Today I have a quick post to share some before and after photos of a vintage chest that I recently refinished. This was a custom piece for a client who wanted something that would be timeless and neutral.
Here is how the piece looked before the makeover. It was covered in a dark stain and heavy varnish. The hardware was not original and it was missing all of its original keyhole covers.
I stripped and sanded the entire piece following my usual process. I then sanded the top and drawers down to bare wood in preparation for stain. Here is how the drawers looked after stripping and sanding.
Next, I stained the top and drawers with one coat of General Finishes java gel stain. The color was perfect – I didn’t want to go too dark. My plan was to highlight the beautiful wood tones by painting the body with General Finishes lamp black milk paint. I quite frequently restyle my pieces using a two tone paint and stain combo. I like how the painted areas of the piece create a frame that accentuates the wood.
Here it is all finished.
I sealed the entire piece with General Finishes high performance topcoat in satin on the wood and flat on the painted areas. I added new pulls from D. Lawless Hardware and new brass keyhole covers from Renovator’s Supply.
I staged the dresser here without the backsplash. I refinished the entire top so that it can be used either with or without the backsplash.
That brass hardware is just so pretty.
I styled the piece with my new old Kodak camera. I picked this up on a recent antiquing trip to Snohomish, WA with my mom and son. What an awesome way to spend the day. 
And here she is with the backsplash. Lovely either way. 
The sides of this chest have great panels, but it was hard to capture with the dark paint color. I’m working on improving my photography skills and hoping to take an official course this fall after the kids go back to school.
Thanks for stopping by.
Susan
Linking with 58 Water Street and The Painted Drawer
Once again, I love your work. So classy.
Beautiful!
Just stunning. I love the way that stain looks.
This piece is just gorgeous! I bet your client was pleased with your work. Great job.
Thank you so much Sally!
Susan!! This fantastic!!
Fabulous! Once again another beauty!
This is really beautiful. I too love the black and wood combination . And the wood grain really shines through!
Thank you Mary! It’s nice to be able to highlight the wood grain. I appreciate you stopping by my blog!
Just beautiful!
This is truly drop-dead gorgeous! I love that you were able to find keyhole covers and that you had the foresight to make it functional with or without the backsplash. And I have a camera almost just like yours. Love!
Hi Meredith! I have such a love for vintage objects and photography, so collecting old cameras is right up my alley. When I bought that camera, the saleswoman told me she couldn’t guarantee that it would still work! I can’t even imagine trying to take photos with a camera that old, if it would even be possible. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
The after is stunning! The black and wood combination is so much better than the stained before. Great job!
Beautiful! I love the new stain colors you chose. It highlights all those beautiful wood details so much better than the original color and the black really makes it pop. Thank you so much for sharing at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link! I’ll be pinning and sharing on my Facebook page! I hope we’ll see you again this week!
Cat
Beautiful! I am such a sucker for black and wood. Love this!
I love this look! Its timeless and classy. Beautiful!
Just beautiful! The before and after are simply stunning! Thank you for linking up with Friday’s Furniture Fix. We hope you’ll join us again!- Carrie
Gorgeous! Love the mix of wood and black.