In these extremely cold early days of January, I have been shopping for vintage furniture and planning the next steps for the growth of this small business. Apart from finishing this recent piece, I haven’t spent much time in the workshop since before Christmas, and I miss it.
This recent dresser was sanded then painted in versatile colors that will withstand the test of time. I used Benjamin Moore Super White in satin for the outer frame and General Finishes Milk Paint in Queenstown Gray for the drawer fronts.
Although I’m satisfied with the final piece, it went through two design revisions. In this post, I’ll explain the problem then the solution. If you’re interested in reading about how I paint mid century pieces, check out some of my other posts.
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P R O B L E M
This piece was slated for a customer who wanted the drawer fronts stained and the outer frame painted white. Although I was careful while sanding the drawers, that step proved to be devastating to the exceptionally thin veneer.
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S O L U T I O N
Determined to incorporate the natural wood grain in the final design, I used Frog Tape to mask off areas that were not damaged and then covered the other areas with paint. Since the design was driven by the veneer’s condition, the outcome was a random asymmetrical layout which didn’t work for me although asymmetry is far more compelling than symmetry. The best asymmetrical designs feel random but are ordered and balanced at the same time. This design felt too arbitrary, not balanced. (To get a sense of how symmetry is more preferable than asymmetry, read the comments on one of my dressers that was recently featured on Apartment Therapy.)
In order to maintain a balanced design and minimize the arbitrary pattern, I “erased” some of the natural wood stripes with paint and ended up with a minimalistic design that worked better:
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B E F O R E / A F T E R
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Follow me on Instagram as I share more pictures of how I paint and prep my furniture and get sneak peeks of my approach to styling these pieces for photoshoots.
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Linking up: Miss Mustard Seed
mshandler said:
Beautiful. Just beautiful. What a fantastic solution for dealing with problematic veneer.
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks so much. I just popped over to your blog. Clean and elegant. Wonderful.
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Heather @ Viral Upcycle said:
What a unique way of hiding, highlighting! Its beautiful. Popoing over from MMS.
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks Heather!
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Annabode said:
I think the end result is great! I love that blue-grey with the tone of the wood, just beautiful.
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Hi Anna: Thanks so much! I visited your beautiful website and to my surprise, you’re in DC like me. It would be great to meet you some day.
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Annabode said:
That would be lovely! Why don’t you shoot me an email and we can grab a coffee? anna@annabode.com 🙂
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michael cash said:
Martha,i know exactly what you went thru because on my newest piece i had the same problem and oak isn’t supposed to have a problem staining.You we’re responsible for inspiring me to do the same thing that you did because i saw that it could be done and i thank you for that and it’s beautiful.I hope soon to have my other FB page complete so you can see it.
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks Michael. Please send a link to a picture of the finished piece!
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michael cash said:
Hi Martha thank’s for the responce so quickly but now if i can find a way to send you a pc i will,i do not have a web site yet & the only place i have any photos is on my other FaceBook page;MicaelsRedos which you might be able to see if i have your email address or you send a friend request to my profile page which is Michael Cash.I am thinking of setting up on Instagram to show my work since this is all new to me but i will keep you posted
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Hi Michael: Perhaps the easiest way is for you to post a picture to my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MarthaLeoneDesign
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michael cash said:
Hi Martha,well i posted on your FB page and saw it did post but now it’s gone i can only hope you had a chance to see it thanx.
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michael cash said:
Hi Martha i love your newest piece and can’t wait to see the other new one but what did you think of the dresser pic’s i sent you on FB i really value your opinion also keep inspiring all of us.
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