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Not Your Grandma’s House

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My style is a bit confusing, even to me, as I’m drawn to so many different things. I guess I would have to classify the decor in my home as Traditional/Whimsical, if that can be called a style. Our cottage, on the other hand, is beachy all the way, and I love it! I do appreciate antiques and I have a few treasured pieces passed down to me from my mother. However, I really don’t want my house to look like “Grandma’s house”, so I do my best to mix the old with the new.
I posted earlier, in “What in the World is Chalk Paint?”, a close-up of the armoire that I painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Here are a few more pics, one before, when the piece was dark cherry . . .



 . . .and several after, showing more details of the piece.  The outside of the cabinet is a cocoction of two Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors, Arles and Antibes and the interior I painted with the color Duck Egg.

This is a close-up of the detail. Distressed and antiqued with Chateau Gray.

Here are a couple of peeks inside my cabinet so you can see the interior color, Duck Egg.

and this is a close-up of the door pull, showing how nicely chalk paint works on all surfaces, including metal (although I’m still toying with what color I will finally end up with on the hardware).

One more picture will show you more detailing at the bottom of the cabinet. I am in love with this piece of furniture.


Adding color to old wood furniture, especially colors that are currently in style, really updates your room, making it feel less like Grandma’s house.

Here are two treasured chairs that belonged to my mom. I really couldn’t bring myself to add paint to this beautiful carved wood, but they were covered in pink velvet . . . and that really didn’t suit my style.

The update I did here was to have the chairs reupholstered in a modern yet traditional feeling print fabric. I am so happy with the end result. (Notice the touch of chalk paint on the pillow’s flowers, to match the china cabinet!).


In addition, I’ve brought a bit of a modern feel to this little sitting area with a trendy mirrored cabinet and a lamp with a modern lampshade. The creamy shag rug pulls it all together.

Finally, my dining room. I found an old mahogany table on Craigslist that was was covered in gold paint and dirt. I used layers of different colors (Old White, Duck Egg Blue and Arles) for the legs and Chateau gray for the top.


The table came with four chairs but I wanted less wood for a softer feel. I purchased upholstered chairs from Pier 1 Imports and slipcovers from Bed, Bath and Beyond. This is the end result.

Can you see how easy it is to update a room, no matter what your style, by adding some of the new trends in color and a few modern decorator pieces? I’d love to hear your ideas for giving new life to old surroundings. It is so much fun making Old Things New!

Blessings to you,
Patti

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Comments

  1. Hi Patricia! The armoire and table look wonderful painted and I love the colors. I don’t blame you for not wanting to paint the pretty wood of the chairs. The new upholstery is beautiful. Thanks so much for visiting and your sweet comment. I am happy to be a new follower.

    Reply

    • Thank you Diane, for popping over and for your compliments! I am loving using chalk paint too. I’ve tried two homemade recipes now and will be trying a third and blogging the results, pros and cons, and also how they compare to Annie Sloane. I’ll look forward to seeing more of your painting projects in the future. Patti

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  4. Excellent Patti! You could teach folks a thing or two about layering chalk pant colors. So what color did the hardware end up? This certainly is not grammas house.

    Thanks for linking up.

    Bliss

    Reply

    • Right now the hardware is layered with Duck Egg (to match the inside of the cabinet), dark wax & some silver Rub ‘N Buff. Always looking at it & wondering how I might change it up though. Thanks for the great party. Patti

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  5. Hi Patti,
    I came over from Bliss’s. I love your cabinet! It’s beautiful. I mhave so many colors of Annie Sloan, but I never bought Arles. You have me curious now…I’ve never really gotten the perfect shade of green that I wanted.
    Beautiful job on everything. New follower!
    ~Tina

    Reply

    • It is so much fun mixing it up until you come to that perfect color. I only have a tiny bit of this left in the can. After it’s gone, who knows if I’ll ever be able to replicate it again . . . Thanks for visiting. Patti

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  6. I love this piece! It is stunning! The color is perfect! Thanks for sharing it at the favorite furniture makeovers of 2012 party!
    Stacey of Embracing Change
    (gonna brag about it on my Facebook page, too)

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  7. Beautifully done! Love your newly painted china cabinet…really, how can you go wrong with such gorgeous colors? BRAVO!!! Happy to be your newest follower. Would love to have you stop by for a visit! Blessings ~ Judy

    Reply

    • Hi Judy – I did pay a visit to your blog & am now following back. Your furniture transformations are beautiful. I like your recent post about Gesso. I just tried it for the first time yesterday & think I’m gonna love it. Looking forward to hearing more from you. 🙂 Patti

      Reply

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