Finding Inspiration

When repainting a piece of furniture, it can be really hard to choose a colour that will re-make your piece into something special. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to have been asked to paint some furniture for an 8 year old's bedroom. This sweetie is a dear friend to my daughter and so I am familiar with her amazing personality. She is a hilarious and adventurous person and her Mom Chrystal wanted to reflect her sense of fun in her room make-over.

I had an old desk that my neighbour had offered me (free!) in spring that was sitting in my basement waiting for her Cinderella moment. I can't find the "before" picture, in fact, there is a good chance that I forgot to take one... It was a bright, fire engine red that would need a big sanding to be ready to repaint. I was very happy to be able to do this outside as there was red dust everywhere! The desk was just the thing for this project. We also had an old window frame that was the source of colour inspiration.

The front of the frame was just plain weathered wood, but the back!

Since this was the back, we couldn't use the existing paint, but the greeny blue was the perfect jumping off point. I brought home about 600 paint samples and found about 4 that were in the same neighbourhood. We picked one that everyone loved and then I started painting.


I used the new Benjamin Moore Advance paint in Jade Garden. This product is just perfect for a less distressed looking piece. It dries to a smooth, hard finish. It is quite a bit more expensive to buy than a regular latex, but can be worth it when you take the time to use it properly.


Here is the desk before the pulls went on:

The expensive part of these makeovers can be hardware, especially a desk with 7 pulls! Chrystal found a bulk pack of them at a hardware store that finish the desk off and add a pretty touch.

The window frame was painted in the same colour. I added some wire to hang pictures and jewelry and a little bulletin board in the centre.

I found some ceramic pulls to add along the bottom edge to serve as hangers for necklaces or scarves, or just to look nice. I covered the cork with a pretty black and white fabric scrap.

I am excited to see the finished room ~ it will be a creative and exciting place for some awesome girls to hang out pretty soon!


If you have an old piece that needs a little loving ~ please feel free to contact me and we can talk about doing something special...