Robin's Egg Blue Cabinet Makeover
A hand-me-down dark and dated armoire is completely transformed with paint! I'm sharing the step by step tutorial for this robin's egg blue cabinet makeover!
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...signs of change.
One of my favorite changes is painting a dark, outdated piece of furniture and seeing 'new life' emerge with a fresh coat of paint. A piece, once unnoticeable, becomes a swan!
That was the case with the cabinet makeover I am sharing today.
...dark to light
...dreary to fresh
...sorry-looking to stunning!
I'll admit that I'm a bit of a rebel and don't always follow the 'rules'. And I broke a few unspoken design rules in the process of bringing this dresser back into the light!
Um, yeah...pretty bad, right?
Let me show you the after, because you will not believe it's the same piece!
This dark armoire was my f-i-l's cabinet when he married my m-i-l and they bought their first bedroom set as newlywed's back in the 1960's. We inherited a few pieces from that collection and I've happily made the others over into new, lighter and brighter pieces...
...like the dresser that I turned into a TV console...
...and the nightstand that got a bold, brave new look with a stencil...
This furniture is solid and well made. We've used this piece as an armoire, a TV cabinet, and more recently a craft cabinet. But it was ready for a new look...dying for a new look, in fact!
Take another quick peek at the before picture of this cabinet. See those drawer pulls? Gone! They always drove me nuts because they rattled any time someone walked past.
Those weird door pulls that don't look right? GONE!
The only hardware I saved were the hinges, and they got a quick update with spray paint.
I'll include a supplies list at the end of this post, but let's get to the process (I should say PROGRESS) pictures because this turned out to be one of my very favorite furniture makeovers to date!
But first...remember I told you I rebelliously broke a design rule?
Here it is...
I fearlessly mixed two different brands of chalk paint for a whole new color!
I wanted a robin's egg blue and didn't have anything in my stash of paint that was just right. But I had these two cans of paint...
The pale blue that resulted was just what I was hoping for! It's very light, almost white.
Hey, these types of rules are meant to be broken, right? There's absolutely no harm in experimenting with mixing your own colors of paint, even if they are from different brands!
Here's how this makeover progressed.
The same went for the drawer and door fronts. You can see why I put off painting this piece for so long...it was a BIG job and took me most of the day to complete.
But what a difference a day makes!
I loved the chalky finish so much, that after lightly distressing the piece, I opted to keep it as is, with no protective top coat. I didn't want any sheen. If you are curious about the best top coat to protect your painted piece, I wrote an entire post about it!
I added sweet new knobs and arrow/key-shaped drawer pulls that absolutely fit this newly painted cabinet to a tee!
It's stunning, isn't it? I think it looks like Spring!
Here is the list of supplies that I used to complete this cabinet makeover and take it from dreary and dark to bright and fresh.
Supplies:
- my favorite furniture degreaser (just spray it on and wipe it off!)
- Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in Serene
- Rustoleum Chalked Paint in Linen
- my favorite brush for painting furniture
- fine grit sanding sponge
- Rustoleum oil-rubbed bronze metallic spray paint
- new hardware from Hobby Lobby
So what do you think? Was my rule-breaking a success? If you are interested in mixing paint colors to create new colors, here is a little cheat sheet from DecoArt.
If you're new to chalk paint, you'll want to read these informative posts:
If you're new to chalk paint, you'll want to read these informative posts:
Disclosure: Rustoleum kindly provided the chalk paint used in this post. All opinions regarding painting, rebelling and mixing paint colors are my own!
bringing beauty to the ordinary,
What a stunning piece! That colour is so gorgeous... and you nailed it... perfect for a fresh spring makeover!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Donna!
DeleteFantastic makeover! And very resourceful to make your own color - that blue is such a lovely, calming shade.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Jenn!
DeleteAbsolutely beautiful! I am in love with blue.
ReplyDeleteThank you, blue is my favorite color too, it's refreshing and uplifting!
DeleteWhat a transformation! Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I appreciate your words!
DeleteYou're making me want to paint something! I've never used chalk paint. Do you find that it adheres pretty well? Like it doesn't scrape off or get nicked easily?
ReplyDeleteI love how fresh and "clean" this looks!
Hi Jess, chalk paint requires a couple weeks to completely cure. And if you are painting a piece that will get heavy traffic, or a table top, I would definitely recommend using wax or poly to protect the finish and give it extra durability. For this piece, as it's going to be used as a dresser in my bedroom and is in an out-of-the-way place, I didn't apply a finish. Hope that helps! And thanks so much!
DeleteWhat a fabulous transformation! Love the color & everything about this piece- great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Randi, I'm kind of in love with it myself :) A fresh coat of paint always makes me smile!
DeleteHI Cindy - What a stunning transformation! Visiting as a fellow contributor to #DIYMySpring. Hope your week is full of sunshine! Hugs, Holly
ReplyDeleteHolly, thank you so much for your sweet words! I've been slowly making my way through the other spring posts and am getting so inspired! I hope you have a fabulous week as well :)
DeleteI love the makeover!! What a great transformation. Visiting from the blog hop.
ReplyDeleteThank you Karri! I appreciate your words.
DeleteCindy that is quate a transformation, from an ugly duckling into a swan for sure! I absolutely encourage you to break all the rules in the future as well. Love that color you created. Happy Spring. I'm also visiting from the Blog hop !
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary, I'm pretty excited that I get to be the one to keep my clothes in this pretty dresser, a swan for sure!
DeleteBeautifully done! Love the makeover! Visiting from the blog hop!
ReplyDeleteBrooke~Re-Fabbed
Thanks Brooke!
Deletelooks so much better! great makeover! love the ironstone too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kim!
DeleteBEAUTIFUL! You're so creative.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are the sweetest! Thank you SO much!
DeleteHaha! I didn't know there were any design rules when it came to mixing chalk paint, so I've been breaking them all along. I even mix them with latex paint. But hey, when a girl is on a painting quest, just move over right! I love how your armoir turned out, the before and after are an amazing difference!! Visiting from www.shelstring and the Hometalk DIY my spring blog hop, glad I found you!!
ReplyDeleteGood for you girl, keep doing what you love! I'm so happy you chose to visit!
DeleteJust beautiful! This is one of the most dramatic transformations I've seen. I would buy this piece if I saw it in the store :)
ReplyDeleteWow Diane,thank you so much for that endorsement!
DeleteThis turned out wonderfully and I love that you thought outside the box and mixed two brands of paint! I have used the Americana Decor chalk paint before and love it. I have been thinking about brightening some pieces in my home, too!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thank you so much Carrie, I love how a fresh coat of paint brightens the space! You should go for it! Thanks so much for visiting!
DeleteThat is stunning! I like your bold move to mix the two different brands of paint. Why not?? Rules were meant to be broken after all.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Heather, this was a fun piece to be creative with!
DeleteSo pretty! The paint really brought it back to life!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Carrie, I agree! I feel like it's a new piece.
DeleteCindy this makeover is beautiful! It is not overdone and the change in hardware really brings it up to a higher class! It is simply pretty! Well done! If you are at all interested in joining in on one more link party I would be happy to host your talents! Making Broken Beautiful runs every Thursday thru Sunday and is a furniture and home decor party over at The Curator's Collection. You do lovely work and I'd be honored to host you! I hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteSmiles!
Terry
http://thecuratorscollection.wordpress.com
Making Broken Beautiful
What a beautiful transformation! Love how you created your own custom color- so subtle yet cheerful!
ReplyDeleteVisiting from the blog hop
Cheers!
Thank you Christina!
DeleteIt's so awesome, Cindy! Thanks for sharing at The DIY Collective!
ReplyDeleteWow... what a transformation Cindy. The colour is gorgeous and the new hardware gives a totally updated look. I love that you've been able to freshen up a family hand-me-down, so that it can continue on with a new look. Thanks for sharing at Shabbilicious Friday. I'm delighted to be featuring your cabinet make-over at tomorrow's party. Hugs ~ Kerryanne
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Kerryanne. I have wanted to paint that cabinet for years, and am so pleased with how it turned out! My daughter now wants it for her room, lol. I'm so happy to be featured!
DeleteHey Cindy! Just letting you know I picked this great piece to feature this week on Friday's Furniture Fix that goes live on Thursday nights at 9:00. Thanks for linking up with us!
ReplyDeleteLoved it! I love the color you chose and that you gave new life to this cabinet! Bravo! Did I also mention how much I love your styling of the pitchers on the cabinet? Your post will be featured this week on Friday Favorites at mustlovehome.com. I would love for you to stop by and see your feature!! Hugs- Christine at Must Love Home
ReplyDeleteI love it. Paint always does wonders. I mix all the time. It seems I ever have just the right color when a inspiration hits. This piece is so large. It was best to just go with it when you were for it
ReplyDeleteWhere i can found this paint?
ReplyDelete