Antique vanities always catch my eye. My grandma had one and I always loved the great times had around it and the fancy feelings it gave me as a little girl sitting looking in the mirror with all the pretty lotions potions and bottles displayed on it.
Many antiques also have hand written notes on them too.
The pretty floral drawer liner was easily removed once dampened as was wallpaper.
Each piece was rinsed well after cleaning, wiped of excess water and left to dry well.
Using my razor scraper I removed any old shellac bumps and sanded them smooth.
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Any marks like this left will show more when painted. There was also debris (circled) that was trapped in the shellac finish as well that needed sanding smooth. Any repairs are made now too and the whole vanity lightly hand sanded and wiped again.
I chose a vintage duck egg blue to paint this beauty from Dixie
Belle
Doesn't it look lovely so far? But wait, there is more.
Rather then put drawer liner in, I chose to paint the inside drawer bottoms a soft grey paint.
The entire vanity, stool and mirror were also amped up with a wash of Dixie Belle driftwood around the edges and in the nooks and crannies for a muted added dimension. I used a mister to softly blend these color together. Once dry the entire set was sponge sanded with the edges distressed lightly in keeping with the aged finish I wanted to achieve. The last step was to seal all the painted areas with Dixie
Belle's best dang wax in clear.
The original hardware was so pretty but the pitted areas needed to be covered. I went with a satin nickel spray paint all over in multiple light coats. Again to add further dimension a wee bit of gold gilding paste was wiped on with a small artist brush. See gold added below on the left pull and right just silver?
Hardware was put back on, the updated pulls on the lower drawers.
with new crystal knobs on the top drawers
I pondered the scrolly back plate behind the knob (Left) and after a split poll on my Instagram and Facebook pages I decided to let the buyer choose what they prefer.
Which do you prefer?
This was the stamp on the back of the mirror. The reflective side of the mirror shows some hazing and has a small cracked area but I love that it is original and has seen so many faces over the years. The simple frame style does allow for a new mirror to be cut and replaced too if desired.
Now it is just the stool seat upholstery to be decided.
I had this black and white fabric on hand and ordered this faux fur as an option.
But again I will leave that up to the buyer's choice.
In the meantime I set one of the latest faux tin tiles on the seat to also give a monochromatic look.
video tour below
UPDATE Jan 2021
The buyer chose the black and white damask material for the stool. Here is the process and it completed.
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I love love this project. I love the color. You are so creative.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rebecca, I truly appreciate your comment and time you took to share it! Have a fantastic w/e!
DeleteVery pretty transformation! I adore the color and the hardware! Thanks for sharing it at Farmhouse Friday!
ReplyDeleteThank you Michelle. I love the original hardware and color as well :)
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