Mission Style Furniture Refinished in ASCP Graphite

Last June I was starting to debate the whole 'blog' thing. Should I or shouldn't I? On paper the odds were not in my favor. Let's see...I'm not a writer...not a photographer...not techy. Would it even be worth my time? Seriously. Besides, who's going to read it? And what would my husband say? (Ok scratch that. I think we all know the answer to that question...."What the heck is a blog???") 

Then out of blue my husband tells me, "There's a message on the phone for you. Someone wants some advice on refinishing a chair or something. She left a number."

That phone call was just the push I needed to pull the trigger...put myself out there...take a chance. If this blog lasts six months or six years, I will always be glad I tried. It's been a great experience.

Today I'm going to show you the end result of that phone call from last June. A local couple had recently built a new home and invited me over to give them some suggestions. The house was beautiful. It had a cozy, "modern Montana living" feel to it...beautiful woodwork, gorgeous fireplaces, high-end finishes. They had already purchased a few new pieces to furnish their new home but also wanted to reuse some of their old furniture. We decided to start with a three piece set of Mission Style furniture.

Here are a couple BEFORE pics of the two end tables. (Sorry, I forgot to get one of the coffee table.)

The golden oak had taken a turn for 'golden orange'. Other than looking a bit dated, there really wasn't anything wrong with the furniture. It was very functional...sturdy, clean lines, open storage, etc. 

The couple wanted the pieces painted black so we opted to refinish the under carriages with ASCP Graphite. Graphite is NOT a true black. However, the color deepens when it is paired with dark wax. Here are the AFTER pics... 

What do you think?

I love the deep smokey hue of Graphite. I can't wait to use it on my own coffee table in the basement;)

I'm a basket girl...seagrass, rattan, wire...love it all.

Woven baskets add texture and dimension to a any room, 

not to mention STORAGE...STORAGE...STORAGE.

I used a Dark Walnut stain and Helmsman Spar Urethane on the top surface.  

I like the way Dark Walnut tends to bring out variations in the color of oak

and the 'Spar' Urethane should provide a long lasting, durable protection. 

 Their coffee table is actually 'duh bomb'. It has open storage on the bottom...

and the whole top lifts up to serve as a desk and offer additional storage. 

IKR! How convenient would that be!!!

You can see why this family opted to give this set a make-over 

rather than buying new pieces.

Very cool!

It was a good choice!

Have a great week everyone and thanks for reading 13 County Custom Finishes!

~Wendy

ASCP Color Swatches

ASCP Color Swatches

Annie Sloan offers a palette of 30 unique color choices inspired from18th century European design. I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors I have available...so I cut up some crown molding to make these 'color swatches'. The left side of the paint swatch is coated with clear wax and the right side with a dark wax glaze.

ARLES

DUCK EGG

GRAPHITE

 

PURE WHITE

ANTIBES GREEN

FRENCH LINEN

NAPOLEONIC BLUE

OLD WHITE

PARIS GREY

The lighting in our house isn't great so I'm not really sure how helpful the pictures will be. For locals interested in having a piece refinished, feel free to stop by and look at the paint samples. You can extend your choices by mixing ASCP to create a custom color. Annie Sloan actually has a book called Colour Recipes for Painted Furniture and More that shows how to mix colors and achieve certain looks. Pretty cool stuff!

I hope you all have enjoy Grandparent's Day. Don't forget to stop by later this week. I've been working on a three piece set of Mission style furniture for a customer and those pics should be ready to post very soon!

~ Wendy

Chevron Night Stand

Chevron Night Stand

Did ya think I forgot about you? Nah, it's just with the start of a new school year, a new work assignment, and a new basset hound puppy...I've been a super busy mom lately. Too busy to "blog" that's for sure! 

I made some time over the weekend to pick up my paint brush and finally tackled this mid-century single drawer bookcase. I bought it for $15 at an auction a few weeks ago. It rained like cats and dogs the day of the sale so all of the furniture just got soaked:( The piece didn't have a lot of curb appeal but it was made of solid wood...had shelves for open storage...and was the perfect height for a nightstand or console table. Score!

I pondered long and hard as to what color I should paint it. I finally opted to go with Annie Sloan's 'Old White' Chalk Paint for two simple reasons:

#1) I'm planning to make an upholstered headboard for our bed at the cabin and the white will go with any fabric I choose.

#2) I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use these faux alabaster knobs I picked up this summer.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to paint the whole piece or stain some of the wood. I even thought about lining the shelves with fabric. Then it dawned on me that I could stain a chevron pattern on the drawer. And at that very moment this is the sound I heard in my head...

*#@#*Allelujah...Allelujah*#@#*

I didn't have a stencil so I just taped off a chevron pattern using Frog tape. Then I applied a combination of Dark Walnut and Special Walnut stains. It took a couple tries to get the contrast and depth of color I was searching for but I finally got it to work.

 

The chevron pattern added just the right amount of 'BAM' to this piece. Don't ya think?

Here's the final product.

 

I Love It!!!

Can you imagine it next to an upholstered head board??? Me, too!

Happy-Happy-Happy...

 

Hey, did you notice the burlap box? I got my inspiration from one I spied at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago. It was super easy to reduplicate and a lot less expensive. I just found an old shoebox with a lid, some left over burlap, and adhesive spray. I'm telling ya...burlap adds a lot of bang for your buck. It's very inexpensive and is a great way to add texture to a room.

I simply followed the direction on the can of adhesive spray...

 and wrapped fabric around the box as if I were wrapping a present. 

Speaking of presents, I think I may have to make a few more of these burlap boxes 

to wrap Christmas gifts...??? There's that sound again (*#@#*allelujah*#@#*).

Burlap Covered Shoebox

The orb? It was another Pinterest project. Orbs are actually pretty popular right now. They're just a simple way to add an architectural element to your room. I actually bought a couple metal ones before I saw a Pinterest post showing orbs made from wooden embroidery hoops. I now have a collection of various sizes in my basement;) When my husband saw me making them he shook his head and gave me that "look". I just said, "Don't ask." He rolled his eyes and walked away. LOL!

Embroidery Hoop Orb

Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you all have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!!!

~Wendy

Stackable Glass Bookcase

Well, ladies...I hit it big at Holy Trinity's garage sale last week! In amongst the cork boards, chest of drawers, and tiered wooden stand there's a gorgeous stackable glass bookcase in my trunk.

 Can you see it? You have to look past the golden oak and heavy lacquer to see the hidden treasure.

 

I painted it to match a buffet I have in the basement.

Then antiqued the piece with sand paper and a dark wax glaze.

And wallah...What do you think? I love it!

The pottery and stoneware was just collecting dust in my storage room.

I think all the white is a great contrast to the French Linen color.

  

I haven't told my husband yet but I'm going to keep this one!

Shhh...I wonder how long it will take before he notices it in the basement???

~Wendy