Friday, September 21, 2012

French Linen Dresser -- Opinions Needed!

French Linen is one of my favorite ASCP colors. I've used it on my dining room table top and a number of other pieces.


 
Dining Room Table.
You can read more about it here.

I've seen some pieces in Blogland where French Linen has been combined with natural wood, and I thought it looked great -- but I hadn't tried that yet myself.  So when I found this dresser, I knew I wanted to do a combo treatment on it.







It just needed some minor repairs and a good cleaning. 

I painted the top, sides, and front of the dresser in the French Linen, did a light distressing, and finished it with Annie Sloan clear wax.





 

Since the wood on the drawers was in pretty good condition, I just gave the drawers a light sanding, followed by a couple of coats of Howard Restore-a-Finish in Walnut, and finished with Howard Feed-n-Wax.  Easy! I didn't have to strip and stain!  Yay!







I didn't even have to take off the original hardware, which I love.

But here's where I need some help making up my mind:




I originally planned on painting (and distressing) the medallion in the middle of the top drawer too.  I thought it would nicely tie-in the wood with the painted parts of the piece.

But after I finished revitalizing the wood, I decided I like the grain in the medallion, and now I can't decide if I should paint it or not.


 
 
What do you think?

Here's kind of an idea of what it would look like painted. You've got to have vision -- actually, lots of vision! Try to ignore my bad (not to mention I was trying to do it quickly!) Photoshop skills and imagine the color not popping out so much, distressed and waxed. Is that even possible? How about if you squint?  Can you get the idea?







I need to decide soon, because this is one of the pieces I'll be moving into Mr. P's Emporium's new space.

Did I mention I'm officially opening October 1st?  Did I mention I'm a tad stressed out?

We'll be moving stuff in next Friday, so I have a week to get some more pieces painted, and everything tagged.  I have lots of fun "smalls" to bring into the space too, so this weekend I'll be deciding what to bring in first.

I'll be sharing some sneak peeks here and on Mr. P's Emporium's Facebook page next week.  (Please "Like" that page for all ongoing shop info!)

Hope you all have a great weekend!  I'll be here -- painting my little heart out!!

(Don't forget to let me know what you think I should do -- I keep going back and forth and need some input!)



Sharing at:
Elizabeth & Co.: Be Inspired
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Redoux
2805: Potpourri Party
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration
Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday
My Romantic Home: Show & Tell Friday
Primitive & Proper: POWW


 

16 comments:

  1. Weighing in for what it’s worth . . . leave it alone. It’s like an artist knowing when a piece is finished . . . it’s done! And it's lovely!

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  2. I like the medallion in the original wood! It is such a pretty piece....truly.

    Thanks so much for inspiring me today!
    karianne

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  3. I think I would paint it but add some typography to it.. Not sure what though.. The hardware on the chest is awesome! The whole piece came out beautifully!

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  4. Don't paint it. You're done. Move on to another piece. (It looks great, BTW)

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  5. I agree totally with Susan's comment! Something unique/Paris inspired! The medallion looks lost in the piece when left unpainted. When painted, it adds a bit of a "zinger" to the piece! Best of Luck with your final decision!!

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  6. Love it! I'm seldom opposed to painting wood, but I agree with you that the medallion is beautifully grained...wonder if it took long to match it up so well? But I also agree with Sharon that it gets a little lost now. What about adding a thin metallic outline around just the medallion? Maybe something that would pick up the antique quality of the hardware? You could try the black, but I don't think it would give it quite the umph a burnished metallic would. Either way, beautiful piece!

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  7. I think I would try outlining the medallion, either as suggested earlier, or with the same paint color. It would be easy to wipe off if it doesn't look right.

    Also, as nice as the hardware is, I might consider dry-brushing it with the lighter color paint. I doubt that suggestion will appeal to many, but just a suggestion.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, forgot to say, I love, love, love your dining room!

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  8. I would say no, it looks beautiful, great job, if you did decide to paint, what about to outline only? Just a thought.

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  9. I don't think you can really go wrong. It looks great already, but painting the medallion might tie it all together. I think it would look cool with a date. Any chance there's a label with a date on it anywhere?

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  10. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your creative touch with Potpourri Friday!

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  11. i love it as is! i would not paint the medallion!

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  12. I say leave as-is. If it doesn't sell (which it probably will because it's such a lovely piece) and you are still thinking about it later, then revisit the idea. Someone suggested dry brushing the hardware. I like that idea better than painting the medallion. But for now, leave it! I love it!

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  13. Leave it natural. The wood looks beautiful. It looks like a giant spot if painted.

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  14. Wow it looks amazing now. Very great job. Especially when I look at the old picture. Absolutely stylish, thanks for sharing this.

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  15. Your dresser turned out beautiful, i love that you left the drawers and just restored them. would love to feature it, if that would be ok with you please let me know.
    lauren

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