When a friend asked me to update her small chest of drawers currently used in her dining room, I jumped at the chance. It’s a well-made piece of furniture that was needing a little sprucing up. A lover of blue, my friend had a clear idea of what colour she wanted it to be, along with some gold tones thrown in. Like most furniture that has lived a long life, it needed a clean and some minor patching up. This again gave me time to introduce myself to it (and vice-versa). Using Annie Sloan chalk paints, the frame and drawers were painted in Greek Blue. The top, Cocoa. Again, gold wax was used to highlight drawer edges and the top, but before applying I felt it needed one last little tweak. Using a stencil with a slightly Moroccan motif, I created a tiled effect on the top using chalk paint. Given this was outside of my friend’s brief, I was a little anxious that I’d got the feeling right. Unveiling it upon delivery was a tense moment, but her reaction was immediately positive. I’m happy to say that the piece continues to bring joy and pleasure, signs that I’ve got it right.
Creating beautiful spaces by re-imagining and refurbishing old furniture
