Recently, I had the opportunity to place four of my furniture pieces in a Washington, DC loft for sale. The pieces are being used to help stage the space. The staging company, HauteMove promotes the local arts by personalizing the staged properties one-of-a-kind art. I’ll share one of my pieces today and more later on.
This credenza might look familiar. It was painted a nice mustard color then placed in my family room as it waited to be sold. On the surface, it looked beautiful but after my dog propped his front paws up on it to grab one of his toys (not sure why the toy was on the credenza in the first place), his nails pulled the mustard paint right off. A big yikes moment ensued! Then I lightly scraped the surface and found that the paint came off easily. So it was moved back into the garage, stripped, and given a more neutral finish.
When HauteMove saw my parcheesi dresser, they asked that I add a similar design on the front of the piece. Here’s how it looks today in the staged property and I promise, it won’t be changing again!
How I got there:
1. Stripped the top with stripper.
2. Cleaned the surface with denatured alcohol.
3. Painted it with two coats of homemade chalk paint. Color is Behr UL 170-15.
4. Painted the frame with Annie Sloan chalk paint. Color Coco.
5. Painted the design in same colors as were used on top and sides.
6. Slightly sanded to smooth down the painted surfaces and to reveal a bit of the old yellow color from my first paint job.
7. MinWax Wipe-on Polyurethane was applied to all painted surfaces with a lint-free pad.
8. Delivered downtown!
Lesson Learned
Gotta admit, I was really bummed when the mustard credenza had a run-in with my dog. But that accident revealed a fundamental problem with the paint finish and I was super thankful that the piece had not yet been sold. The problem was that I did not use an oil-based primer on the veneered top but rather used a lower grade water-based primer. I don’t know why I did that as I usually use Benjamin Moore Oil-based primers. My lesson? Pay attention next time.
or on Facebook.
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HauteMove is an exclusive full service unpacking, organizing, staging and styling company. Their professional team specializes in taking care of the entire unpacking process as well as organizing spaces, and staging homes. They maximize the use of space and create a luxurious living areas.
Painting above the credenza was painted by Amy Braden.
Linking up:
http://www.addicted2decorating.com/
Jessikah Hart said:
Hi Martha!
Love what you have done with this piece. I have the EXACT same one that I am going to refurnish and need your help! I am missing the top middle drawer handle and can’t seem to find one to buy anywhere. Nothing even close. Was thinking of having an entirely new one custom made but thought I would ask if you might know where I can locate one…
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks 🙂
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Hi Jessikah,
Wow. I sure do hope you can find a replacement because the hardware is amazing. I usually go to http://www.vandykes.com/ first when I’m trying to replace a pull. Then I go to ebay. From one of these sources you may be able find an exact match. Another idea: replace all drawer pulls with similar ones found at vandykes.com and try to sell the old ones on ebay to recover the cost of the new ones. I hope that helps. It’s always a bummer to be so close yet so far! Have a great day.
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BeColorful said:
Loved it and had to show it off this week on BeColorful. Thanks for partying. 😀
p
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Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said:
What a beauty!
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Laura @ Life We Live 4 said:
this is stunning! your pieces are truly unique and an art piece in itself! Id love for you to share this at our little linky party!
http://www.lifewelive4.com/2013/03/love-it-list-it-linky-party-2.html
:laura @ Life We Live 4:
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the interest. I just linked up. Thanks!
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Julia Forshee said:
Your furniture is really impressive. Your pictures showcase it beautifully!! I am sure you will continue to have many more opportunities! We are starting a link up party on Thursdays (today:), and we would love for you to join us with this post and/or any others you would like to include. We are at allthingswithpurpose.com. Hope to see you there!!
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nalleshouse said:
Love this piece and what a great transformation!
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Kim Uccellini said:
I think these “mistakes” happen so that we can come up with something even better. I love this design. It took this already cool credenza to the next level.
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Christina @ Floridays Mom said:
Absolutely gorgeous piece and what you did with it is just amazing. its stunning!
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks so much Christina!
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Katrina Malenka said:
Wow…what a stunning piece. It was cool before, but you really took it that extra step further to gorgeousness!
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Therese said:
you my friend are a huge talent, and a great sharer! I wish you nothing but great success and happiness all around your life. I sure do enjoy your blog, your stuff, and if I ever get to buy a piece I want mine signed. My niece leaves in Virginia, and is new there. So I told her to check you out, she needs new furniture, sold all hers in SB Cali to move east. love love love your stuff!
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martha at leonedesign.wordpress.com said:
Wow. What a nice comment. I will certainly sign a piece for you when/if we ever meet. Thanks again for the wonderful words of encouragement. You made my day. I hope your niece is getting accustomed to Va… the climate is so different here on the east coast!
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Miriam Hall said:
I totally agree with Therese. Your talent is unique, very special.
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Laurie said:
Thank is awesome Martha!! Congratulation! The dresser is beautiful.
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cassie said:
that is a bummer that the paint came off! i have had that happen before and it is frustrating! but the new look- fabulous!
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Dana said:
That’s very exciting Martha! Congrats on the exposure. Love the credenza.
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