At the beginning of the year I was putting something away in the shed when I discovered an old shelving unit hidden away behind a pile of stuff. It was an old display shelf that we used to have hanging in the study/spare room when we used to have one and before it became a bedroom. I think it must have been in the shed for nearly 10 years and I had completely forgotten about it!
It looked like just the sort of thing I was after to hang in our dining room as a little space for some of my things.
It was rather dusty and cobwebby and I wasn't so keen on the darkness of the wood but I was excited at the chance to try my hand at furniture painting!
After giving it a good hoover - in case there were any spiders lurking on it anywhere - and then a throrough wash, I was ready to give it a makeover.
As you can see above, I also had an eager helper!
When I went out to buy the chalk paint I had an idea in my head that I wanted something duck-egg blue. Then when I was looking at the colours in the shop I thought that since our walls are light coloured maybe it would look a bit bland and so I challenged myself to be a bit braver and go for a darker colour.
The colour I chose was called 'Belgrave' by Rustoleum and before I started painting I began to have a few doubts about whether I had done the right thing by being so bold!
Only a few strokes into the painting and I new I had chosen the perfect colour. I couldn't wait to get the second coat of paint on and get it hanging on the wall!
But before I reveal the finished shelf, first a little explanation about some lovely new china I bought to display on it.
My in-laws gave me a gift card for the lovely Cath Kidston as a Christmas present.
By the time I got round to spending the card, the January sales were coming to an end with some major reductions and I was able to buy this fun set of cups and saucers with £30 off! Quite the bargain! And a couple of other matching items too.
Although I would have liked four plates to go with the cups, this was the last one in the store and there were no more left online either, so this is my special plate, perfect for a slice of chocolate cake.
Now, onto the shelf.
Remember how dark it looked before?
Look at it now!
Ah, I'm so pleased with how it turned out. The colour matches my tablecloth perfectly, as well as the colours in the china and everything else on the shelf. I love the 50s retro feel of it and I'm so glad I didn't go for the pale colour now too.
It's my little corner of pretty in this male dominated house and I find myself walking past and gazing at it with immense satisfaction that I transformed it from ugly duckling to beautiful swan.
The trouble is, now I seem to have caught the furniture painting bug and am wondering what I can try next!
This looks so pleasing - if this was in my house I would be admiring it all the time too !
ReplyDeleteJanice
It's absolutely lovely Kirsteen!
ReplyDeleteArlene
I loved every bit of this post. The little shelf unit was a treasure just waiting for you to find it again and paint it. I love your Retro look; it all just looks so cute together. The cups are cute. Someday when we visit Scotland, I will love to go to see the Cath Kidston Store. I only know about the store from what you have posted, but it looks like there are some fun things in it. I can see how you like to look at it this as you go by… it is lovely.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Looks charming!
ReplyDelete