Hand Painted Console, Chest of Drawers and Upcycled Drawer Faces

This summer has been great for finding awesome furniture pieces to transform into beautiful, unique treasures. I've had some fun wall and ceiling projects (wait til you see my blog next week!), but am really enjoying rejuvinating old furniture. I've had some custom orders as well. It's so exciting when someone wants you to find a special piece for them and put your painted spin on it!
I won't rehash, sanding, priming, painting, glazing and polyurethaning furniture but here are some fun pieces I've recently completed. This chest of drawers is SOLID! Very heavy and sturdy, although to see it now it looks elegant. This finish has the look of raw silk. A hint of shimmer and texture.

This was the chest before I did anything to it. It was a dark cherry finish and on the inside too. I used the slightly red copper tone for the stencil to give a flow when you open the drawers. Here's the piece before.

I also found a more modern, mid century looking piece. It looked like the perfect piece for a huge, flat screen tv. And someone had already cut out two of the interior drawer faces for audio video equipment! Score! Here's this piece before.

I decided since it had a modern flavor, that I would keep a clean finish to it. I almost did it laquer white. Then I decided a nice neutral beige (who am I? I NEVER do nice and neutral). I did add a little pop of soft aqua on the inside (I just had to add some color)! I think it has a coastal feel to it, but also work very nicely in any decor. The hardware I painted gloss black. Would love to hear what you think!

I also had an awesome client give me all of her doors and drawer faces since she was refacing her kitchen cabinets. All solid wood and in good shape. Here's what I did to upcycle a few of the drawer faces.

Found these cool iron hooks and painted the drawers and hooks the same. Added a few hangers to the backs, and now they're beautiful coat or towel hooks! You can find these in my online shop. Thanks for looking!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/savardstudios?section_id=11262369

Pins of the Week: Horizontal Stripes - Dare to be Different!

I have always loved bold, horizontal stripes. I think they make a room look larger and current in their design. This week, I found several examples on Pinterest and had to share. This small bath uses white and grey. Very striking and clean.

Source: blog.baerhomedesign.com via Sandy on Pinterest

This powder room uses wood to create a horizontal stripe effect. It's rustic, yet modern. This photo comes from another website called Houzz.com. It's a great resource to find and store all of your design ideas in one place. I am in the process of uploading my entire portfolio to this site. If I have done a fabulous job for you on a job in the past, please go there and leave feedback, testimonials, etc. Here's the link http://www.houzz.com/pro/paintingthetownus/painting-the-town-inc. Thanks in advance!

Source: houzz.com via Sandy on Pinterest

This foyer makes a bold statement with smaller black, white and grey stripes. Love the pop of yellow in the flowers and candle!

Source: decorpad.com via Sandy on Pinterest

This foyer uses grassclothe to create a subtle horizontal flow.

Source: bellemaison23.com via Sandy on Pinterest

I hope I have given you new inspiration for your next project! And you didn't have to spend all day on Pinterest :) !

Pins of the Week on Pinterest - Coastal Turquoise

So I've been following Pintrest for awhile. If you haven't discovered it yet, it is the BEST THING EVER!! It's basically a virtual pin board for amazing ideas and everything cool. Decor, travel, fashion, recipes, gardening, weddings, fitness, anything you would have interest in referring back to at a later date. You create boards and file (pin) what you like.

I decided I would start showing some of my favorite pins. I'll try to stick to interior design and painting ideas, but I'm sure I'll have to share other fabulous finds as well.

It's the time of the year that we all think about the coast. I've found several coastal themes that I just love. This photo is from a website that sells home furnishing and accessories, with lots of coastal ideas. Such a soothing color palette, don't you think? The soft shimmer of the putty colored velvet, paired with the turquoise blue is breathtaking!

Source: zgallerie.com via Z on Pinterest

Another inspiring find was this beautiful tile work! How awesome would this be in a pool bath or a bath in your coastal home! Turquoise is my current color obsession. It looks great with so many color schemes! This turquoise glass tile has beautiful irridescent qualities. I would love to see photos of your current coastal theme projects! Any takers?

Source: imgfave.com via Sandy on Pinterest

Painted Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

Have you priced a kitchen renovation lately? It's very expensive and extremely disruptive to your day to day life. With the economy and housing market like it is, many clients are staying in their homes longer. With that comes the desire to modify and make a space more enjoyable until the market turns around.
That being said, the easiest way to update your kitchen is to paint your kitchen cabinets. It's not the same as painting your walls, but with proper preparation and products, painted cabinets will hold up as well as stained cabinets.
My process takes about 3 weeks, but only 3 or 4 days are onsite. I take your doors and drawer faces with me, to my studio. There, I can sand, wipe down, prime, paint, glaze and polyurethane the fronts and backs and allow adequate dry/cure time between layers. During this time we also work on your kitchen onsite. You can still use your kitchen during this time, although many wives tell their husbands they must go out for dinner! I'll back you up on that if needed. :) Once complete, we return with your doors and drawers and reinstall everything. It's like a brand new kitchen! Most of the projects I do are between $2000-$4000. There have been a few for less and a few for more, but that's the average range. Even refacing is much more than that!

Here are some photos of a recent kitchen makeover. They left the back splash, but did change the counter tops and modify some of the cabinets.

After painting and glazing

After painting and glazing

Before Paint

Before paint

A simple paint and glaze technique, but such a dramatic change! Of course, you can achieve any color or finish you desire. And yes, we can paint over the white melamine/laminate cabinets. I have done many, with great success. If you'd like to see more examples of painted cabinets check out my website http://www.paintingthetown.us/cabinets_furniture.shtml. Here's another site with lots of great before and after cabinet shots. http://www.r2rfaux.com/faux%20wood.htm