Flow Blue Empire Buffet

Summer is here and one of my goals is to clear out (some of?) the unfinished inventory from my shop.  With the completion of today’s project, I am making progress toward that goal.  I picked up this vintage empire buffet many, many months ago.  So many that I can’t recall exactly when I bought it.  You can see by the accumulation of dust on the top, that it’s been awhile.  Sigh.

Part of the reason for the delay in getting to this one is that I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with it.  I love to refinish wood when I can, but the veneer was in poor condition and missing in several places.  And to be honest, I didn’t think the wood on this piece was very pretty. So, I decided to go ahead and paint the entire piece.

I spent a fair bit of time cleaning this one.  I made repairs to the missing and damaged veneer and then sanded it with my orbital sander.  I painted it with 2 coats of (affliliate link)   Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in “Flow Blue.”  I seriously love this color.   Not quite navy, not quite royal, and maybe a slight bit of green undertone.  It’s bold, but so handsome.

There is a large interior storage area that I left in the natural wood.  I really like blue and natural wood contrast.

I sealed the paint with (affiliate link) Miss Mustard Seed’s Hemp Oil.  I used a brush to apply and then wiped it with a soft cloth.  It deepens the color and adds a beautiful richness and soft luster to the finish.  I used hemp oil for this piece since I wanted it to have a vintage, time worn feel.  Unlike a polyurethane finish that stays on top, hemp oil absorbs into the milk paint (or other porous surface) to seal it and can take up to 30 days to fully cure.  I also slightly distressed some of the edges to let bits of the wood show.  This piece can continue to naturally wear over time and it will only get better.

I added aged brass knobs from my stash to the top two drawers.  The bottom drawer is substantial and I added two new brass bin pulls both for function and style.  For me, it’s just easier to pull out large, heavy drawers with bin pulls.

I always have to get a photo from the side to show off those wonderful empire curves.

Summer means that my hydrangeas are blooming.  That makes me so happy.

Take care, friends.

Susan