Friday, June 28, 2013

Grey Weathered Driftwood Effect Cabinet

When I saw this cabinet recently for sale I knew I had to buy it. Not to keep - as we definitely don't need more furniture in our house but just for the pleasure of painting such a beautifully shaped piece.

Grey Weathered Driftwood Effect Cabinet by Lilyfield Life

I have long admired the painted furniture finishes of Wisteria, Restoration Hardware and various extremely fine French furniture shops I occasionally stalk in Sydney's eastern suburbs. I particularly love the weathered driftwood finish and after practising on several pieces of timber the other night when I was cooking dinner (as you do) I decided I was ready to give this cabinet the treatment.

Some of my inspiration is below. The top photo is a piece of furniture I saw years ago and snapped on my iPhone. I'm not sure where it was taken. And the bottom photo is from Wisteria.




The inspiration pieces above are more beige than the effect I wanted for this particular piece. I spent an hour or so on Dee Why beach the other day and the sea was wild, the sky grey, the surf all misty white and the ocean pool was contrasting a lovely bright blue. I wanted these colours reflected in this cabinet.



and below is where I sat with my takeaway coffee and sandwich; such a beautiful view for lunch. I only stayed for around 15 minutes but it made me so happy and relaxed sitting there. I love the beach and surf even when it's on the verge of rain.


and speaking of driftwood inspiration how good is this cave made from driftwood. We found this on the beach at Eden last year. I wanted to move right in.



I love how the finish on my painted cabinet turned out. I think it is very beachy with the soft grey dragged paint exterior and its bright pop of blue interior. The cabinet is an old gramophone cabinet (Golden Tongue made in Melbourne) and has a lift top lid with a small section that would be great storage for jewellery, make up, keys, wallet, scarves etc  and then there are 2 cupboards.  The bottom one has a removable shelf.  





I replaces the cheap metal floral handles with some of my stash of the crackle porcelain knobs from Limoges, France. I love these knobs and they are a much nicer quality than most other crackle knobs I have seen. The crackles are finer and more elegant and the colour a little more muted. What a score these were. I still have quite a few left and you'll be seeing more of them down the track I am sure.



I haven't distressed this piece but whoever buys it could possibly do that if they wish. It's always an option for painted furniture. I did paint the trim in a custom mixed soft grey - softer than the rest of the cabinet but not white. I just wanted to define the shape and add some delicate visual interest.


Dimensions are: 120cm tall, 61 deep and 58cm wide. If you are interested in viewing or purchase please contact me. lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com

Did you notice that in the top photo of this post the bottom right knob is too large compared to the others? I didn't realise until after I started taking the photos but I've since changed it to the correct sized one. I have two sizes of the crackle knobs and thought this cabinet suited the smaller knobs. 

Here is the cabinet before I started on it.  Very orange stripey aged timber.  I think it's looking a whole lot better now.  

Grey Weathered Driftwood Effect Cabinet by Lilyfield Life

Isn't it funny - painting old furniture to make it look old. Do you like this old weathered wood effect?  


happy Friday everyone!  I've got loads to get done today - last day of term so last kid free work day for a few weeks. Got to pack a lot into those 6 school hours!

Fiona x

15 comments:

  1. This is a beautiful color treatment, Fiona! And I love the contrasting blue you chose for the interior of the piece. It's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. hi Fiona, it's hard to even imagine that they are the same piece. What a gorgeous paint job. I love the colours you have chosen and your inspirational beach photos.
    Have a great weekend, hopefully the rain eases up.
    Katherine

    ReplyDelete
  3. it's beautiful and love the blue color you chose to paint the inside of the cabinet

    ReplyDelete
  4. Absolutely beautiful, the shape is amazing and the colours/Finnish is perfect.
    Enjoy your day, funny as I usually get more done when mine are on holidays!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alison. we’ll be away most of the holidays hence why I won’t get anything done. And have several commission pieces getting picked up in the next few days so madly working. Have a good weekend
      Fiona

      Delete
  5. That piece of furniture is really stunning. Where on earth do you find these things? Nothing like that around here. As usual you've done an amazing job beautifying it. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Meg, thanks, Just blessed I think!! Ha ha - I am always on the look out for furniture. I am happy to see you painting again. Hope your knee is ok. Fiona x

      Delete
  6. What an unusual cupboard.You have done a beautiful job on her-love dee x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Dee, it's a lovely old gramophone cabinet. i've never seen one like it before, hence why i had to buy it! hope you are managing with your little man stuck inside with all this rain!

      Delete
  7. You find the best stuff! Love how you have painted this

    ReplyDelete
  8. So beautiful Fiona, I love the blue on the inside it's such a gorgeous colour! And I would never have noticed the knobs till you mentioned it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Catherine, those two colours are so lovely together aren’t they. Hope you’ve had a good weekend.
      Fiona x

      Delete
  9. Beautiful piece! Where would I go for a "how to" create a look like this? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jenn, I have tutorials on this on my tutorial tab, hope that helps
      Fiona

      Delete

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