My sister found this piece - battered with no legs and few handles - yet, she fell in love with it. We both love shabby things - the more broken they are the better. I stored it for her whilst she was getting her own place but as it turned out, she needed a larger set so I was free to do what I wanted. Little did I know they would start an argument and seal a new friendship...
I always keep old handles, legs, spare parts - and thankfully I found a small set of turned wooden legs that seemed to suit this sweet unit perfectly. A few small repairs to the drawer runners and a lot of car body filler to fill missing chunks and dents, and I was ready to sand it off and clean it down. Furniture like this in the UK is rarely made of decent wood, much of it being post war, so I have no issue with getting the paint out!
Coastal blue was my number one favourite at the time but I didn't want to paint it totally blue. That special drawer really deserved to stand out so I chose persimmon. You've got to love orange and navy - they compliment each other soooo well. Throw shiny gold bow handles into the mix and boom!
I did a couple of coats of Blackfriars Primer which sands really easily. I started with the persimmon first, working on the drawer and top of the main unit. Once this was done and dried overnight I measured out a horizontal line all the way around and applied my trusty frog tape. The coastal blue covered beautifully and a few coats later the whole unit was ready to be sealed with my favourite High Performance Top Coat in satin. The coastal blue really gleams with the satin finish and looks fantastic. I fitted the new bow handles and celebrated with tea! What a beauty she had become.
A couple of weeks later I took them to a fair that I regularly trade at. As soon as I walked in the room I saw a couple of dealers across the room that I had seen on TV and been admiring & following on social media for ages. I must admit I was totally intimidated as the stuff they deal in is incredible. So imagine my face when one of them made a couple of trips over to me, looking intently at these drawers. Inspecting. Stroking. Searching. I said hello and we had a little argument...'You sprayed this right?' he asked. No. 'Yes, you did!' No really. It's all done with a brush. 'Really????? No!' You get the idea! He said the nicest things and I felt on top of the world. I told him to go buy some General Finishes. He did. We have been firm friends ever since :)
