Hello Friends!
I am so happy to be participating in another round of the Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest. This month the sponsor is General Finishes and the theme is “A Fresh Start.” If you have read any of my prior blog posts, you know how much I love General Finishes’ products. I routinely use their milk paints, gel stains and top coats for my furniture makeovers. They are all top notch.
Recently, General Finishes introduced a new line of chalk paints. All of the contest participants were provided with a quart of chalk paint in the color of their choice for their furniture project. I chose “Key West Blue.” Before I get to the details of my furniture makeover, I thought I would share with you the reason behind my color choice.
Back in 1992, I was working as an ICU nurse in Homestead, Florida, which is just south of Miami. My friend (who was also a nurse) and I had both just ended relationships, and decided we needed to get away from it all. You know, it’s the kind of thing you can do, and should do, in your twenties. What better place than Key West?
We packed all of our belongings into my Acura Integra and headed on down to the Keys. It’s funny to think that all of our worldly possessions fit int0 the back of a compact car. How things have changed!
This is the sweet little cottage I lived in. It is one of 6 remaining shotgun shacks built in 1890 for rental to the cigar-makers and fishermen who lived and worked in Key West. The house is right across the street from the Key West cemetery, which is an interesting place to see if you ever visit Key West. We had heard rumors of Voodoo happening late at night, and I even explored the cemetery at night by myself to find out, but never saw anything. Good golly, I would never have the guts to do that now.
We were nurses, but needed a break from the stress. We landed jobs as waitresses at the Hog’s Breath Saloon – a Key West institution. What a wild ride it was working there. Our days were spent exploring the island, swimming, snorkeling and sailing. Every night was a party. It was the early 90’s so we had no cell phones, no internet, no camera phones (I am actually thankful for that), no computers. Not even cable TV. There was no traffic and no rush hour. We rode our bikes – affectionately called “Conch Cruisers” – everywhere we went, even to work. It was truly the best time and place to slow down and be free from the worries of life. A perfect place to refresh and restart.
When I saw the list of chalk paint colors for the contest, I knew I had to pick Key West Blue. It’s a lovely light turquoise color, much like the striking blue green water of the Keys. I picked up this sweet little vintage chest with a serpentine top (I definitely have a thing for those curvy numbers). It’s a cutie, but definitely needed a “fresh start.” Here is the “before.”
When I took a drawer out to start working on it, this guy had to jump in to check it out.
Here is how it looks all finished.
To begin, I removed the top and stripped off the old finish with Citristrip. I let it dry for a couple of days and then sanded with 120 then 220 grit sandpaper. I applied one coat of General Finishes java gel stain. I let it dry for two days and then sealed it with 3 coats of GF high performance top coat in satin.
I gave the rest of the chest a good scrubbing inside and out and then sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper. I brushed on two coats of the General Finishes chalk paint. I sanded lightly between coats. The paint is very similar to their milk paints, but it does have a bit more texture, which I understand is typical for chalk paint.
I cleaned up the original hardware using Brasso, but the finish was very uneven and had completely worn off of the pulls. To even out the finish, I applied a coat of Rub n Buff in antique gold. I applied it very lightly so the original brass finish would still show. I just wanted to even things out.
I lined the drawers with some pretty French bird fabric. I added a brass trim to the front interior of the cabinet to give the fabric edge a finished look. It also repeats the beaded detail on the bottom of the chest.
This fabric is one of my favs. I cut it to size and then applied it to the drawers with upholstery adhesive.
I cleaned up the original casters and applied Rub n Buff so they would match the pulls.
I loved having another opportunity to participate in the Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest. You should definitely stop by and check out the featured hosts for this month’s contest – Evey from Evey’s Creations and Stacy from Anastasia Vintage. If you are interested in participating in an upcoming contest, just send an email to info@fabfurnitureflippincontest.com.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Susan
*Disclosure
I have received products for this post, but all opinions are entirely my own. This post contains sponsored links from General Finishes.
Linking with The Curator’s Collection, A Burst of Beautiful, Slightly Coastal, The Painted Drawer and McCall Manor
Susan! This is a wonderful little piece and the color is perfect for it! You did such a wonderful job of it! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
Terry
Susan, what a beautiful piece! I love the drawer inserts.
Your story of Key West is fantastic – I tell my (early 20s) children all the time, go out and do something you won’t be able to do later – your story is the perfect example!
Thanks, Lynda! I have no regrets about my travels and adventures in my twenties. Definitely the time to do it – before kids, families, mortgages, etc.
Gorgeous finished piece Susan, Love my many trips to Key West. Fantasy Fest was crazy in the 90’s! So fortunate that you were able to live there for a time it’s one of my favorite regular destinations. So weird the father of my sisters fiancé lives on Olivia Street and reports that his house is indeed haunted by a cigar smoking spirit.
Key West is such a special place. Not surprised to hear that the spirits of cigar makers are still around! How cool is that?
I love the color and the wood top-beautiful! I used the same color for my piece too-its great!
Beautiful colour-wow!
Both your transformation and your Key West story are wonderful! I love the combination of the Key West Blue and the Java Gel stain!
Loved your story, Susan. It brought back many memories of the Hog’s Breath. The Keys are a special place, for sure!
Love your dresser transformation. Such a fun piece!
Beautiful job on refinishing the dresser. I love the key west color with the dark java stained wood on top. Thank you for sharing your processes for refinishing too.
As always, Susan, I admire your work! It’s always tasteful but inspired, and I love the story behind your choices! 🙂
The Key West Blue is such a pretty color. (I picked it out too!) I love the new look on the dresser.
This is absolutely gorgeous!!! I am in love with the bird fabric inside the drawers and the cow painting. All the colours blend beautifully. Wonderful job 🙂
The Key West Blue is such a perfect choice for this piece – you really outdid yourself!
Thank you Dee! The blue is a great color – I will definitely be using it again.
i love the story behind your piece…AND your little dresser is very unique, very beautiful. I love the lines and all the little detail that it displays. I really like how you kept the original hardware, the key west blue color brings out the gold in the hardware.
Thanks, Jessica. It’s amazing how the hardware can really pop once shined up!
I love your redesigns! You’re such a great writer and your story and this piece blended perfectly! I definitely want to use Rub ‘n Buff now; I love how you used it on the original hardware. Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing and inspiring!
Thank you! I have been using Rub n Buff a lot. I worry about the durability of using spray paint on hardware and have found Rub n Buff to be great. And I like the way it adds dimension to the hardware. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow! What a gorgeous transformation. I absolutely love the color you chose, it’s cheerful, bright and fresh! Thank you for sharing at Create Share Inspire! We hope to see you back this week. xo
your little dresser is fabulous in that color. And your story of the Keys really took me back to a time when we carried less with us through life, yet it seems we were able to live more fully.
Hi Susan – What a fantastic makeover and now I can’t wait to try that color! Sharing this evening on the Link party and thanks for linking up!
Thank you so much Suzanne! I will be linking up again this week.