Primer (I like Zinsser spray primer...less messy)

On to the fun part…The Paint Colors!

So this is where you just have to eyeball it….I usually get my paints for my Experimental Paint Lab from the “Oops Paint Section” (for those that don’t know about the Oops paints…I’m here to let you in on a wonderful little secret, mi amigo! These are the paints that have been marked down to ridiculously low prices because they were mistints or returns. I’m talking $1-$5 for a gallon sometimes! I love these reject paints for play time in the paint lab!)
My Paint Colors for the Driftwood Finish Effect: (Note: Make sure these paints are in a flat finish….the goal is not for a glossy sheen….you want it to have a flat finish to be more realistic of weathered wood)
1. Peach Flat Paint (make sure it’s a true peachy hue….think 1980’s country kitchen)

2. Dark Gray Flat Paint

3. Honey Mustard Flat Paint

4. Saddle Brown Flat Paint

5. Cream Flat Paint

Okay, so don’t over-analyze these paint colors….I know they seem totally crazy but in the end, you will come out with this effect:

In the next section of this tutorial, I’m going to attempt to show you how I layered these colors to create the Driftwood look. Please ask me any questions you have about the materials listed and I’ll be happy to help!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Tutorial (to come soon!)

Happy 4th of July!

Here’s a little inspiration to get you in the red, white, & blue mood!

Photo Courtesy of A Field Journal

Pottery Barn….always gets it right!

I LOVE these fruit candy kabobs! You might remember them from Nikolas’ 4th Birthday Party.

Photo Courtesy of Bella Grace Designs

Check out this Patriotic Wreath Tutorial at All You. This got my wheels turning…wonder if I could recreate this wreath with cupcake wrappers flattened out and pinned to a Dollar Store styrofoam wreath?

Love this idea with the strawberries! Again, did this for Nikolas’ 4th Birthday party with giant marshmallows last year.

Strawberry Tutorial at Grin and Bake It

How to Throw a Summer Barbeque by Pottery Barn

Wishing you and your family a fun & safe holiday weekend!

As my four year old, Nikolas, would say….

“Cause Baby, You’re a Firework!!!”

Driftwood Dining Chairs Refinished

Whew! Finally, the set is complete. I have to tell you, these chairs were not an easy task. Chairs are the worst part of refinishing because of all the small edges and corners you have to get deep down into. In the end though, I think they were well worth the wait (and all the splinters I know have in my hands)!
 
Here is the set all together. I love how light furniture really makes the color in the room pop, like the blue wall behind it.


Let me know your thoughts! I love hearing from you guys!