After successfully refinishing some small items and a few small furniture pieces using MilkPaint™, I finally worked up the nerve to tackle my first large piece of furniture.
I’ll admit I was a little nervous about it. I knew a big piece would take some time and I was worried about whether I would love it after it was painted. But I desperately wanted to redo my hutch!
My husband and I downsized into our cozy l
ittle home in 2016. We love it, but it was a challenge to reduce our possessions enough to fit it all in there! Take dishes and glassware, for example. I love entertaining friends and having big family get-togethers, so some of my dishes and glassware only get occasional use but they are still needed.
I have stored many of them in a reproduction farmhouse style hutch for many years and I wanted it in my new little home. But the only place it would fit was in the living room. It looks fine
there, but it felt a little imposing there. For years I’d look at it and say to myself (and anyone else who would listen), “I really should paint that a light color so it would blend in a little bit and not look so hulking”.
My walls are painted a beautiful greige color, and I thought a color somewhere between greige and off-white would be just the ticket. I wanted to use Miss Mustard Seed’s MilkPaint™ because it had been so easy to use on my previous refurbishing projects. I wasn’t concerned that there wasn’t a color exactly like I imagined because I knew I could create one without too much trouble.
One of the beauties of powdered paint is that you can easily mix two or more colors to create new colors in small quantities for testing. Doing that with pre-mixed paint means that you run the risk of getting stuck with a can of paint you don’t love.
For this project, I started with 1 scoop of Schloss and added 1 scoop of Grain Sack milk paint. I added 2 scoops of water and mixed it up. I tested it on an inconspicuous place and let it dry for a few minutes. It was perfect!
I set to work and gave it two coats. I gave it some light distressing for that rustic look I love and sealed it with Antiquing Wax to bring out the details. I also added some knew knobs to give it some pizazz because ... well, ya know!
Now when we sit in our living room, I don’t feel so claustrophobic. It really lightened up the room and it reminds me that I am capable of doing big things if I take them one step at a time.
What project(s) are you wanting to take on, furniture or otherwise, that you have been putting off? Let me know in the comments or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you!
Happy painting!
