Vintage Shabby Chic French Grey Buffet / Chest of Drawers with a Decoupage Top

Oh my it's a busy time of year, isn't it? So busy, in fact, that I finished this piece about 5 weeks ago and am only now getting the chance to photograph and write it up, but that's OK, gives it plenty of time to cure before it goes (hopefully) to it's new home.

I love the vintagey feel of this sideboard / chest of drawers / buffet / entertainment unit- truly this piece could be put in so many places in a home. I currently have it sitting in our pool room and the more I look at it the more I love it. The top is decoupaged with a gorgeous slightly shimmery pattern.

Here's some pics (sorry for the awful background and tiles- Imagine it in your beautiful home instead!

Check it out on my furniture for sale page.

So pretty in grey and white!

How to Decoupage Tutorial- A Shabby Chic Bookshelf

I wanted to share a proper tutorial on how I learned to decoupage and to share how effective it can look. Here is a book shelf that I completed for my friend Sarah.

 My first step was to stain the pine shelves. Sarah was looking for a browny-grey stain rather than paint because she wanted to be able to see the wood grain. Here's a pic showing what the shelves looked like when half completed:

To decoupage you need to have a good foam roller, some decoupaging glue (I buy mine from Spotlight), a paint brush for getting into corners and some fancy paper (Sarah chose this paper- her partner just loves how masculine it is!)

 Ensure the surface you are applying the paper to is clean and  smooth, then with your foam roller apply a thin layer of the glue to both the surface you are decoupaging and the backside of the paper. My picture doesn't show it as a thin layer, but that's about how much glue I used for the entire 30 x 30 cm area so it does get quite thinly spread.

Next, carefully place the sheet down on the area. You must work quickly for this part and work section by section so the glue doesn't dry in between. The glue dries incredibly quickly! 

 Smooth down the sheet, working out any air bubbles carefully.

 When you have completed the whole area you need to use the foam roller again and roll glue over the whole piece. This will seal it and leave a nice shine. If the surface will be used for something that gets a bit of use (eg a table top) you can spray a layer of poly over the whole piece. I skipped this step as it wasn't necessary for this particular piece.

For more projects and pieces of furniture check out my facebook page www.facebook.com/RetroVintageLove

Aqua and Coral Queen Anne Coffee Table with Decoupage

*Beware stream-of-conciousness rant* I originally had a vision for this coffee table to be painted blue and left at that, but then I thought the orange trim would look really cute and then I decided a stenciled table top would look gorgeous but I've tried (and failed) to do a nice stencil previously and didn't want to ruin the table... and then I hit Pinterest.

Decoupage! I read a few blogs including this one from Apartment Therapy and decided to give it a shot. If you want to see some of the other decoupage projects I looked at- have a look at my Pinterest collection 'Furniture Inspiration' you can find and follow my stuff here.

The final product- complete with glass top which doesn't make for great photographs!

So after painting the legs and trim I set about working on the decoupage top. First stop was Spotlight where I was very impressed with the range of Scrapbooking paper. Most decoupaging websites said that you had to be careful that the paper you chose was not too thick so I was a little worried, but I found this fine to use. While there I also picked up some glue. Every site I looked at recommended Modge Podge glue but I couldn't find this, so I bought some generic brand of glue labelled 'Decoupage Glue' and figured that would do the trick!

Next I procrastinated, not wanting to make a mistake.

Then, I set to work. I trimmed the scrapbooking sheets so that I would cover the whole table without the joins being too obvious. Then I worked out the order that I would place the sheets down, leaving the middle piece last, so that it would hide any overlap. I covered the whole of the table top with glue using a foam roller, this is to ensure an even consistency. Then I put the paper on, adding a layer of glue to the back of each piece of paper before placing them in position. I found that the glue dried very quickly and there was only a very narrow window of opportunity for re-positioning, so it's best to be sure before you place them down. I repeated this until the entire table was covered then used my hands and the roller to work out any air bubbles. This part of the process is very similar to when you were in school and had to contact your school books. Thanks Mum for the valuable experience! I used a paint brush to apply a top coat of the glue to seal the paper. I did this because I find the coverage more thorough with a paint bush than with a roller, but I'm sure you could use either.

The coffee table came with a glass overlay to protect the top of the table so I popped this back on, however if there were no protective layer I would recommend sealing the project again with a poly so that you can happily wipe down the surface and keep it clean. Unfortunately the glass makes it difficult to photograph and show the true beauty of this piece so I've taken a few photos without the glass on so that you have a better idea of the effect. This is definitely one of those pieces that looks better in real life though!

Without the glass top but still with a little reflection

I do love the look of this one, if I didn't already have an awesome coffee table I would be keeping it for myself!

Want to buy it? Check it out on my sales page.

Like some advice for decoupage or to have a piece of furniture done for your own sweet self? Contact me via my Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/RetroVintageLove

Ombré blue chest of drawers and matching bedside tables

Finally, finally, finally I have finished my new favourite pieces- a custom order painted chest of drawers and matching bedside table.
My cousin Kirsten phoned and told me she was looking for a chest of drawers that was painted in graduating shades of blue- sort of similar to a previous piece I had completed, but with vintagey looking handles.

The project had a number of challenges and I have to admit, every part had its own little drama- finding the furniture; fixing the furniture; sanding the furniture (I broke my sander- hello Santa?); finding the handles- impossible- I ended up buying them in bronze and spraying them white; painting both sets of drawers the same four shades (the paint dried between painting the drawers, forcing me to repaint all of them so they would be the same); attaching the handles and drilling the holes in the exact right position- I failed this the first time and had to fix the mistake... Everything just seemed to take so much longer than I anticipated!

However, the result is awesome! I love how these have turned out and I hope my cousin will love them too. 

The base colour, for those who care, is Waikiki Blue. Makes them even prettier to look at, doesn't it?

Remember if you're interested in a custom piece just let me know what you're after!

The larger chest of drawers before- very beat up!

Smaller chest before

For more bits and pieces remember to like my Facebook page- www.facebook.com/RetroVintageLove

Let your friends and family know and don't hesitate to ask any questions if you're thinking about tackling some projects yourself. 

Vintage Record Player Cabinet Painted Pink!

Last time I wrote I promised that I would do a write up of the other piece of furniture that I picked up from my gorgeous friends' grandparent's home. It was this:

Before photo of this cute vintage cabinet. Yes that is my dog photo-bombing in the background!

A piece with lovely Queen Anne style legs, cute hardware and nice and solid but made in that funny streaky timber. I immediately loved it and wanted it all for myself. I have been on the hunt for somewhere to store our many DVDs without having to have them out in the open for all to see as they used to be. Also, I have a very adorable 7 month old son who is on the cusp of crawling. I could just envision him pulling down the whole tower and having them all fall on his little head! So the towers had to go.

I wanted colour for this piece. As I've mentioned many many times I love furniture painted bright colours. This is quite new for me. When I first started buying my own furniture I always went for the dark wood look, however when we bought our home I realised it was such a dark house with quite small rooms that the furniture was claustrophobic being so dark. That's where my hobby began- painting furniture for my own home to make it look brighter and more open. It has definitely helped- I am much happier in my home now!

But back to this piece... I undercoated the whole thing then mixed my own shade of paint using Dulux Orchid Orange as a base. I actually started painting in the straight colour but as I was looking at it it seemed too dark so I lightened it up with more white. Here is the 'After' photo.

My biggest problem was with the handles. They couldn't come off as they were not screwed on, but rather adheased with glue or something and I was scared I would do irreparable damage to the piece if I tried to get them off. So I tried to cover them off with masking tape and paint around them but due to the intricate nature of them this was just impossible. So I decided to go with the shabby chic look and sort of lightly paint them but do a really shoddy job of it so you could still see the black underneath! They actually look great in real life, but they haven't shown up all that well in photos. Here's a photo anyway...

I love it! It holds all of our DVDs (only just- we are going to have to stop buying new ones) and looks oh so cute with the photos from our wedding, my grandparents' wedding and our little keepsake box which has just the right shade of pink in it too!

Does anyone else have a great piece that hides all their DVDs?

If you like reading about furniture refurbs please like my Facebook page Retro Vintage Love. You can also find me on Pinterest pinning all types of inspiring photos and you can sign up to my blog via email or Bloglovin'. Til next time xx

French Grey Antique Vintage Style Chest of Drawers

A little while ago you might have noticed that I asked the question on my Facebook page (Retro Vintage Love- please 'Like' my page if you like my work!) whether I should paint this little chest a coral colour or grey. It was almost 50-50, but grey just won out.


Luckily for my fellow colour lovers, the coral is coming, I promise!

Here's what the chest of drawers looked like before. As you can see it was pretty poorly. The handles don't look too bad in pictures, but they were actually horrible plastic things, and one was missing, so they had to go, and the exterior was pretty chipped up and rough.

I sanded the whole thing back completely, which was a pretty horrible job due to the age of the varnish, then gave the whole thing a couple of coats of undercoat.

For the colour, I went with a Dulux colour called Moxa which is in the same range as the Ashville that I used to paint these chairs, however it is a bit darker, because I mixed the colour myself with some white enamel paint to make the finish more durable.

Here's a pic of the drawers after....

I bought new handles from Riverclay in Eltham. They have a lovely selection of handles and knobs. For the record, Bunnings do not. These were brass, I lightly sprayed them with black paint, there is still a little of the old brass visible, which I love.

Think you could give it a home? Contact me via Facebook or on my email- retrovintagelovefurniture@gmail.com

Pale Blue and Whitewashed Distressed Coffee Table

My new coffee table. Love!!

I am beyond in love with my new coffee table. It's an old pine number that in its previous life was stained stained stained! I spent HOURS sanding out the thickest, deepest, darkest stain and as I did, this gorgeous timber grain appeared. Here is a (terrible) pic of the table before its makeover.



The coffee table before. I cannot describe how thick this stain was.

This piece of furniture is for our own home, which I love doing because I can paint with COLOUR! When I'm doing pieces for sale I try to be a little mindful of the fact that not everyone loves colour as much as I do, but I really think that once you've got some coloured pieces in your life you'll never want to go back again. Try it and see!

 

I had initially planned the pale blue legs with an oil top, similar to my shabby chic white hall table, but I was just loving the bare timber. Then my brother in law (BIL) mentioned that he had seen some cool white wash furniture whilst he was out and about (he's a very talented sparky) and the seed was planted. If you're following me on Pinterest you'll have noticed that I pinned quite a few white wash pieces on my Furniture Inspiration page. If you're not following me on Pinterest what a great opportunity to check out my boards, lol- search for Retro Vintage Love Furniture and you'll find me!

I painted the base in a pale blue / aqua of my own making and distressed them- I think the distressed look goes perfectly with the whitewash top, even though my husband just doesn't 'get' distressed. He thinks I've missed spots even though I actually spend quite a bit of time planning where I will distress and exactly how much to distress!

I loved trying out the whitewash technique. The effect is very subtle. I used about 1:4 paint to water ratio and was working quickly to brush on/rub off within about 30 seconds for each section. If you're new to painting this would be a great technique to try. I honestly don't think you could stuff it up, it's fast and fun. If you would like to give it a try and have any questions, please just email me or leave a comment! I finished my top with a spray of British Paints Poly top coat. I'm going to give it a week and see if I want to give it another coat too, depending on how much wear I use.




And finally, the finishing touch, I found the CUTEST little knob in a little shop near Eltham train station (this is also where I got the knobs for the little chest on my cover picture). How much do you love this stag?! If you haven't noticed, deer are the new birds. They are suddenly popping up in all the decorating magazines. As are cow skulls, which I am yet to be sold on. I love how the colours on this knob match perfectly with the top of the table.



What coloured furniture do you have (or want) in your home?

Til next time, happy painting!

 



Gorgeous Shabby Chic Table

I finished this piece a while back, but it's finally up and ready for sale (we have the internet again-yay!) This table is divine but was in a pretty shabby condition. Here is a picture of the before...

I especially love the turned legs on this table, and I have to admit, I quite liked the 'before', but I knew it would look even better after I had given it a little love!

My first step was to sand the whole piece back. It had a pretty nasty varnish on it that was quite thick and peeling off in place, so it needed quite a lot of work to get it back to beutiful natural wood. Then, before finishing the top, I turned it over and painted the legs. Here's a pic of the undercoat. I used a Dulux spray undercoat, mostly because of the detail of the legs was quite intricate and I wanted to prevent drips.

After this, I painted a couple of coats of Dulux 'Green Buoy' on the legs. I love this colour, it is a gorgeous deep turquoise. I then sealed the legs with a glossy top coat and flipped the whole thing over, and giving the top a couple of layers of Cabot's Cedar Satin oil. This is a beautiful colour and the finish is smoth and silky.  Here are some more pics of the finished product...

Check it out on ebay Here!

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Happy Painting!

Welcome to Retro Vintage Love

Welcome to Retro Vintage Love. The blog all about retro and vintage furniture that has been given new life. I hope you enjoy looking at some of the finished pieces. Most of the furniture is for sale- have a look at my Sales page, and there's also some pieces on my Upcoming Projects page. Enjoy!