Happy Monday to you guys!
We had a busy weekend at the shop with Troy Fest and I can’t wait to share some pictures for you to see our fun displays and moments from around the festival.
Until then, we wanted to share a little project that we’ve been working on for about a year now. I’d start, then take a break.
1. Because it was HUGE 2. Because other things were more pressing
This is the only before pic of our hutch and table together I can find a picture of…Christmas a few years ago. This was also before we painted our walls white.
After some paint, a new light fixture, and on our way to recovering the seats, the breakfast nook has a whole new look.
Major difference, right?
Did I mention this hutch & table were coated in laminate?? It’s one of the reasons I’m a fan of the “stickability” of Chalk Paint®! No priming, sanding, anything…just 2 coats with a brush and we were done!
If you follow us on Instagram, then you knew what we were up to. I painted the outside of the hutch in French Linen Chalk Paint® sometime last year, and it sat that way for a while…I just had to sit with it a while. I knew I’d eventually get inspired and decide what it needed to look like. The obvious choices of white, gray, etc. just weren’t cutting it for me.
As I was making our family Blurb book for last year, I came across some images I snapped on our Mediterranean cruise. One of my favorite spots was Santorini, Greece. All the stark white rising out of the cliffs with pops of vibrant blue…it was magical.
It’s funny…sometimes my family pokes fun at me for wanting an all white look. I do LOVE a lot of white, and lot of neutrals, but I love texture and the perfectly placed pop of color.
So Greek Blue the inside went. And we LOVE it. It’s the perfect pop of color inside and because it’s such a clean color, it works beautifully with light and shadow.
I’m sure I might eventually crave a more neutral look, but you know how I feel about that.
I’ll just paint it again.
After painting the hutch, I started to shoot the pictures and just couldn’t do it.
The black table & chairs (plus yellow & red toile) had to go.
I had to clear off the table and give it a study for a day or two. I knew I wanted to include the Greek Blue again, but I wanted some contrast, too. I wanted softer saturation since the hutch is two saturated colors…so, after a little thinking I mixed 3 parts Pure White with 1 part Provence.
I painted the whole table in Greek Blue first, then painted the top in the muted Provence & distressed it to reveal the blue underneath. (More on the finish soon!)
Of course, then I had to semi-set the table. For the everyday, I don’t put out a lot for a table setting because it’s not very practical for the average 3 year old. The placemats are French Laundry Home, napkins are from World Market, and the French kitchen towels are from our shop (to be listed online soon!).
The simplest arrangements are sometimes the BEST…I filled one of our crates from the shop with lemons and daisies. So simple and spring-y!
Because this was SUCH a labor of inspiration & love, we’d love to know what you think!
Stay tuned this week for some follow up posts this week for tips on using soft wax, creating smooth finishes using a brush, & mixing your own colors!
Go paint the town lovely today!
Love the hutch (and the table, too)! I remember the post when you first started painting it. And it’s funny, I have a Santorini inspired shutter mirror on my etsy page – I guess there’s a reason it’s called Greek Blue 🙂
Wow, I love the new paint job, especially the pops of bright Greek Blue! And I love how the different pieces in the hutch look against the blue, with the clear and white adding balance to the silver and yellow pieces.
Santorini is one of my favorite places that I’ve visited. The simplicity and color are so inspiring. I really want to go back one day with my husband!
Ok – I love it! And I just found your blog through pinterest and love it! If I send you a pic of my hutch and table, will you give me your opinion on painting? Please?
Hey Kim! Thanks so much! Sure thing…send it on over! 🙂
Oh Girl! Shaunna you are asking for it now! You are going to get tons of pictures of everybody’s stuff for your amazingly inspired recommendations!
😉
Your hutch and table look beautiful, dreamy, calming, classy, and inspiring. Thank you for sharing. See you next FRIDAY! (pinch myself!!)
Gorgeous colours and the hutch is so nicely styled. Love the blue interior.
Absolutely gorgeous! Now I want to paint to something French Linen & Greek Blue! I love your style & your home! I am in the process of painting our daughter’s room white & I LOVE it! You are always an inspiration whenever we make a home a design decision in our home! Thanks for sharing!
I am LOVING that hutch. It looks glorious!!!! And everything inside of it looks so terrific. Maybe it’s just the picture, but it looks a bit tight in the room with the table and chairs AND the hutch, but then again, that’s probably the only place you have to put it. I’m loving that you can get that effect with chalk paint even over a veneer. Awesome work.
Beautiful hutch and table. Hard to believe that there is laminate under those gorgeous paint colors. I also wanted to say a quick thank you. I found your website and blog about a month ago while researching chalk paint. I ordered several cans of chalk paint from your web site, along with soft wax and all of the necessary brushes. Everything arrived at my home in just 4 days!!!!! My project? Teaching a 17 year old young lady how to make a “chalkboard table” for her little sister’s 4th birthday. Oh my goodness!!! Chalk paint is truly AMAZING. One coat of the Aubusson blue is all that was needed to turn a thrift store find…a brown stained, round coffee table (with FOUR wonderful drawers) into the perfect chalkboard table!!!! Tomorrow we will start applying and buffing the wax. I would love to share a picture of the finished project with you. I am hooked on chalk paint and I have hopefully taught a 17 year old a skill that she can use to help provide spending money for college. Thank you for sharing your talent and knowledge with all of your followers. God Bless.
Love it! The colors are a great.
Beautiful job!
Just lovely!! Those French striped table linens though… I have been checking your online shop for when you post them. I love them! Let me know when you put them in your shop please!!
Please let us know how the table holds up to the day-to-day use. (when it’s been painted) Love the look, now I have to convince my husband that it will work for the long term use!!! 🙂 Thanks!!
I love these colors. Lightening the hutch gave the entire room a lighter, more romantic feel. Great job. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
M concern is the table top and heavy use. I am about to do a dining table and im not sure about the top.
Hi, I love this look! I am about to paint a secretary with ASCP in a white/provence mix, similar to this hutch. The pre-paint color is a dark stain. I’d like to distress it to show the stain, not quite sure how to accomplish this. What do you suggest? Does a light sanding work to just remove the top coat of paint?
On another desk, I’d like it to look similar to this secretary, but it has a bad black undercolor. I have been sanding this one, to smooth it some, and the result is a mix of natural wood, black glossy paint and dark stain. Do you know if I can paint it with regular dark brown latex paint, then a coat of ASCP in white/provence, then distress to achieve a similar dark showing thru look? I’m not sure how the latex will react with the chalk paint…
And one more question…any chance you have tried or heard about anyone mixing standard paint/tinting colors to the ASCP with success? As much as I would like, I can’t afford to buy another quart of the chalk paint to tint. I thought a touch of something I have might work to tint the ASCP to a better color for my palette…
Annie Sloan has a video suggesting you can tint the wax with a bit of the chalk paint, which is interesting, but I can’t find anything saying you can mix them with other non-chalk paints.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Love your results! The black looks so heavy compared to the easy breezy colors you choose. Nice work!
Hello there!!!
I’m Greek and I can assure you that the colors of both table and hutch couldn’t become more greek coloured! They remind me of Cyclades islands (Antiparos is my favorite one), but they have a touch of Crete and Lesvos, too.
Very good work!! Well done, girl!
Hi, love your site full of great info for new-bi like me to Chalk Paint. I have a question? I found it really hard when having to paint the back of a kitchen hutch, i carnt take the back off as i would if i could, can you give me some advise on the best way to complete this and make it look nice without to many brush marks. And do you paint inside draws? And i’m finding that i need to paint 3 coats not 2?
Cheers and thank you. I live in Australia.
Great post! Been reading a lot of tips for painting this kind of furniture. Thanks for the info!
Hi, I did a Google search on using chalk paint on wood veneer and came across your post. I am purchasing a dining room table and want to paint the legs of the table with white AS chalk paint. Do you think I can just paint it directly on the veneer or should I primer it first? Thanks!
I have a question on the application of the chalk paint on the laminate. I placed an order for the Annie Sloan paint with our local store and took home a sample to use on a laminate cabinet in my bathroom. I had trouble with the paint “rolling” off with the second coat and also during the waxing. Since my Annie Sloan order was taking so long to come in, I bought a different brand and am painting a laminate china cabinet. Again, rolling. Do you have any suggestions for this problem?
I also am wondering about the comparison of the Annie Sloan to the other brands. I noticed on the top of the china cabinet, which is a light wood, I have had to do 3 coats to get coverage and will still have to do some touch up. Will the Annie Sloan give better coverage with fewer coats? Is it any more durable than other brands? I have oak kitchen cabinets as my next project and really don’t want to have to put three or more coats on them.
Thank you for your blog. I’ve gotten a lot of great info from it and your videos.
Hi there!
I am new to DIY and chalk paint and have some “crappy” laminate furniture I want to transform. However, unsure of investing in the ASCP for the worry of “rolling” like you described. Have you done your project and was it successful? Please tell me your wisdom so I can be prepped with good info for success!
Thanks!
jess
Thank you! I was looking for a type of paint that would be easy to use on my standing jewelry armoire. I think I’m reverting back to childhood or something~I’m redoing my grown up room and going with some brighter happier colors! Coral, Teal, Yellow, Light Blue, etc. I LOVE IT! My husband? Meh….thanks again, this was just what I was looking for!