Upcycling furniture with paint and stencils can not only add new life to your existing furniture pieces, it's also cost-effective and eco-friendly. Plus, there's a certain satisfaction with seeing the results of your work and knowing that you can enhance your home's design with a little creative ingenuity Recently, a Royal Design Studio stencil customer, Joan Chamberlain, recently sent us pics of her updated, stenciled credenza and we thought it was an incredible refurbishing project that paired fantastic colors and the perfect pattern.
Joan recently combined households with her partner, Roger, and they found that they had way to many furniture pieces for their brand new three-bedroom apartment. Although she was not too fond of her brown credenza, it offered so much storage that she couldn't part with it. When she came upon the French Floral Damask Stencil from the Allover Damask Stencil Collection, she decided to paint it and use it in her guest bedroom.
Joan runs Recipe Relish and she and Roger turned one of the bedrooms into an office. For the remaining third bedroom, she wanted a very peaceful, feminine room for their guests. She decided on using Provence Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan for the exterior since she did not want to sand the piece and to stencil she used Old White Chalk Paint® applied with a foam roller. "I wanted slight variations in thickness for a more interesting look, like a tapestry," Joan says. After the stenciling dried, she sanded the whole piece with a very fine grit sandpaper and used two coats of Annie Sloan Clear Soft Wax for the final finish. "I love the feel of that waxed finish once it dries," she concluded. We do, too!
Doesn't the allover stencil pattern look gorgeous?! For the credenza interior, Joan used Valspar's Carolina Inn Club Aqua and she found the coordinating knobs at Target. Joan is super pleased with the credenza and how it looks in the space, sharing that "It's the one room in the apartment that has my stamp on it without any boy things." We think it's a stunning stencil transformation and love how a little paint and pattern can turn around an entire space and make it oh-so-YOU! Whether you prefer a single motif stencil design or a more allover, damask pattern, knowing the basic techniques for painted and decorated furniture will ensure your project's durability and keep your pieces looking pristine. Here are some of our favorite tips:
1) Don't strip unless you have to. There are many good bonding primers on the market, such as Kilz and Aquabond, that allow you to simply sand, clean, and prime over previously finished surfaces, without stripping. The gorgeous Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan will allow you to paint beautiful colors over virtually any surface with a durable bond and a wonderful matte finish
2) Work with a limited palette. You can gracefully combine different patterns by sticking to a limited palette of 2-4 different colors. Also, when combining patterns, think of variety of scale. Just as when working with fabrics, choose a large-scale pattern to combine with a small print. Add in some stripes and checks and you will have an interesting, coordinated piece.
3) Protect your art for the ages. Furniture will receive a lot of wear and tear. Protect your time and creative investment with Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax or a minimum of 3 coats of a water-based varnish (oil will yellow, so avoid it especially on white and light colored backgrounds) in a satin finish.
Be sure to check out our entire Top 10 Furniture Stenciling Tips - they're a must. Of course, we'd love to see your results, too! Send them in to projects(at)royaldesignstudio.com or share them on the Royal Design Studio Facebook page. Happy Stenciling!
Need more inspiration for your furniture pieces? Say no more!
- Impress your guests with your fab stenciled bookcase!
- Ideas that will have you saying "Stencils, Dressers and Drawers, Oh My!"
- Trash to Treasure! A Pretty Handy Stenciled Table Rescue!
- Last but never least, find TONS of paint inspiration in our Stenciled and Painted Furniture Pinterest board!
