Saturday, February 16, 2013

White French Provincial Sideboard and Flowers

pink dahlia delight!

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. Sydney is putting on a beautiful day! The sunshine has been interspersed with some showers but it's balmy and warm and the sky is now blue. 

One of my all time favourite white paint makeovers is my French provincial sideboard that I painted a few years ago now and kept for my dining room. I love how this piece balances the room, makes it more interesting and also provides additional storage for the room.  I have so much stuff packed into this sideboard - extra crockery sets, large platters and vases, our good cutlery, my sewing machine and over locker and a huge amount more!

french provincial sideboard by Lilyfield Life
french provincial sideboard by Lilyfield Life

This is a curved fronted solid walnut sideboard. I refinished the top and painted the body in Dulux Lexicon White Quarter Strength. This is a very bright  white with barely any tint in it so you need 3-4 coats even over primer but it is a beautiful bright colour and one of my "go to" whites for painting furniture. For the top I stripped back the original finish and then sanded it very smooth. To sand I start with a medium grit sandpaper and work my way to a fine sandpaper and then sand and sand with Super fine Steel wool. This gives an incredibly smooth even surface for staining. I have used Wattyl Professional  "Craftsman Finish" Stain in Walnut. Once this was dry I waxed and buffed the surface for durability and sheen. I replaced the original handles (that were pretty ugly) with these handmade ceramic handles made in Limoges, France.

Lilyfield Life painted furniture in sydney
french dining room Lilyfield Life painted furniture in sydney

Phil brought the pink dahlias back from the farmers markets this morning. The are so big and pretty. The vase I have used is Iranian glass and my sister gave it to me about 15 years ago. I always love how flowers look against the green.

Whenever I post photos of my dining room, I get questions about the large painting on the wall. It is by local (to Rozelle) artist, Laura Matthews. Laura is an amazing painter and has won many awards. This painting is of the area around Mount Canobolas, Orange, NSW and I just owning treasure this piece. I bought this painting over 7 years ago and I never tire of it.

Laura Matthews painting - Orange, NSW

so there you have it - pink dahlias on my French provincial sideboard - a little spark or white and pretty for your Saturday afternoon.

wishing you a relaxing weekend
enjoy!

Fiona xx
Lilyfield Life painted furniture sydney
 sharing at 
Tuesdays Treasures

7 comments:

  1. i love this sideboard .if you ever come across one again I would buy it in a heartbeat.I dont know what colour i would do it i just know i want one-also your flowers look stunning.How I wish i had a dinning table with out everyones (including mine ha ha ) on it-love dee x

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  2. I continue to be inspired to buy some paint! I have a chest of drawers I think I'd like to do and I'm on the look out for a small desk, just love reading your posts because they keep inspiring me to get my hands dirty. Your sideboard is just lovely.

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  3. Gorgeous dinning room! Agree that the flowers really pop in that green vase! x

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  4. it's all so beautiful and fresh. I am so inspired by you, Fiona. How do you have the energy to do all that you do! Your sideboard is so beautiful and you have done such a beautiful job of painting it. thanks for sharing your colours and technique.
    Kirrily xx

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  5. It turned out just beautiful. Thank you for sharing your technique. Always look forward to what you are working on next. Thank you for keeping me inspired.
    Robby

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  6. I'm your newest follower! So glad to have found you from over at Tuesday Treasures. this is a beautiful piece of furniture and I love your dining room and your French style. I'm off to have a look around this lovely blog!
    best wishes
    Judy

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  7. What a great idea! Please share it on a terrific linky – Design Décor Tuesday. www.designdecortuesday.blogspot.com. See you there! ☺

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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