Breakfast Room Furniture Transformation: Progress Report

by Elizabeth

This buffet* is in the process of being repainted to look like this inspiration piece from Wisteria:

We are here:

It doesn’t look as bad in this photo, but it is entirely too blue for the space. I’m not sure if it’s the walls or the lighting or what. The worst part is I fell into the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Cult trap – yes, it was super easy to apply, I did it inside, no fumes, didn’t have to unload my drawers of secret treasures, and it dries fast – but “Paris Gray” is not good in my house. Not good at all, especially at $38 a quart. So I’m trying to decide if I should go get a sample pot of another color with more brown in it (French Linen?) and mix it with my Paris Gray for the top coat, or if I should get the dark wax instead of clear to brown it up some. Anyone used this cult paint before? HELP!

Paris Gray = Paris Baby Blue in my maison.

Also going on: breakfast room table has successfully been painted Oyster White. It is lovely. The busted lip I gave myself trying to unscrew the paint sprayer lid that was painted shut – not so lovely.

I tried to strip the chairs with Citristrip, but since it was a pleasant stifling 97˙ on Sunday, the stripper dried on the chairs before I could scrape them. Actually, I tried to scrape them and I gave myself chemical burns, arthritic fingers, and sore muscles all over my body in the process.  So now I have to reapply the citristrip and essentially start over. Ugh. This is the “graywashed” look I’m going for, but considering this also comes from the Annie Sloan website I’m not sure this is the result I’m going to get.

Wish me luck. Send wine.

*This buffet is coincidentally the piece of furniture I used to bamboozle husband into meeting my parents one summer day in 2006. He was coming home from a bachelor party in Austin and I called and sweetly asked if he would come over and help my dad carry this 200 lb yellowed monstrosity up the stairs in my first big girl apartment. Oh, and by the way  my whole family is coming and then we’re going to Manny’s for dinner. kthanksbye.