A few months after Calder was born and my brain was starting to work (well, kinda) and I had the energy to tackle some home projects, I went for it. I had just had it with my dark, depressing surroundings, and I was soo ready for a change. I knew I couldn't afford to buy new furniture and "start over", so I decided to work with my hand-me-downs and make them more me. Of course, I do hope some day to replace these pieces with my "dream table" or my "dream armoire," but since I've been saying that for years now and that ship hasn't come in, this will have to do the trick for now.
My living room feels so refreshed and I do too. I use to just sit and stare, and wish
away all that
dark wood. But I was too scared to actually make the move. I would go
in spurts of caring and not caring and then caring a lot... and then
finally, on a random Saturday when Bruner was gone playing golf and
Calder was sound asleep in her nap... I DID IT. I knew once I made one
big paint stroke, there was no turning back..
I used Old White on our dining room table and chairs. I sealed it with the Annie Sloan Clear Wax, and experimented with the dark wax but ended up switching it back and leaving it out.
And
painting the armoire scared me too. I actually bought that piece soon after I graduated
from Ole Miss and received my first paycheck (for barely nothing), but at the time it was a lot for this little graphic designer. I bought it at AtHome
in Homewood (such
a cute store and I miss those lunch breaks where I'd just wander around
and graze). I loved it at the time, and it was the perfect size for our
living room in the little home I rented with some girlfriends
from college. BUT, my taste has
definitely changed and evolved since then (as I'm sure it always will),
and I wouldn't buy that same piece now.
I used Benjamin Moore Fairview Taupe on our armoire. BTW, I love this Natura paint—totally worth the extra money. It doesn't have an odor at all and was important to me with Calder.
I was hesitant about painting this cane back chair at first, but I couldn't be happier with it now. I actually used several different Benjamin Moore paints I already had (Natural Wicker, Briarwood and Fairview Taupe). I completely winged it and think it turned out pretty well for such a last minute project.
So for a whopping $50 or so, I got a whole new living room and dining room. It took me a few Saturdays and Sundays (and several of Calder's long naps), but totally worth it in the end.
And for you Mobilians, you can buy Annie Sloan Chalk paint at the Heron House. Photo courtesy of my good friend Ashley Dukes!
