I was offered these drawers by a trader friend of mine who needed the space in her shop. She wasn’t charging me a fortune and there was something about the shape and styling in them that appealed to me. They were well made but modern and I knew straight away what I was going to do with them. Mark, on the other hand, hated them!
Great shape but very 1984!
I started off with 2 coats of red chalk paint (my own mix) and then turned the laptop on and fired up Pinterest. I needed a free swirl that I could use to decorate the front and, sure enough, Pinterest delivered!
Then I turned to Block Posters to transform it into a PDF and transferred it onto the drawers (I will be writing a tutorial on the method I use in the near future). It wasn’t quite as bold as I wanted so I went over it with a Sharpie and then sanded back just a little so it wasn’t too sharp.
A quick coat of wax varnish and they were ready to stick online… only now Mark likes them and wants them down the shop!
Occasionally we will buy a few items bunched together as one lot at an auction. This piece came with the dresser that Mark gave a complete makeover to a few weeks back.
It’s the top of a mahogany corner unit similar to a few others we already have in stock. Mark put it straight into the shop to fill a gap and we forgot about it.
The other day when we were starting our spring fling clear-out of unwanted stuff at the shop Mark said to take it over the road to the charity shop. It’s a well made piece with no faults, and still has the original key with it, so I couldn’t give up on it so easily.
Quite uninspiring
Once it was in the corner of my living room I set about finding the look to vamp it up a little in the style department. I knew I wanted something bright and fresh – a complete contrast to the dark finish it originally had. Then I found some stunning wallpaper while shopping for another project…
WOW!
I’d always wanted to try papering the inside of one of these things and this was my chance. So home I came with the paper and, after a bit of faffing around, I managed to mix a beautiful shade of duck egg blue that matched it perfectly.
So I painted it all over with two coats, not minding the glass as this cleans back easily. Then I set to sticking the paper in which proved a lot more awkward than putting it onto a wall – think back to trying to put wallpaper in your dolls house and you are on the right tracks!
I just love the paper!
Once that was done I had to decide on a finish for it. I didn’t want it distressed, I wanted the main feature to be the paper background, so I gave it a thin coat of wax varnish I’ve been wanting to review for a while (post coming soon). The finish wasn’t a luxurious as wax but it makes it a more durable piece that will withstand a little abuse.
It’s already back in the shop, Mark changed his mind about giving it to charity for now!
So, which do you prefer, the traditional mahogany or the bright finish?
I’ve read some great blog posts this past few weeks and thought that if I love them then you might too? Okay, you probably already subscribe to a few (if not all) of them but they are really worth checking out – if you haven’t already!
I might try to make this a regular Sunday night thing, if nobody minds?
First up is this from Ferpie and Fray. It was great to read about a transformation that all went to plan!
Loved this no hassle transformation at Ferpie and fray
This next piece is NOTHING like how I would have painted it but isn’t that part of what makes sharing great? I love how it turned out and I’m sure her client does too. See the before and after at This Delightful Life.
I always read posts from Phoenix Restoration and really love her work. This piece struck me because of the great use of colour.
Love a lot of her work!
This post from Me Myself n DIY made me laugh so hard! She talks about the 6 stages of failure we have all gone through (or something very similar) when working on that ‘pig of a project’ that comes along every so often!
This post made me laugh so hard – we’ve all been through it!
And finally… I was intrigued by this post as I have been itching to paint fabric chairs for about 6 months now and just haven’t found the right piece! See how the Interior Frugalista copes with this project on a tight schedule
I have always wanted to try this!
Of course I have read a tonne of great posts but had to set a limit and 5 seemed about right. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Blogging has really helped me to keep motivated this past few weeks and the post-Christmas blues haven’t been able to take hold. It has also made me try new things (like distressing with vinegar) and revisit methods I haven’t used for a while (watch out for a post about crackle finish using pva glue).
In the hope that it can have a similar effect on Mark I am going to try to include a post once a week of what he’s been working on. Most of it shouldn’t need any explaining but, if you do have any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll answer every one.
This week has been about refinishing a cute little nest of tables. Mark loved the blue and red table I told you about not long ago, so used the same colour combo on the tables. I found a wonderful wallpaper, that looks like old books on shelves, to go under the glass that finishes them off beautifully!
You find these quite often at auctionNice legs 😉First redThen Blue…Rubbed back just a little…Add some clear waxPut your wallpaper in…Ta-da!
I really like them, but of course he based them on one of my pieces and I chose the paper so I’m going to be completely biased!
Use something we all own to get a great distressed finish
I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl who finds a method that works and sticks to it. That means I can spend hours, days even, gently rubbing back paint to get just the right distressed finish required.
Recently I’ve been thinking that there must be an easier way? I believe in doing the job right but if there’s a way to do it right and quickly shouldn’t I be using it? Sure enough there are lots of ways people distress their furniture I hadn’t even considered so in the next few weeks I’m going to be trying them out (or some at least) and sharing my findings with you, dear reader.
This cost pennies
This first method uses something most of us keep in the pantry… vinegar. I decided to opt for distilled or white vinegar as I didn’t want it to stain the paint in any way. Obviously I didn’t have any distilled vinegar in my store cupboard so that meant a trip to town and another hour out of my day!
Anyway I already had this cute little shelf unit (spice rack maybe?) that I found in a charity shop a few weeks back. It is pretty featureless so will rely on having a good paint effect to give it some oomph.
You will often see pieces like this in charity shops
I started with a quick coat of Annie Sloan’s Antibes Green, as I had some left over from an earlier project. As always with this colour I was tempted to stop there, but then I’d have nothing to share with you, so I gave it a quick wax using Rusto-leum clear furniture wax. Then it got 2 coats of my own deep lavender (okay, I’ve got to come up with some cool names for my paints) and left it to dry thoroughly.
I just love this as a contrast colourMy own mix over the green
Once dry, I just dipped my microfiber cloth in the vinegar and wiped it over an area. Nothing happened. I rubbed a bit harder. Nothing happened. Then, as I was showing Mark how ineffective it was, a huge streak of the lavender rubbed clean off!
This big chunk wiped off in one go!
I think the knack is to almost soak the paint in vinegar and give it a second to soak in. I’m really glad I took the time to wax after the green or I think it would have wiped off at the same time – the wax was just enough of a barrier to protect it.
Once I got the hang of it, it was so easy! I wouldn’t want to use it on everything because you just don’t have the same control as you do sanding by hand, but if you want a beat up, rustic look then this is great.
You need a gentle touch until you get used to it!
In the interests of science (or maybe just because I’m still a wee bit sceptical) I’m going to try a similar experiment using plain water and another using something like lemon juice so I’ll keep you updated – be sure to follow us so you don’t miss a thing!
Finished piece after a top coat of wax varnish
Tune in next week to see how I got on using Vaseline to distress a mirror in my lounge, and please let me know if you’ve heard of a method of distressing you’d like me to try, and review!
Well I keep hinting at exciting new changes going on with us, and promising to tell all ‘soon’, well it’s about time I put you out of your misery and let you know what we’re up to!
Firstly I am enjoying writing this blog so much we are going to commit our URL (that’s web address to us non-techy peeps) to it instead of a traditional web site. I just have to get BT (British Telecom to my non UK readers) to give me access to my account so I can redirect. Don’t worry, I will write again once I have all the details and I really hope you will follow us over to our new home.
Our next big thing is a re-launch of the shop. It had started to lose its way and become more of a second-hand store than somewhere to find great furniture that had belonged to somebody once before. Mark and I have talked lots over the Christmas holidays and have decided that we want to concentrate more on the painted and refurbished, the fun and funky. We will have to keep a little of the other stuff because people are buying it, but there is going to be a lot more of my influence in there and a lot less Poole Pottery! That being said, the shop is still Mark’s territory while I stay firmly behind the scenes.
As part of this re-launch we have decided to start selling a few extra bits and bobs… mouldings for furniture, handles and knobs and (most exciting for me) our own range of chalk paints!!!
I’ve been experimenting with paints for a few months now and think I’m happy with my recipe. The paints go on well, sand back well, and keep well. I have a small range of colours and can afford to sell them at around £10 for half a litre (I’ve still to do the math to make sure we aren’t losing or being greedy). I have been working on the packaging and decided to go for glass Kilner or Mason style jars for a couple of reasons. First off I like the way you can see how much paint you have left and exactly what colour it is at a glance, I like that the paint washes right off them giving you a useful container to reuse and, lastly, I like the way they look stacked up on my shelf!
I love the look of Kilner or Mason type jars
I’ve given them their own name – The Little French Paint Company – as I will be selling them independently of Big Red Barn and thought that some of the other shops I’ll be approaching might not be comfortable advertising our shop, being the competition and all that! If you are wondering Mark’s surname is French and, if I ever get around to planning our wedding, one day mine will be too. I can also use it on other things I make as it’s so generic – The Little French Soap co, The little French Candle co… get it?
So you see it’s a very exciting time for us and I haven’t even mentioned that we hope to start running classes later on in the year or that we’re trialling some silver jewellery in one of our cabinets! Busy, busy, busy, but happy, happy, happy too 🙂
What are your big plans for 2015? Are you branching out or launching a new product? Perhaps you are planning a home makeover you’d like to share? I love getting your comments and will always reply to any questions.
If you are reading this, then you probably already know that we specialise in re-finishing furniture, what you might not realise (because we haven’t told you yet!) is that we also make lots of nice little bits and bobs that everyone has space for and find vintage treasures to make your home unique! We will shortly be putting some of these items up on our ‘et cetera’ page.
Today we’d like to thank you for reading by giving you a free printable to use as you like.! It’s full A4 size, which makes it easy to find a frame – we find Ikea and Wilkinsons very reasonable.
So, without further ado, here you go! Just click on the photo to go to the full-sized image, right-click and save as.
I would love to see how you use it so please do share your photo’s. If you want to use for commercial purposes then all I ask is that you leave our web site address in situ.
I thought I’d share a quick B & A with you this beautiful Sunday. I bought the original dark wood table from a friend who runs a house clearance and second hand store. It was a boring piece that had sat in her shop for a few months so she was pleased to see the back of it – and it fitted my shopping search for something I could complete in an afternoon and test my new paints out on.
I got carried away and started painting before I remembered to take the ‘Before’ shots!
I didn’t sand or prime it at all as I wanted a true test of the paint I’d just made up. The first coat of red went on a dream. The paint was very thick so there were brush marks in the texture but it went on well so I decided that one coat would be enough. I gave it a rudimentary clear wax (Rust-oleum) and then painted directly over that with the blue I’d just mixed up.
The blue was a LOT runnier and I was worried that it would take a few coats to cover such a strong red. Boy, was I wrong! It went on an absolute dream!!! One coat and you had no idea of it’s secret red undercoat 🙂
I like it’s simple elegance
Once it had dried I rubbed it back a little on the legs and a bit heavier around the edges and top of the table, until I got the look I was after. Another 2 coats of wax and a good polish and I was done!
I’m really pleased with the results and the finished piece is available to buy on our Showroom pages or our Lydney shop. £45
Drumroll…
I wanted the red to show through, but not too much!
It’s Saturday morning as I write this. Mark is enjoying a well deserved lie in, the kids are doing their own thing and I’m still in my pj’s with a nice cup of coffee and a plate of shortbread! I’ve just given a little table it’s first coat of red paint and, while I’m waiting for it to dry, I thought I’d share some photo’s of a dresser that Mark has been working on for a couple of weeks.
It was very ‘bog standard’ when he bought it at auction, but he had a vision of what he wanted and set about it fearlessly. He started with Annie Sloan (TM) Barcelona Orange straight onto the varnished surface, force dried it with a hair drier (he’s not a patient man), then over the top with Antibes Green.
It was heavily sanded back to emphasize the distressed look and then given 2 coats of dark wax and polished within an inch of it’s life! We used Briwax as we like the way it actually takes off a little of the chalk paint as you use it and takes out any sanding marks you might leave.
With the top, Mark sanded off most of the varnish before aging the wood to a beautiful silver. Unfortunately he hadn’t removed quite enough of the varnish (like I said, he’s not a patient man) and the effect was patchy, but he gave it the dark wax treatment and it actually turned out great!
I’d love to hear your comments on the finished piece – I think it might be our marmite dresser (love it or loath it!).
Now for some pics…
The whole thing started out as bog standard varnished pine.Tools of the tradeBarcelona OrangeGreen over orangeRubbed backDark Wax Going OnForce drying can cause paint to crackle (Tut coming soon)Repeat everywhere!The top before dark wax
I am having a MAJOR meltdown over this project. Mark asked me to help design the Christmas window for the shop – a great honour as he can be a little ‘precious’ about the shop as I don’t work there anymore. (Don’t get me wrong, I have input but I don’t physically stand in the shop all day)
Anyway… The town’s ‘theme’ for windows this year is ‘PEACE’, and straight away I knew what I wanted to do…
I wanted a beautiful little townscape made from paper to frame the window. It would have looked a bit like this…
… but I’m told there may be a problem with condensation as it gets colder here in the run up to Christmas. Okay, I put that idea on hold and move onto the main display.
We are lucky to have a full height window in the shop, but it isn’t huge, and anything we put into a display is actually eating into shop floor space so it’s a bit of a balancing act. I close my eyes and think of ‘PEACE’… but that just conjures up images of tropical beaches and the sea lapping at my toes! So we pull out the old whiteboard and start brainstorming.
Eventually it hits me. Peace is quiet, uncluttered, tranquil, restful… no wonder it took me so long to come up with the idea – these things are all completely alien to my life right now! My vision for the window display is finally taking shape.
I want everything white. The walls, the backdrop, the floor. Then a little wine table that has been kicking around for a while, waiting to be reloved. Then a wine glass to sit on it. Then an adorable little candelabra Then a book. And a chair…
And BOOM there’s my problem! We have the perfect chair, it’s a tiny little rocking chair. It’s quirky and cute, pretty and functional. We’ve had it for a few months in the shop, always being passed over for another piece.
Our little rocking chair is black, with pretty little flowers hand painted onto it. There’s something really strange about the finish to it – it’s sort of ‘bumpy’ and we have no idea why. I’ve often thought it would look wonderful beside a log burner on a canal boat. Or in the corner of a bedroom. Or just about anywhere!
Perfect for a canal boat?
So Marks says ‘Paint it white then’, but neither of us reach for the brush. We took it to our house an stood it in the middle of the living-room floor. And still neither of us could start the paint job. We don’t want to keep it for ourselves but we don’t want to write it off either. What we want is for someone to love it as much as we do and to take it home with them!
We need a little chair. We’ve got the perfect little chair. We need to cover it’s quirkiness with white chalk paint to finish our window display for Christmas. Oh why is this so difficult?
I think we will end up painting it and it will be a stunning display. But it feels like we’re making the perfect roast dinner out of our pet chicken. It just doesn’t sit right for some reason.
Myself and Caractacus trying to achieve the same as every other British couple who have upped sticks and moved to France in an effort to recreate the good life.So far it has been more Victor Meldrew than Felicity Kendal, but we are still here, still trying our best, and sometimes succeeding but in a roundabout sort of way
Big Red Barn 