Door Thirty Four in Orpington, Kent, GB
Well, I'm the wrong side of 40, loving paint like I did as a child & trying to make a business out of my creative crazy ideas.
I've been making, creating & painting ever since I can remember - my mum is a true jack of all trades and I've learnt to reuse, recycle and re-invent. I love shabby things and making them beautiful again. We have a lot of old brown furniture in the UK, inexpensive pieces that can be shown a bit (or a lot!) of love & made amazing again. I do a few local fairs each year but am my own worst enemy, always thinking that my work isn't good enough. I paint what I love, generally ignoring trends & only ever selling items I would be proud to have in my own home. People give me commission work which I adore - inspiring others to get excited about colour, paint & decor is so much fun.
I found General Finishes a few years ago and have never looked back. It never lets me down and always looks incredible. People at fairs don't believe that I use brushes - they are convinced that I spray the pieces. High praise indeed. When you see people loving your hard work, even totally unaware of all the hidden prep work, it makes me smile.
So, I've put my big girl boots on and am telling myself every day that my work is good and to get it out there. I would never normally enter something like this. I follow so many inspirational American colleagues and am always in awe of their work - they are actually responsible for introducing me to GF. But I have such great love for General Finishes products and the creatives that use them, I think it's about time. So here I am! Thanks for having me :)
By Door Thirty Four in Orpington, Kent, GB
This beautiful sideboard had great curves and lines. Simply gorgeous. The solid wood top was looking a bit poorly but after a good scrub and sand down, it was ready for it's makeover.
This was the first time I'd used Java Gel Stain and it was brilliant...like wiping marmite on and off! I used two coats to get an even coverage and once the High Performance Top Coat had been applied, it was rich and dark and just yummy.
By Door Thirty Four in Orpington, Kent, GB
This is a simple one. Simple because 'klein blue' just speaks for itself. It's incredible.
Take one gorgeous G Plan wooden set of drawers in fantastic condition but boring and brown. Sand it down and clean it well. Remove the hardware. Prime it a couple of times and then unleash the blue.
Even just opening the tin makes me smile. I smothered this unit with layers of blue until the coverage was nice and even, deep & rich. After drying thoroughly I sealed it with High Performance Top Coat in satin finish. Cleaned the hardware with barkeepers friend and brasso.
By Door Thirty Four in Orpington, Kent, GB
My first tin of 'seagull grey' had arrived. Actually my first ever purchase from the General Finishes range. And this is what I made with it...one of my all time favourite projects.
By Door Thirty Four in Orpington, Kent, GB
This mid-century lowboy had been in my workshop for a while. I kept looking at it, uninspired. It originally had battered round knobs and the veneered wooden top was in a bit of rough state. I actually prepped it and used Walnut Gel Stain. It didn't sing to me.
A few weeks later something hit me. I was in a complete frenzy of painting everything grey & had found these awesome shiny chrome handles in a sale the day before. There were only four left - it was fate.
By Door Thirty Four in Orpington, Kent, GB
I had just finished painting my bedroom navy. I was blue obsessed. 'Coastal blue' was one of the few General Finishes colours that I hadn't yet tried...it was time. And I love it. Just love it.
This gorgeous set of drawers had recently fallen into my life & the side panels were crying out to have paper inserts. I knew straight away that the dark blue background of this tropical print would blend in perfectly with the paint and I was not disappointed.
By Door Thirty Four in Orpington, Kent, GB
Starting out in pretty poor shape, found in a sad little auction room, this awesome set of drawers has truly been wrestled back to fabulousness!
Ready for a lot of preparation, I donned my dungarees, got the music blaring & set to work...
