When we bought our house, we were moving from the cutest, and most beloved, tudor cottage. And we didn’t have furniture to fill our big ol’ colonial.
There were a few pieces left in this house– a large, 60’s Frenchie dining table, 10 chairs, and the matching china hutch. Our realtor kicked in $300 for the transfer of these items, as not to leave us languishing with empty rooms, for years.
I thought they’d be temporary pieces until flusher times. But, I gave each piece, simple makeovers that had me rethinking. They are Widdicomb made and much higher quality than anything I’d be able to buy from a catalog. And I started to fall in love with French pieces mixed in with other traditional elements, such as Chinoiserie.
I painted the dining table legs with black chalk paint. Chalk paint allows minimal prep and leaves a velvety finish, once sealed with natural, finishing wax. I used Rub n’ Buff on the feet in antique gold. Just enough of a modern kick to work with my style.
The chairs were upholstered in a bold red and gold stripe. I painted it with charcoal, chalk paint, using a similar technique as used in this Apartment Therapy article. The main difference is I was dealing with very bold, fabric colors. I did 6-8 coats on the upholstery and then used finishing wax to seal. The addition of the finishing wax gives the fabric a soft, almost vintage leather look and feel.
It’s been a year. They’ve held up to daily use by tots and spills wipe off easily. I’d call this DIY a win.
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