Monday 23 March 2015

Louis XV1 ..will turn in his grave!


Following my introduction to the fabulous Swedish and French Decorating page, and the amazing subsequent flurry of 'likers' and decorators interested enough in commenting, (to the tune of 190!), on the two bedside tables I purchased, (very reasonably!), from a local antique market,........... I have decided to paint them! 
I should take this opportunity to thank Diane Llewellen Grover so very much for suggesting I join the  group in the first place and Meranda Devan who started it!
Fabulous to be part of a sensational community of inspiring women and men!

  I spotted these two at Filetto Antique Market one is slightly taller has a marble top and shelf inside and the other is smaller but both seem related by numbered information on the back of the furniture.
The fact was I didn't know anything about them until one of the ladies on the decorating page, (who used to import furniture), very kindly gave me the run down.
They are apparently French, Louis XV1 style late 19th to first quarter of the 20thCentury and to quote  my expert, a "beautiful find"!
Well what transpired was me falling into a quandary as to what to do next...should I paint them as I had first been inspired to do using Annie Sloan's fab paint or leave them be, as a few of the Swedish and French Decorating group almost pleaded me to do.
Or should I sell them, one or two had expressed a great desire to buy!
I deliberated for some time at one stage deciding I should leave them as they are, however, I kept coming back to the fact that when I first clapped eyes on them, I saw them Annie Sloaned!

My dear friend Laura arrived in the meantime with her man Paul, having driven over from England with pots of precious Annie Sloan Provence paint for our kitchen walls and a couple of tins of the fab Country Grey.
Laura agreed I should go with what I had intended and what's more, they are the perfect, maximum size Harg's and I can fit either side of our bed.
So, last week I got down to it!!!
Setting myself up on our Roof Garden I stirred up the Original Chalk Paint for my base coat.
Whilst that coat dried I basked under the Tuscan sun, tapping away on my laptop filled with a terrific sense that I had, in fact done the right thing.

The most wonderful paint to work with, it was soon dry enough for me to put on my top coat of the beautiful Country Grey.
I took photographs of the various stages becoming more and more excited as I worked!
The sun warmed my back!


The next stage was to start sanding using fine sand paper, although I have to say, I had no real idea of what I was doing, it seemed instinctive but this was to be my very first piece of furniture... so very much an experiment, anything could happen!

I Loved the freedom of using the sand paper it allowed me to be creative deciding which part of the furniture would suit best....how hard should I press how much paint should I remove.

Homer, our cockerel was voicing his excitement too.
Whilst the ladies just sat watching him, "we have heard it all before" they clucked!!

Time to work on the drawer.

And I have an idea......
My signature on all the furniture I paint will have a message somewhere!

I am working on this piece for my husband, Hargs who is patiently waiting for somewhere to put his cuppa in the morning!


I could hear the sheep in the land adjoining ours and the birds were singing, I really did feel like I was in Seventh Heaven!


Continuing with the sand paper I accidentally on purposely hit the handle, wow that improved with a rub as well!

Must keep working



And...finished!

Before and After...


And in place~

It had been a full on day, hands were in desperate need of some hand cream, hair needed washing, it was sticking out with dust at a rather eccentric angle, but boy was I haPPy!
I need to have another piece of marble cut for the inside shelf, it's too marked and beyond for my liking, but hey ho Hargs has a place to put his plectrums, leads, his Minnie Mouse,(as I call it), and a cuppa!

Some of you will of course think I have committed sacrilege using paint in the first place,and Louis XV1 will turn in his grave, but I have created exactly what I originally planned, with a big helping hand from Annie of course,... and had the best fun along the way!

My thanks go to Annie Sloan, what an amazingly inspiring woman who has designed the best paint ever & created the most fabulous community of like minded women. To my dearest friend Laura Lawrence for driving from England to Italy with a car load of paint and to her man Paul for putting up with it!

Now where is my cabinet?!!! 

Ps...For those of you inspired to have a go yourselves, a little pinch of advice, don't get as carried away as I did painting the entire cabinet.......the drawers have no leeway and will not open smoothly!!!