Hello and happy new year! I'm starting 2014 off with another project. I've had my eye on a Ballard Designs console for a while. Take the Lucca Console ($549) for example:
I love the combination of drawers and doors, the subtle details, and the pretty painted finishes (including a distressed blue gray that I really liked). I think this would be a great piece for an entry way or a small dining room. So I decided to try to recreate this piece for a lot less money.
Here's the finished product. The tutorial follows.
I found this little dresser for $60 on Craigslist. It's made of solid oak and like the BD console, it has a combination of drawers and doors and some interesting carved details.
Once again, I used my DIY chalk paint made by mixing a combination of "oops" paints from the hardware store with plaster of Paris and water. See the full chalk paint tutorial here. To achieve the blueish gray color I used a light greenish gray (Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin), a bright light blue (Mythic Paint Heavenly Angels) and a deep purplish gray (Mythic Paint Deep Winter). I applied two coats without priming or sanding.
I did a little distressing along the top edge and corners with a sanding block. In order to highlight the carved details, I used dark wax (specifically Briwax in Light Brown) on a small brush, working it into the crevices.
I wasn't sure what to do about the hardware. The wooden knob on the cabinet door is part of the latch and couldn't be removed. I just distressed it a little around the edges. I ultimately replaced the hardware on the top drawer with crystal knobs. For the bottom drawers, I sprayed the original handles with oil rubbed bronze spray paint and reattached them. I finished the piece with a coat of clear Minwax paste wax.
Other than the dresser, I didn't really buy anything else for this project, because I had the rest of the supplies (knobs, paint, plaster of Paris, and wax) on hand. It was a fun project, and I'm really happy with the end result.
© Salt Marsh
Cottage 2014
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