Being a resident of Chicago, I was so looking forward to this Friday and the big unveiling of my new Chicago Cubs collection. It was going to be great! Tons of blue and red painted pieces, little Cubbie bears plastered all over the place...I'd even been practicing stenciling baseball bats. Every little boy's bedroom in Chicago was going to have a piece of my furniture in it. Let me tell you, I was ON the bandwagon and loving the ride...until it came to a screeching hault. Well clearly that marketing campaign would have resulted in a huge flop. #NextYear. So, I decided to stick with something a bit more reliable this week. And nothing is more reliable than a classic piece of furniture that never goes out of style.
Let's take a step back and look at how the piece started.
I love finding pieces like this. It is solid Mahogany and came to me in great condition. A classic styled piece with little prep work...now you're talking my language! If you've been following me for awhile, you know this isn't my first piece like this. In fact, one of the very first pieces I painted was this style and color. It is currently in our lake house bedroom. Actually, every dresser I've ever redone in this style, I've painted in the same color and technique. If it isn't broken, don't fix it!
I started this piece by priming it with Kilz Primer. Although you usually don't have to prime when using Annie Sloan paint, I've learned the exception is Cherry and Mahogany wood. If you don't prime first you'll get a reddish undertone. That especially holds true when using a light color. I chose Old White for this piece. It's a classic white without looking too stark.
I sealed it with both clear and dark wax. To do this, I first used just clear wax to protect the color. Dark wax can get tricky sometimes and you have to be careful as to how much you use. A trick I've found helpful is to first dip my brush in a bit of clear wax before the dark wax. This helps to control the amount of dark wax being applied. When applied correctly, the dark wax really helps to bring out the details of the piece.
I then gave all the edges a light distressing. I didn't want to go overboard on this step, just something subtle.
I sanded down the top and stained it with Mixwax Jacobean. The rich color is the perfect contrast against the light colored body.
The last step was the bling! I first polished up the hardware using Brasso, but I didn't really get the effect I was going for. Sounds like a job for spray paint! I gave the hardware a quick spray of Rustoleum metallic gold. This added the pop I was looking for. On the past dressers like this I've always updated the hardware with an oil rubbed bronze finish. I was glad I broke out of my shell and tried something different. Nothing is more classic than white and gold!
Although I really wish I was sitting here now showing off my new blue dresser with baseball knobs, I guess this piece is a close second.
Linking to:
Sunday: Finding Silver Pennies | Dwelling in Happiness | DIY Showoff | The Interior Frugalista
Monday: Between Naps on the Porch | The Crowned Goat | Making it in the Mountains | Coastal Charm | Craving Some Creativity
Tuesday: Cedar Hill Farmhouse | A Stroll Thru Life | Elizabeth & Co Vintage | Knick of Time | Just a Girl and her Blog | Pocketful of Posies
Wednesday: Savvy Southern Style | The Turquoise Home | Ivy & Elephants | Common Ground
Thursday: Imparting Grace | Canary Street Crafts | The Curator's Collection
Friday: The Painted Drawer | French Country Cottage | Patina Paradise
Saturday: Life on Lakeshore Drive