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Modernized Solid Pine Hand Crafted Heart Wall Shelf

Bringing New Life to a Country Classic. We’ve all seen them: those solid, well-built pine shelves from the 80s and 90s that have a lot of heart (literally) but are stuck in that unmistakable "orange" stain era. While the craftsmanship is top-tier (this one was hand crafted by my father in law), the color can often feel a bit too retro for a contemporary home. In this tutorial, I’m showing you how to take a vintage 9-cubby wall shelf and transform it from a dated relic into a bolder, fresher, and more current statement piece. By applying a rich chestnut brown stain , we’ve traded that brassy orange hue for a deep, sophisticated tone that highlights the wood grain. Follow along as I walk you through the prep, the staining process, and how this simple color shift completely changes the vibe of the piece—making those iconic heart cutouts feel intentional and chic rather than just "country."
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Moving On From Primary Colors: A Rich, Warm Palette for Kid’s Chairs


Can furniture be nostalgic and modern? Today, I have a special project. These two sturdy KidKraft chairs were actually painted by me years ago in a playful red and blue. Now that their original tiny owners have outgrown them, they are back in my hands for a complete reimagining. Instead of the usual bright playground palette, I’m using two gorgeous, rich, warm colors that complement each other perfectly. Stick around to see how a fresh color choice can give a classic piece a whole new life!


KidKraft made chairs await there glow up.


The edges were sanded smooth as well as the surfaces with a Gator medium/fine sanding sponge the all the surfaces cleaned well with a spray white lightning cleaner. This sets the stage for the painting process.


I chose the teal color called Heirloom and the brown color called Kindling from the newly released Dixie Belle Paint mineral paint color line to paint the children's chairs. 

I recently used the stunning deep green color called sanctuary on a large jewelry armoire.


This is the first coat of Heirloom going on using a flat synthetic brush.


And this is Kindling going on using my favorite 2" angled synthetic brush. You can see a wee bit of the previous red easily being covered in 1 coat.

The angled brush made faser work of painting the chair.


A second coat was applied to both the next day.


Such lovely new colors in this new collection don't you think?


Chalk paint can stand alone but seeing kids will be using them I wanted to add a bit more durability so I clear coated the chairs with satin clear coat again using the 2" angled brush.


The wee bit of satin sheen in perfect.




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For your convenience, I've included links to the Dixie Belle products I use. Please note that my affiliation with Dixie Belle doesn't increase your prices. Instead, your purchases through my links may provide a small subsidy that helps me continue creating and sharing these free tutorials. Thank you for your support!
The Amazon affiliate links are for your convenience to see the products I used as well. Ordering via the links may get me a small commission but does not affect your pricing. Thank you if you do choose to order them.

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