So Worth the Time!

I finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel last night as the curio cabinet makeover was completed.

This, like so many projects, turned out to be a bit more involved than anticipated.  Why the drama?  One word people, glass.  Six panels of glass and a long mirror in the back of the curio meant all of the inside of the cabinet had to be painted too.  Not sure why I failed to fully grasp that fact prior to beginning, but let's just chalk it up to a blond moment and move on.  There was much switching back and forth with big, small, very small and tiny paint brushes to reach all the nooks, crannies and nether regions in this piece.

Overall, I'm very happy with the results.  My hideous 80s cabinet looks almost hip (don't go making any nasty comments either - I said almost hip.  I'm happy with it but not delusional).

With no further ado, here are some snaps of the after.  If you want a quick reminder of the BEFORE photos, check out this post.  If you want to try out the products yourself, scroll to the bottom for some tips.

 
I used a product called Caromal Colours Country Living for the makeover.  It's a paint that's designed to give a piece of furniture a distressed look.  It requires zero sanding or prep (beyond wiping down the piece to insure it's clean and dust free) before painting.  You just paint it on and then sand only where you want a distressed look.  You can make it very distressed or only lightly distressed.  I went with very light distressing as I was trying to get away from the country look of the piece.

I gave the cabinet some new bling to go with its new look...

Now that that project is done, I plan to tackle this monster next...

Not sure what color it will be, but the pine has to go.

Quick tips I learned while working with this paint:

• No drop cloth needed when painting - this stuff is so thick the paint brush stands up in the paint.  You do need to lay down something down when you use the toner which is very drippy.
• Definitely add a little water to the paint or you'll go through too much too quickly.
• You don't need the gloves they give you when you paint, but you will definitely need them when applying the toner - had a tough time getting it off my hands.
• They do give you a small paint brush with the kit, but would recommend you have some larger and smaller ones handy before you begin for larger or tight areas.
• They recommend using a mish mash approach when applying the paint, but I used more of a traditional stroke when applying and achieved a smoother look than you see in the pictures on their website.

Good luck on your project!

Pretty Palmer Weiss

As we head into the weekend, I'll leave you with some lovely rooms by San Francisco Interior Designer, Palmer Weiss.

A beautiful contemporary dining room.

 

A modern take on traditional, this one is so beautiful...

I love this citrus colored room...How could you help but be happy in this room?

I love her use of color and the contrasting trims on fabrics (window treatments, table covers, piping on chairs).

I especially love the hardware pulls on this chest of drawers...

Some more formal living rooms...

Gorgeous pink daybed in this teen room and check out the patent leather chair.

Love this daybed too.  This would make little and big girls happy to nap in.

Happy, happy weekend.  Relax and enjoy :-)

Curior Makeover Update

The curio makeover is under way, but still much work before it's ready for prime time.  After completing the first coat on Monday night, I noticed Tuesday morning that there was still a lot of the original finish showing through.  I decided I need a second coat before I get into the sanding phase.

I also had the unfortunate realization that I would have to do the inside of the piece too because it's so visible with all the glass.  Heavy sigh....  So wasn't on board for that.  See what I mean?  What made me think I could get away without painting the interior?  Duh!

I did start on the inside and do a second coat on the outside last night.  I am out for a while tonight, but am hoping to finish enough of it to be able to sand and apply toner (the final step) on Thursday so that it's complete by Friday.

Wish me luck!

Caromal Colours Curior Makeover

I have long been fed up with my armoire and, to a lesser extent, my curio cabinet.  They look oddly like a pair, although I purchased them several years apart from different manufacturers.  They are the lovely scrolled pine pieces from the 80s.

Still, both serve an important function in my living room; the armoire hides the TV (don't believe I'll ever reach a point where a visible TV is okay with me) and the curio holds my bar ware and Waterford Lismore collection.

I wanted to replace the curio cabinet with a vintage bar cart, something like this brass one...

or this French number for just $1,020...

or maybe this gorgeous black Indochine bar...

or go contemporary with this shiny baby from Restoration Hardware.

Alas, there were two primary issues with this wish of mine...cost and space.  The snug little space I wanted to put a bar cart it in was not large enough to accommodate virtually anything I liked and the couple I did like I wasn't willing to spend four figures on (um, not that I even had it to spend mind you).

So, a makeover of this piece was in order and after much studying the work of others and stewing over the issue, I hopped online and ordered this kit from Caromal Colours.

Here's your little peek at the before:

See what I mean by the 80s scrolled look?

And then there are the dreaded bun feet!!! Actually bun feet are fine if you have an updated version; these are not updated.

Here's a shot of the contents.  I just don't have anywhere else in my house I can store these or, more accurately, enjoy them in easy reach.

Check back for the BIG REVEAL (insert big important music properly conveying the bigness of this reveal).

xo,

Christine