Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Windsor Carver Chairs in ASCP French Linen

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint transforms vintage Captain Chairs.

While I was away in America a lovely neighbour of mine, Cassie, emailed and asked if I wanted some chairs. She had wanted to paint them herself but they are in the midst of renovating, working and expecting a baby so she decided to let them go. I said "Yes please, and can you drop them on the enormous pile of furniture waiting to be painted in my carport".

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint transforms vintage Captain Chairs.

I thought the chairs would be a great candidate for the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I bought from Knot Too Shabby while I was in California.  I bought French Linen and Old White - both these colours go very well with the neutral tones of my house and I find them very soothing, especially accented with deep purples, blue and white.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint transforms vintage Captain Chairs.

I didn't worry about sanding (except to remove some of the bumpy varnish in one spot) in accordance with Annie's instructions but just gave them a good clean as they were very dusty from sitting outside in our carport and just got straight into painting. 

Although painting these chairs with all their spindles was tedious, people, I have to say that I love this Chalk Paint - it is so much smoother than home made chalk paint and has a lovely matte finish.  I first gave the chairs a full single coat and then filled in the little holes (where the chairs had been previously upholstered) with wood filler.  I always paint first and then fill as the holes show up much better after a coat of paint and I won't miss any. I then sanded the wood filler smooth and gave the chairs another coat where necessary.  The coverage of ASCP in French Linen is excellent. A lot of the chairs only needed one coat. For both these chairs, I used about 1 cm depth of my tin so there is still heaps left.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint transforms vintage Captain Chairs.

The chairs looked a little bleak just grey so I added a fleur de lis and a white trim to the seats. I used a home made stencil to outline the fleur de lis and then filled in the detail and painted the white edging with a firm artists brush and a steady hand. I then waxed them and distressed then lightly.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint transforms vintage Captain Chairs.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint transforms vintage Captain Chairs.

The beautiful knitted blanket you see on the chair above was a recent purchase. I had planned on buying this for my mother for Christmas as we had seen it in our favourite shop when we last went shopping together.  It's 100% Australian merino wool and just beautiful. I saw it again the other day and thought I would buy it as a reminder of her (as you may recall she died recently. What's a nicer way of saying that? I really struggle phrasing it nicely... Wow I miss her - she would know how to phrase it well, literary giant that she was!!). 

Here are the chairs before - they were a nasty two toned wood colour and had been badly varnished, as you can see on the central panel on the right hand side photo.


I was chatting to Annie Sloan last night via facebook and she confirmed that her paint will be available in Australia in February 2013!! 

How exciting!

So what do you think about my chair makeover? 

You like?

...if you like them a lot they are for sale. $95 each
Just send me a message for details.

Fiona xx

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint French Linen paint transforms vintage Captain Chairs.

17 comments:

  1. they look great! i love that color! :)

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    1. thanks Cassie, I am really happy with how they turned out.

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  2. Hi Fiona, those chairs look wonderful! beautiful colours and trim. I love the colours you are using in your house. Mxx

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    1. thanks M, lovely to hear from you. Much appreciated about the colour and chair love. I find those colours so very soothing,
      cheers Fiona

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  3. wow Fiona they turned out beautifully. I love the design you put on them - so clever.
    your home is beautiful!
    I love that painting also. is it one of yours?
    Jodie xx

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  4. They are beautiful Fiona, you were right to add the white detail, that really makes them. How wonderful to not have to sand or prime and just launch straight into painting...and one coat, wow!

    I think that is lovely that you bought the blanket in memory of your Mum.

    xx Karen

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    1. thanks Karen - they really needed the white detail. initially i just had them plain, and then the fleur de lis but they still weren't right. Happy with them now. Now they just need to sell as I have way too much stuff in the house!!
      Would love to have a drink with you when you are in sydney if you can squeeze me into your busy schedule.
      thanks for the response about Mum...
      Fiona xx

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  5. They're fantastic Fiona, really beautiful! And I'm very glad to hear Annie Sloan paint will be Australia soon!

    I love the blanket too - and like Karen I think it's a great reminder.

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    1. thanks Catherine - I am so pelased everyone likes them. the chairs were tedious to paint but the white detail was fun!
      Fiona

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  6. Hi Fiona -I just love these, the fleur de lis detail is perfect. I love the colours that you have chosen. what a transformation. I have just found your blog and think all your furniture painting and photography is so beautiful, as is your house. (I am so sorry to read about your mother also)
    You are very generous with your knowledge also. I am going to enjoy scrolling through your archives.
    xx SL

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    1. thanks SL, welcome to my blog and thank you for such lovely feedback. It really means a lot.
      much appreciated
      Fiona

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  7. I would love to find some chairs in this style! Yours turned out gorgeous and they go so well with everything you put together.

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    1. thanks Beth for stopping by. How lucky am I for nice neighbours leaving these on my doorstep!
      thanks so much for the lovely comment
      Hope you enjoy my blog
      Fiona xx

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  8. Lovely Fiona! Love the white detail... makes them pop. Sure they will be snapped up!! The paint sounds gorgeous too. Jo xx

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  9. Spindles are tedious, but the effort paid off - those are beautiful chairs!

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  10. Gorgeous chair redo--so pretty, and your entire room is gorgeous! I love the artwork and the pop of purple as well.

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  11. Beautiful chairs ~ great paint choice! I'm featuring them in this week's Power of Paint Party Spotlight. Thanks for linking up.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com