Amy Howard ~ one step paint

This post is all about how I refreshed some of my old furniture with a new look using Amy Howard One Step Paint. But it could also be titled “yes, I’ve had this furniture for 40 years” or “why I always skip ahead to the happy ending” or “what I did this past summer” ~ because all of those things are part of this story. Grab some coffee, this may be a long one ~~~

So here we go ~ this dresser, mirror and nightstand are part of the bedroom set I’ve had since I was a teenager ~ “yes, I’ve had this furniture for 40 years”. It was at Buwatermom’s house for a long time, and then it came back to me when I finally had a place with an actual guest room. I’ve moved this furniture many times! The bed finally went to some friends who were furnishing a kid’s room, but I kept the rest ~ well, because I’m sentimental ~ and because an eight-drawer dresser is always useful and not always easy to find! In shuffling rooms around last year to change some things up, I thought it would be a good addition to the blue room ~ but it needed a face lift in a big way.

A while back, I met Amy Howard at a blogging conference, and was able to try out some of her paint and finish products. She was so gracious and wonderful to chat with about projects I had in mind.  Later, I was the lucky recipient of a blogger box from Amy Howard at Home with her One Step Paint and supplies in a color I was longing to try ~ American Dream, which is beautiful deep blue ~ and Liming Wax, to create an aged white wash finish. I was so psyched to get started!

Then a few unexpected things happened ~ we almost lost Bluwaterguy’s house to fire, and though things were eventually made right, it was a long traumatic journey. And along the way, I decided to move on from my sabbatical and return to corporate America full-time. Both of those events consumed life for the better part of a year.

I did get back around to my original plans, but it took a while. The standard in blogland for a re-do is to show progress along the way, and build up to the “big reveal”. After all the crazy stuff the past year, I’d rather “skip to the happy ending” and show you the refreshed room. I know it is supposed to be about the journey rather than the destination, but I always want to know things will work out in the end! So I’m flipping things around {I know, shocker!} and leading off with the completed project. I’ll follow-up with the “how-to” post, and other tips and tricks, {including the best mirror hanging hardware ever}, so the back-story is still to come. 🙂

When originally purchased back around the time of disco, the furniture was unfinished oak, which I stained and varnished way back when. Covering the orangey stain, glossy polyurethane, and decades of dusting with Pledge was a task! Amy’s One Step Paint was great for the project. I used the paint and wax sent in my blogger box, and also bought another color for the mirror ~ a beautiful teal, aptly named Vintage Affliction ~ along with other supplies for the project. Details on the painting project will be in the next post, but there’s a sneak peek at the end of this post in a Pinterest collage. Hope you pin it to your favorite Pinterest project board for inspiration!

I used these vintage reproduction glass knobs from D. Lawless Hardware, and I love the sparkle when the sun shines through in the morning. Like this ~~~

I had to grab time when I could on this project, and that turned out to be the holiday weekends this past summer. Having the space to paint, and the time, was a challenge. Even considering this as a one-step paint project, I still needed space to spread out. So the nightstand was a Memorial Day project, the dresser frame and drawers happened over July 4th, the mirror in early August, and we finally got the mirror hung and everything cleaned up over Labor Day. Yep, this is the “what I did this past summer” part of the story. 

The other thing that I like about this room, are the family bits and pieces ~ like the marble-topped table from Bluwaterguy’s grandmother that we use as a bedside table. The painted shell came from his mom, and the silver pieces are her’s too. I can only take credit for the tarnish!

There are other things we picked up along the way ~ like the 60’s vanity seat that lost its cushion to a wooden replacement at some point, an actual boat oar, and the wall mounted hanging peg strip, which I think should be a requirement in any coastal room.  The shifting beach sand and shell box came from a trip to Seaside this summer, and the seagull pair sat on Bluwaterguy’s dad’s desk for years. 

So, the orangey oak furniture from my teen years ~ updated with a paint and whitewash finish from Amy Howard Home ~ came together with the Pottery Barn bedding and seagrass bed, sentimental family treasures, and bits from our travels ~ in a refreshed guest room ~ and still no reservations required! Thanks for stopping by to visit ~~~

 

 

 

Disclosure ~ Amy Howard at Home graciously provided some paint and materials for this project. I purchased additional paint products from the line as well. All opinions, photographs, and paint spatters are my own.