Sophisticated Gray

This was my last painting project of the year. And it was for a very special client. My son Ryan moved into a bigger house and decided that he needed a bit of a furniture upgrade. He went "shopping" in my garage and picked out this handsome chest and nightstand.

The pieces were Craigslist finds and were in really great shape, except for one spot where the veneer was pulling away. I just patched it with a little Elmer's Wood Filler.

Let it dry.

Then sanded it smooth.

I always use a Purdy brush and get great results. They are easy to use, give a smooth finish and clean up really well, too. I'd seen this cute little Purdy Cub and decided to give it a try. It gave the same great results and fits so comfortably in my hand. It has a perfect little indentation for your thumb. It's now my new favorite brush!

Ryan's color sceme in his bedroom is a sophisticated combination of blue and gray, so we decided to go with Sherwin Williams Network Gray for the furniture.

And then on to my favorite glaze - Valspar's Clear Mixing Glaze with a little black paint added. Apply with a foam brush and wipe off with a clean cloth. Be sure to have a wet and a dry cloth handy, so you can make adjustments in the amount of glaze. I usually go with a pretty light hand with glaze, but it's a matter of personal preference. This glaze is so forgiving. You can work with it until you get the look you want.

And here are the finished pieces. I'm really thrilled with the results!

Ryan is going to love all that storage!

I did a light distressing along the edges and finished with three coats of rub-on poly.

You can see how subtle the glaze looks.

I almost changed out the hardware, but decided it just needed an fresh look.

The original finish was brass.

I primed first.

Then gave all the pulls a few coats of Rust-Oleum's Hammered Black.

I'm so glad I kept them. Much better, don't you think?

So, there you have it, my last painting project of the year. All ready for delivery! And I know they will be happy in their new home. Enjoy, Ryan!

And guess what, after a little rearranging, we now have not one, but two cars in the garage. Woo-hoo! Now it can really snow!!!

But don't worry, I have plenty of inventory stockpiled to get me through the winter!

Now if Santa could just do something about building me a workshop! A few elves would be nice too! ... It's Christmas, dream big!

I'm linking to...

First A Dream RE-Party

Finding Fabulous For Less