A Simpler Design

I’d like to introduce you to the first large piece I’ve painted in a while. I found this piece at a local antique shop. I immediately fell in love with the art deco style of this piece: the waterfall edge, the fluted detailing, the original wood and brass hardware. It was really quite a find! Something about it felt a bit dark and moody, and almost steampunk in style, so I painted it in a graphite, a deep charcoal gray from Annie Sloan Chalk Paint [an exceptional quality paint line]. It’s finished in a clear wax, which gives it a satin matte finish.

This piece provides ample storage in a living or dining area or would make an excellent entertainment console. Solid wood, beautifully crafted pieces like this are hard to come by and is why I always encourage purchasing vintage.

Hi friends! I’ve finally got a big project to share with you, and this one has been months [5ish MONTHS!] in the making. This is my first major renovation project since I moved to Dallas [it will be two years this November!] and it’s my first project in the midst of a pandemic. No surprise here: the permitting process has been a thorn in my side. Now I’m not new to the joys of dealing with permitting offices. They’re often slow and the process of working with them can be laborious, in NON PANDEMIC times. What should have taken two months to get approved took just over FIVE months, and I nearly gave up hope on the entire thing. But finally, FINALLY they’ve begun work and I can start to envision a completed project.

First things first, why am I renovating my garage? I have a few reasons. Looking at the garage as an actual garage, it presents one major issue. My car is too wide to fit into the narrow garage doors. Something I didn’t realize until I drove up to the house with a car filled with things and pets. Irritating, but not the end of the world, seeing as I don’t actually plan on using my garage for my car. The plan for the garage all along has been to transform it into my workshop, a space where I can paint, refinish, photograph and sell all my furniture pieces. When I first moved, I was painting up a storm, until the temperatures dropped [my first winter here was a surprisingly cold one for Texas]. There was no space heater that could warm me [or my paint] up enough to successfully work in the garage. It wasn’t insulated and just couldn’t function year round. The same went for the summer. Dallas tends to swell into the upper 90s and triple digits for several months, and a space that isn’t air conditioned just won’t do.

Sometime last year, I decided to take it upon myself to start insulating the space, and had planned to invest in a mini-split hvac unit so I could make the space more bearable year round. But then a pandemic happened…and that’s when the project began to expand.

Up until recently my mom was still living and working in Atlanta. She’s in the medical field, and being a person in her 60s, it made contracting covid a high-risk for her. She decided it was time to retire a little earlier than planned and move to Dallas. Rather than renting or taking up another mortgage, we decided the smartest option was to create a studio space for her above my garage. We’ve done a similar project before in Atlanta, which turned out to be a super successful investment. How I miss being an Airbnb host!

In May I began the process of finding a contractor I trusted, designing a plan for the first floor workshop and second floor living space. I live in Kessler Park, a neighborhood in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas filled with beautiful tudors, bungalows, cottages and mid century ranch homes. The neighborhood is a conservation district. A step below a historic district, it’s not as strict with building stipulations, but it does mean we had to follow certain rules when it came to the renovation. We need to keep the design of the garage as close to what it looked like originally. That meant keeping the original wood siding, something I’d hoped to do anyway since it’s in great shape and gives the garage historic charm. With that, we’re not completely demolishing the garage and starting over. They’ll soon begin ripping off the roof and saving the wood paneling from the top third of the structure so it can be reused.

The garage is surprisingly spacious. My plans give me a 475sqft. workshop and my mom a 450sqft. studio. Gaining 925sqft. of heated and cooled space will be huge! I can’t wait to have a fully functional workshop and throw myself back into furniture full time again. My mom is also really excited about her studio. We’ve been working on the interior design choices for the studio. We’ve gone back and forth a dozen times on what colors to paint the kitchen cabinets, which has been a pain [she’s a VERY indecisive client! hah] but overall I can’t wait to implement all our style ideas into the space. I’ve begun ordering lighting and plumbing fixtures, and will start painting the cabinets soon. I’m working on a mood board that’ll show what the overall look and feel of the space will be [and of course I’ll share the entire process here!].

SOOOOO…2020 HAS BEEN A YEAR…

For so many reasons, I cannot even begin to focus on right now. All I can say is all of my family and friends are safe and for now, that’s all I can count on. I’ve spent entirely too much time away from my beloved place, my safe space, my world of paint and furniture and writing. I’ll get into more of the reasons why and my plan for the future when the time is right, but for now, I thought it was time I share something close to me. I moved to Dallas, Texas from Atlanta, Georgia one year and 8 months ago. And in that time, I haven’t posted much, if anything of my new home. I’m long overdue for a proper room walk through, so I thought going room by room through my home might be a nice way to get back into the swing of things!

It’s no surprise the room I spend most if not ALL of my time in [seriously, I could even sleep in this room if given the chance] is my kitchen. It a love at first sight situation, a room I instantly was drawn to and was incomparable to the 30+ homes I saw before this one. I was hooked.

That being said, I did make some changes as soon as we closed on the house. The most significant transformation was the countertops. Originally they were stainless steel, and a well loved, id overly worn stainless at that. As commercial kitchen as it was, I’m too much of an aesthetic creature to keep things purely functional. I needed my work surface to be beautiful as well. Though I’ve sworn by quartz surfaces in all of my design jobs, I knew such a modern countertop didn’t make sense alongside these one of a kind kitchen cabinets.

Now I’m still now certain of the origin of these cabinets, I can tell you they are almost certainly furniture pieces that were transformed into a kitchen space. I’ve had several people surmise they are likely imported from Mexico and are intricately and beautifully hand carved. There wasn’t a chance I’d change these out for anything else. The doors and drawers are 2.5” solid wood and feel like they’re a hundred years old.

Pieces of such age and beauty needed something equally timeless and of impeccable character to match it. When I went to my countertop fitter, it didn’t take me long to solidify my choice. I’ve always been against marble, mostly because I love red wine far too much to risk the stains that would inevitably follow. I hate the look of glossy finished stone, and so when the slab of honed Brazilian soap stone presented itself, it was love at first sight.

I first fell for soapstone when I was a mere 23 year old babe, attempting to renovate my very first kitchen all by myself. I had tirelessly researched craftsman bungalow homes and the traditional finishes within them, and saw how popular soapstone was for such an impeccably crafted home. Back then, the only soapstone I could find was vastly out of my price range. This time around, I was shocked to find out how affordable soapstone could be.

This deeply veined, green, gray, black natural stone was absolutely breathtaking, and within my budget! I couldn’t believe it. I knew the stone was a bit more porous and prone to imperfections than quartz, but it didn’t matter. This stone was meant to go hand in hand with my aged, one of a kind cabinets.

I’ve now waxed poetic about these countertops for a decade, but you’ll soon see why. They are an absolute showstopper, the jewel on my dream kitchen! Considering the island in the kitchen is the largest I’ve ever seen, having such a statement piece on its surface made the moment it was installed nothing short of breathtaking.

I made a few accommodations when I switched out the countertops [there was once a second very unfortunate looking sink in the island, among other things.] The only other major change I made to the kitchen area was the pendant lights over the island, which were a simple, clean and very inexpensive find on Amazon! I also added an essential modern open shelving unit from Room & Board to house my MANY small appliances. Otherwise, the kitchen speaks for itself. The stunning wood beamed ceiling, the open floor plan to my family room, the wall of French doors spilling light into the space, the stunning Lacanche [a very fancy French range]… It made this home an absolute must in my eyes.

The photos don’t do this room justice. Only being in it, cooking at it, entertaining it, having some funny, ridiculous, serious, memorable conversations in it, will even begin to shed light on how wonderful this space in my home is.

I spend a lot of time developing varying methods of painting, creative ways to blend colors, incorporate water and wax on furniture. But sometimes, a straightforward painted finish in a simple but impactful color is all that’s needed to truly transform a piece. Color has an incredible way of making us feel something. Grays for me are soothing, deeper shades of blue and teal are grounding, yellows are invigorating.

When I combined a few shades of Annie Sloan paint to achieve this bright, botanical green for a client’s desk, I instantly felt a combination of contrasting emotions. This bolder hue brings a liveliness to the piece, while also evoking a sense of tranquility. As I write this, I’m realizing the color incites the same feelings in me that a garden does, relaxing and inspiring all at once.

Mid Century furniture is always a space where I like to keep the paint finishes as simple as possible. I adore their clean lines and the less fuss I make when painting on mid century, the happier I am with the outcome. I styled this piece with objects in shades of green and yellow and white, all colors that were used to create the actual color of the piece. With mid century, a semi-monochrome styling continues to add to that modern, clean lined look.

I’ve had this beautiful mess of blues and greens for some time now. It’s got some of my favorite hardware I’ve found on any piece of furniture. The campaign inset style but with a twist. The gold contrasts perfectly against the varied ocean inspired shades. And it’s those oceanic hues that truly draw me in. I used water in a similar way I painted this earlier piece and I can’t get enough of this technique. The colors are so rich, but the blending is mostly subtle, with the occasional striking contrast of hues.

Something about the color brings me back to my visit to El Nido in Palawan, Philippines last year. The colors directly link to the intense hues found in a place I kayaked in known as Small Lagoon. [see below] It was easily the most breathtaking place I’ve ever been, and having this piece conjures up all the memories I have of this place, of that trip spent with my family.

It’s refreshing to not have an exact plan when it comes to painting furniture. I get to layer color and texture, develop new shades by mixing paint, not entirely knowing what ratio I’ll end up with or when I’ll decide ‘enough is enough’ and let it be. I love when I come across smaller pieces I can experiment with like this lovely little piece.

I layered several colors starting with a combination of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emperors Silk, Pure White and a little English Yellow for a pink-coral shade, then layered English Yellow over that. Next I painted a few light wash coats of a more orange-coral mixture again combining the same three colors, only adding more yellow to the mix. I added back some of the pink-coral in a wash over certain places like on the drawer fronts to create a slight ombré or sunset effect.

The close up detail shots of the varying shades on this piece are what really showcase that ‘sunset’ effect so beautifully. The hints of yellow along the front edges of the piece remind me of the bright horizon line that appears just before the sun makes its final descent.

I love exploring different ways to layer and manipulate paint on furniture. I have this thing about combining greens and blues and figuring out ways to bring this color combination to life. I bought this piece, a vintage mahogany dresser, from a neighbor who had meant for it to be her own project, but a move to California meant I got to take this on as my own. Other than the fan detail at the center of it and a bit of fluting along the two sides, this dresser is fairly simple in style. I knew it would need a more creative finish to really allow it to shine.

I started off by painting the entire piece in Annie Sloan’s Amsterdam Green. I like to start with the darkest color as my base and then add lighter shades on top. This isn’t essential, but I just find it works best when I’m trying to achieve this layered effect. To create a sense of depth to the flat surfaces, I mixed up varying shades of teal, combining Annie Sloan’s Napoleonic Blue with Amsterdam Green and adding Pure White to create lighter shades. I quickly painted one of the shades of teal haphazardly all over the piece and immediately went over it again in a lighter shade of teal, making sure not to fully combine the two colors.

After letting it dry for just a few minutes [no more than 10], I started to spray the dresser with water with one hand and brushing over the piece with the other hand. Sometimes I’d let the drips stay, mostly on the drawer fronts, but I tried to avoid any sort of uniformity to how I did this. When it looks too forced, I feel like the paint finish loses that unique patina. Sometimes I won’t like how a certain area looks, and I’ll just paint right over it and start again. It’s a process and takes extra time to dry with the addition of water, but I just cant get enough of the end result!

I’ve been working on capturing this layered effect in photos, but it’s challenging to showcase just how stunning the finish really is. That being said, the photos I did take must have done the trick because this dresser sold only after a few days of being listed, and even more exciting, it’s my first Etsy sale! [did I mention I’ve started selling my pieces on Etsy so I can ship nationwide now?!]

Unless you’re an extreme minimalist, adding storage to your home in any way possible seems like something everyone could use. At the start of the year, it seems like everyone in my life is trying to reorganize their homes. I love having a zone for certain tasks in the house: coffee supplies, cleaning tools, and in this case, my wine and bar necessities. Having my wine and cocktail glasses, all the bottles and even my books on cocktail making and wine all stored in one place makes it effortless to have an impromptu gathering at the house or just know where to head to when you’re in desperate need for a drink after a long day.

I really love this cabinet I painted in Annie Sloan’s Chateau Gray. This paint color is gorgeous in person. It’s a subtle mix of gray with a hint of sage green. I distressed it to reveal the original wood tone, allowing the exterior to tie in with the unpainted interior. All painting aside, I’m really just so impressed the storage capabilities of this cabinet.

The lower cabinet stores up to 14 bottles, and has a lower shelf to store taller objects or additional bottles. The middle area is open and is perfect for displaying books, plants or other styling objects. If you’re using this as a liquor cabinet, it’s the perfect spot to place all your bitters and bar tools. The upper area stores up to 18 wine glasses and has two shelves for storing additional glassware, small tasting plates, or any other drink supplies.

I saw this table at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and it was an easy purchase. Though I don’t really implement the Hollywood Regency style in my own personal design, I see bits of it everywhere and I have a secret love for all things bamboo. This table was a glossy orange-toned wood bamboo that I couldn’t see working for me or any of my clients, but I wanted the bamboo details of this piece to come to the forefront.

Going with a dark color wasn’t going to cut it. All those curves would be muted by the depths of a deeper shade, so I knew white was where I was going to take this piece. I wanted to make it feel more ‘California’ or beach-y, or in this case, poolside appropriate.

I grabbed a bristly round paint brush [one of Annie Sloan’s] and ever so slightly dipped it in Pure White chalk paint. In a weird version of musical chairs for one, I’d quickly paint the piece as I moved in circles around the table. It looked comical, but working this way ensured I didn’t miss a single curve on the piece [and with bamboo, there are seemingly infinite curves]. I’d then flip the table over, work on the legs in the same orbiting pattern.

The finished product has a weathered, beach inspired vibe, resembling something similar to driftwood. The table has an airy lightness to it, which is further achieved with its glass top. There isn’t a single harsh edge on it, other than the striations from the dry brushing technique.

I’m tempted to try this table out in my own living room as we move closer to spring. Currently I have a comfy but cumbersome leather ottoman as my coffee table, and this oval beauty would lighten and brighten the space. Or maybe I’ll just drag the table out by the pool and lounge, drinking rosé, legs dangling in the water.

I’ve always loved the color gray or grey, depending on how you prefer to spell it. I personally go back and forth on the regular. No matter the gray/grey, I find it to be one of the most pleasing neutrals to work with. I typically work in darker shades of gray when it comes to painting, but when I saw Annie Sloan recently came out with a new light shade of gray, my interest was instantly piqued. I’ve been combining Pure White or Old White with her dark Graphite to create lighter shades of gray for years. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind creating custom colors, but having a go to color straight out of the can that you love and feel like you could use on almost any piece really simplifies the process.

I loved this retro buffet and hutch from the get go, and though it required some repairs to the veneers and shelves to achieve a smooth base, I knew it would be worth salvaging and refreshing with paint. Annie Sloan’s new Chicago Grey as described on her site, ‘…is a cool, fresh and modern grey, with a hint of blue. Suggestive of the architecture in Chicago. A perfect neutral for industrial interiors, or muted Scandinavian styling.’ The description fit this piece of furniture seamlessly, so I knew it was the color to go with when I was shopping for paint.

It’s a new year and I’m back to working on furniture pieces today! [keep an eye on my Instagram account for photos of my current project!] I painted this great little antique find just before the holidays and I’m finally getting around to sharing it with you! This table is an antique, and one that wasn’t well taken care of. There were layers of sticky residue on the top and sides of the piece. Normally when using Annie Sloan chalk paint or any other similar calcium carbonate based paint, I never have to sand or really prep the piece for paint. This one required a good bit of love and sanding before it was ready to take to paint.

Sometimes furniture just speaks to a certain painting technique or colorway. Looking at the bones of the piece, I knew it needed a color varied style to highlight all the unique details of it. There’s a lot going on for such a small piece of furniture: scalloped edge at the front and back [the piece is double sided so it can float in a room if need be], fluted detailing along the squared frame, curved angles on the side magazine holders and the top and beautiful little bun feet at its base.

When something has lots of character, applying a contrasting wax brings all those intricacies to life instantly. For the base color, I combined three parts Annie Sloan Amsterdam Green with one part Graphite to help mute the bold Emerald a bit. [to see what true Amsterdam Green looks like on furniture, check out this dresser I finished a couple years back- it really is a gorgeous color!] I painted one coat with this mixture and then added one more part of Graphite to deepen it further and painted the piece here and there, not fully covering the initial greener base, so that the subtle change between the shades could still be seen.

I sanded using a wet piece of 400 grit sandpaper, which allows the paint to slough off a bit more aggressively. I wanted the original deep brown stain to peek through more, adding to that aged effect and creating lowlights on the piece. Finally, I brushed on white wax, not completely covering the piece, focusing on the crevices and details. I wiped the white wax with a white t-shirt rag, and then lightly applied a second coat of wax, now using clear wax. Combining the two waxes gives the piece that white washed look without completely altering the base colors. The end result is a multilayered, textured finish that shows off the aged beauty of this table.

As soon as I saw this little bar cart, I hoisted it into my arms and walked it to the cash register, not bothering to wait for help. I couldn’t have anyone else to snatch it up! It’s so rare to find a great little slim cart that holds TONS of bottles. 24 bottles of wine is far more than I can keep on hand [I likes my wine!]. Now let’s talk about the painting process!

I painted the cart in a mixture of Annie Sloan’s Emperor’s Silk [4 parts] and English Yellow [1 part] chalk paint to achieve this bright, bold pop of red. It took nearly four coats, which was a bit unusual since I’ve always found my furniture to cover in 2 coats. This piece does have so many nooks and crannies and it just took a bit of time to get the finish to where I was really happy with it. But I have to say, it was worth the extra time and effort since it’s just a stunning piece in my kitchen right now!

I styled it two ways [see below] as a wine cart [didn’t have many bottles on hand, but just envision dozens of bottles lining the shelves!] and as a bar cart with the fixings for cocktails.

It’s perfect for a party, since you can just roll this little cart to wherever the party is! I just moved, and I’m seriously due for a stock the bar housewarming party, so I may have to hold onto this beautiful red cart until then. I’m tempted to just hold onto this guy permanently, but I did tell myself I wouldn’t hold onto any furniture if someone wants to buy it, so let’s see if I stick to that goal!

It’s been far too long since I’ve shared my work here! As I mentioned in my previous posts, my house went on the market a few months back. The whirlwind of preparing the house, going through open houses, showings and ultimately selling our home was much more work than I’d ever anticipated. Finding a home in my new city, Dallas, Texas was even more daunting. Five weeks ago, I said goodbye to my Atlanta home and hello to my Dallas home! I can’t wait to share all I’ve done to my new home already, but my first priority after getting settled in was to crack back into work! I haven’t had a space to paint furniture in so long, and I’ve been chomping at the bit to pick up a brush and start transforming new pieces to sell. I’m really pleased with how my first project turned out!

This pair of nightstands was my first project in Dallas. They were found in my family’s storage unit collecting dust. I was happy to take it off their hands and give these guys a new look, since their current state was a bit drab to say the least.

Most of my paint didn’t fare well during my hiatus and the move, so I just had a few bits of Annie Sloan’s Florence and Lem Lem chalk paint to work with for this project. To create the base color, I combined one part Florence, a bold turquoise with four parts Lem Lem, a light spring green.

The paint mixture had a lot of texture in it [a nicer way of saying there were bits of dried paint in it- never fun!] so I decided to go for a distressed look to both get rid of the dried paint particles and add dimension to their somewhat boxy appearance.

After distressing, I took Lem Lem, thinned it out with a few drops of water and painted a wash over the base color, wiping it off in certain spots to create a lighter, blended finish.

I went back and forth about changing out the hardware of the drawers. These are the originals, and at first I was unsure about how they worked with this paint finish, but once I styled the nightstands with objects, they really grew on me. I sort of love the nod to their original look. If someone prefers something more modern, it’s a two minute swap to screw in new pulls.

Depending on the angle and the lighting, the color really brightens up and transforms to a light spearmint shade. The way the colors transform throughout the day is really what I love most about working with the Annie Sloan line of paint!

My kitchen. It’s my baby, my everything. I spend ALL of my time in here, or at least it feels that way! As far as staging goes, it didn’t take much for it to get ready. I keep my countertops almost completely free of anything that isn’t essential. I’m not a neat freak by any means, but I am really particular when it comes to the kitchen. For preparing to put the house on the market, we did declutter the interiors of the cabinets [though that didn’t last very long, since there are SO many kitchen supplies I am incapable of living without!]. Throughout the day, there’s lots of natural light in the kitchen, so keeping all our house plants in place helps highlight that. I simplified what I kept on the open shelf cabinet, leaving only white serving pieces to give it a clean look. What really transformed the kitchen was the white paint on the walls. Nearly the entire house was painted in Sherwin Williams Alabaster, a perfect ‘Goldilocks’ white in my eyes: not too warm, not too cool and just right. It instantly made the kitchen feel larger, brighter and more streamlined. The few hits of color in the space [mostly varying shades of blue and teal] now add a subtle pop to the kitchen. This kitchen is so functional and beautiful, it didn’t take much work [other than a little tidying and paint] to bring it to life for the staging photos. Check out a few ‘Before and After’ shots below!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE