Sweet Little Milk Painted Trinket Trunk

From Gilded to Grounded: A Standing Jewelry Armoire's Dark Moody Transformation

Sometimes, a "bright and airy" makeover just doesn’t fit the vibe. I found this standing jewelry armoire after it had already been given a white and gold facelift by someone else, but it felt a bit too "glam" for many people. I knew it had the potential to be something much more sophisticated, mysterious, and—of course— moody . In this tutorial, I’m taking you through the process of retaining some of the previous DIY and layering on a deep, velvety dark green finish. We’ll be leaning into those shadows, highlighting the unique curved silhouette. Whether you're looking to tone down a piece that's "too bright" or you're ready to embrace the dark academia aesthetic, here is how I turned a high-contrast piece into a seamless, moody masterpiece.

Recently I picked these treasures up at the thrift store. I finished the pepper grinder in black and working on the tall jewelry box blog post and here is what I did to the sweet little wood and metal trunk.

The raised pattern metal and cute hardware are charming but a bit of color was in order.

Homestead House Milk Paint in Laurentien was the perfect color. I used it recently on these farmhouse stools and just loved the color.

After 2 coats dried, I distressed the wood edges and wet distressed the raised metal to reveal the gold highlighted details.

To seal it , I applied Fusion Mineral Paint ageing wax directly over it all then when dry came back and added their black wax in the crevices and corners to age and define even more.