Blonde Hutch Makeover

A brunette goes into the doctor's office and says her body hurts whenever she touches it.

"Impossible," says the doctor. "Show me."

She takes her finger and pushes on her elbow and screams in agony. She pushes on her knee and screams. She touches her ankle and screams.

The doctor says, "You're not really a brunette are you?"

The girl says, "No, I'm a blonde."

"I thought so, he says shaking his head. "Your finger is broken."

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Sorry!!! I'm really NOT into blonde jokes. I Promise! I just thought it might be fitting for this weeks makeover of a blonde mid century hutch.

Here's a pic of the original piece:

Look familiar?

This style was pretty popular in the 60s.

 

The hutch was being used to store tractors and toys in a little boy's bedroom. Before the owner dropped the it off I encouraged her to look online for an inspiration piece. She did her homework and found an aged Coco and Louis Blue cabinet that she loved.

ASCP Coco is a creamy milk chocolate hue that becomes deeper with dark wax. Louis Blue is more of an ocean blue in my opinion. We purchased a quart of Coco and decided to create a custom 'Louis Blue' color using some of the Annie Sloan chalk paints I had on hand.

Guess what? The custom blue was great but the Coco wasn't dark enough. It just wasn't. So I had to start over....Que Sera Sera! The owner decided she would try the Graphite instead.

Here's my second attempt:

What'cha think?

 It's amazing how a little chalk paint and wax can transform a piece of furniture.

The owner wanted a rustic patina to go with her son's camo bedroom. 

I couldn't sand the piece so I decided to let the Coco show throw in some areas.

 I used dark wax over the faux Louis Blue to give it more depth.

I think the hutch will work great in a boy's room.

Don't you?

The owner was content using the original hardware. 

I simply shined them up with some Silver Rub'n Buff and called it good.

I've never painted a piece of laminate blonde furniture before 

and

learned a lot in the process.

First, it simply takes more paint to cover lighter woods/finishes. 

I used about 3/4 quart of Coco on my first attempt

which is quite a bit considering the expected coverage of ASCP. 

Secondly, being able to distress/sand the furniture (even a little bit) 

can be a key factor when customizing a piece of waxed furniture. 

I couldn't do that with the blonde finish:( 

 It's a good thing the Coco was underneath!

Finally, I learned I can mix custom colors using the paints I have in stock!

As always thanks for reading 13CCF. I hope to have a roll top desk finished and ready to sell by next week. Keep your fingers crossed for me…

~Wendy