First things first, I’m excited to announce our Simple Starfish Giveaway winners: Jessica from Nuchey’s Mommy & Shandra from the Family That Plays Together! Congrats, ladies!!! Christine will be in touch with you soon to deliver your gift certificates! And for you guys, Christine is offering FREE SHIPPING today and tomorrow! Just use code perfectlyimperfect at checkout. Hello, Christmas shopping!
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Remember way back when when I decided to start a new series to help you with your furniture painting…and I asked you to help me with the name?
I toyed around a lot with the Furniture Whisperer (great suggestion btw), but in the end decided I might not be able to take myself seriously since every time I said it I had visions of Robert Redford and wild horses running around the ranch hills of Montana.
Enter The Painted Furniture Co.
I don’t know, I just like it. It fits, and there’s some things in the works for TPFC that go way beyond our little series here…and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
I know, more teasing.
🙂
I’m taking on Kara’s question today…here’s what she said in her email to me:
“I have been wanting to paint a dresser in my son’s room with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, but I am so hesitant to actually do it. I have attached a picture of how it looks currently and a copy of the bedding I am going to use (am moving him from his crib). I was wanting to paint it red, but I don’t want it to be too red. I was thinking about using “Emperor’s Silk”, but I wanted to tone it a down a little. Would using a dark wax on top make it not so bright? If so, is there one that you would recommend? Also, I am going to repaint the walls to a grayish blue.”
Kara also snapped some pics of her dresser and of the quilt that will go in the room…it’s great, isn’t it??
I’m pumped Kara is about to paint her first piece of furniture–let’s give her some inspiration and encouragement!!
The first thing I notice are the clean lines on the piece. I tend to love bold color on a simple piece, as the color becomes focal in the room. Sometimes, for me (because this is strictly subjective), painting a really ornate piece a bright color is distracting. My eye doesn’t know where to land.
Again, just me. The idea of red on this piece delights me, especially since it will be in a child’s room.
As far as toning down a red, it’s something that’s been done many times before and I happen to love the look.
Here are a few examples:
P.S. I LOVE the pop of the white knobs against the red!
Even my furniture painting friend, the Miss Mustard Seed herself has tackled using ASCP in Emperor’s Silk, and toning it down with dark wax.
On waxing, I say definitely apply some dark wax on top of your clear to tone the brightness down a little. Emperor’s Silk is a true red, and beautiful, but definitely very vibrant. Applying dark wax will help you achieve the exact hue you’re going for.
I personally have a can of Fiddes & Son’s Dark Wax in Jacobean, but I love Annie’s clear wax SO much that I’ll probably try this dark wax when it’s time to order again.
Check out my video on using furniture wax…it’ll cover how to apply and some q & a from you guys!
Be sure to also check out these posts for covering all your chalk paint/waxing bases:
Waxing Q & A with Patty–an Annie Sloan Stockist (and Annie answers a question herself!)
Miss Mustard Seed’s Waxing 101
By the way, simple knobs on a boy’s dresser are my favs, so I would stick with the wooden ones or maybe try these from my favorite clay knob creator, Vintage Skye.
I absolutely love the color combo of red and blue…especially when there’s a little lighter blue thrown in there freshen up the old classic.
And I ADORE throwing some gray in there as well…as a matter of fact, I think Kara and I have some of the same taste.
Here’s Gray’s room’s palette…I’m working on it all right now, and this palette makes me sooo happy. Fresh take on the classic red & navy.
Speaking of Gray’s room, here’s a little sneak peek of a little somethin’, somethin’ I’ve put together. And, Kara, you can see emperor’s silk in action there…with clear and dark wax…and it looks great next to the colors we’re you’re using in your son’s room!!
Great minds do think alike, right?
🙂
*I’m hoping Kara will email some pics when she’s through working her magic and we can celebrate with her!!
If you’d like to submit your furniture q’s, send me an email at shaunna@perfectlyimperfectblog.com, subject PAINTED FURNITURE CO. If at all possible, take pictures of your piece in the room it will reside in, and don’t forget to include any room details you’d like (wall color, bedding, upholstery, pillows, etc.). The more specific the questions, the better!
**Oh, and if you love a good “hey, whatcha think about my…” series, then definitely check out my good buddy Layla’s Pick My Presto. AMAZING STUFF that woman can do in Photoshop, I tell ya!
Happy Furniture Painting, Friends!
🙂
linking to SNS at Funky Junk Interiors, Miss Mustard Seed’s FFF, & Sunday Showcase at Under the Table & Dreaming
My son’s room is a nice lighter blue and I’m thinking about painting his bed frame and dresser red as well (they’re hand me downs from my hubby’s childhood). I used ASCP Primer Red on a dresser for my living room and then clear and dark wax and it came out a nice maroon color. Since I already have the paint I think I’ll just use that color again. 🙂
Congratulations!
Love that lantern light. I’m totally looking for a place to use those in the house. Mayber the basement. Hope we’ll see the finished project :@)
I LOVE Emperor’s Silk. I only dark wax it! No clear before, just straight dark. I put plenty on and then ‘push’ it into the paint and wipe the excess off. Maybe the ‘trick’ to it is to use a lot of wax and wipe off the extra. I have done lots of pieces this way and love it. When i have put clear on first i have not been able to achieve the depth of color as i do with straight dark wax.
Other colors i do straight dark wax are, aubusson, arles, country gray and of course graphite.
I just completed painting and waxing an armoire with ASCP Emperor’s Silk. It’s absolutely beautiful!
The color is not too bright…especially with the darker wax. Not bad for a $17 thrift store find!!! This is my first project using chalk paint…and I LOVE it! I have already recommended it to many friends.
I am a novice when it comes to painting furniture. The beauty of using ASCP is that it’s so forgiving…and it doesn’t take forever to complete a piece (I am extremely impatient!!!).
Shaunna, can’t wait for all the exciting news, like the name The Painted Furniture Company. Says it all. I love the red dresser from freshredcoat etsy shop. Had to pin it right away.
Love the name- simple, straightforward. Can’t wait to see what that sneak peek is all about- whatever it is, I’m sure it’s gorgeous! 🙂
I am DYING to know where Kara got the vintage plane quilt she’s using in her sons room. We are also transitioning our son into a “big boy” bed, and want to use as much of his nursery decor (vintage planes) in his new room decor. I need to find that quilt! 🙂
Hi Heather! I know…the quilt it super cute. My sister gave it to me (lucky me). She used it for my nephew, who is now a freshman in high school. She bought it at Land of Nod, but it has obviously been a while since she purchased it. Hope you can find it somewhere or something similar. Good luck!
Shauna,
I’ve been following your blog from a distance while I was living in Brussels. While I am very sad to leave Europe I am very excited to be back on the U.S. where I can get these great products like chalk paint. Your blog has been a great source of inspiration as I settle into my house here and try my hand at home decor. I am trying to add a bit of Europe to my decor here. I bought a can of Chalk paint in pure white because the stockier was out of old white. I’ve tried it on a few pieces but it is too white for my taste. Do you think I could tint it without ruining the paint? If yes, looks like I will head out for another can and will expand my colors. Thanks for all of the inspiration!!!
Cheers!
OMgosh I am so happy I won!!! Thank you so much! We haven’t had the internet for 5 days until 5 min ago so I’m getting caught up on 411 unread blogs! I’ll be checking out these tips later as I just bought some Annie Sloan clear & dark wax. Thanks!
Just watched the video! So cute with your little man 🙂 Oh, and yes, I found it informative…..I ruined a sofa table top with to much AS clear wax a couple days ago…it still isn’t dry!!!!! Oh well! Lesson learned to not use to much!
Hi Shauna, I love your blog, by the way. I’ve just gotten finished with a couple of pieces of furniture using ASCP. Annie claims that you can paint just about anything with it. Boy, you would know that I would be one that finds out what doesn’t paint so well:) I won’t get into all that, because in the end, I”m very pleased with my pieces and I do love the paint. I do want to mention one thing though, so it might help others when and if they run into this problem. You’ve talked about the bleeding some. Well, I was doing a 1940’s piece and it was just awful…pink, pink, pink bleeding through. I went to annie’s website and she said that this could happen, expecially in pieces from the ’30’s and ’40’s. She recommended getting the product “Shellac” to block this bleeding. Adding more paint will not help, btw!!! I was a little upset, because I was so excited to think I wouldn’t have to prime using ASCP. Oh well, I went to Lowes and got the shellac and put a coat over the whole piece (except the top..I stained this) and it did the job. No more bleeding. Blocked it completely.The good thing is that the shellac dries very quickly, so I didn’t have to wait too long to paint the furniture. The paint went right over the shellac. Yay. I really like the way it turned out. I hope this will help anyone that runs into this problem. Sorry this is so long. Thanks for all your wonderful help!!! Cindy
Your video was so fun to watch and learn. I love your casual style and family surround.
Thanks for sharing your smile and talents!
love your color furniture, so colorfull.
Can the soft wax be used over flat paint???? Chalk paint is a little out of my budget……
Hey Darla! It probably can, although this wax was created specifically for chalk paint. Actually, the paint compares quite nicely…my husband and I wrote a post called “Cost of Chalk Paint and WHy I use It”…hopefully you’ll find that helpful in your cost comparisons. Have a good one!
🙂
shaunna
wow, really nice designs displayed. Furniture products furniturenya looks very lively and sanga cock once made in reference to making the house