A Modern Black Console - mixing it up.

Good morning. It's school holidays here and I've no school lunches to pack and no children to get out the door (well I have the children till but they can sleep in) so I'm sitting down with my coffee to write a blog post in my quiet house.

This black console table was picked up yesterday. While it is much more modern than a lot of my pieces, I really liked it. I was actually surprised by how many people said "that's not Lilyfield Life!". Even my sister commented. When I bought it, the timber was very dark and the mahogany Balinese stain was very marked. I stripped and sanded to top back to raw timber and waxed it until it was silky smooth. A friend who also paints furniture felt the top and said "wow it is so smooth". I know its hard to tell when buying and viewing on the internet but my finishes are always extremely smooth and silky and you won't feel brush marks or any roughness. I love sanding and love a smooth finish.

For the base I used a jet black chalk paint, two coats and then top coated with clear wax. Phil and I both loved this console more than we expected to. It looked great here at the bottom of our staircase. The buyers were very happy with it.

Always good to do something a little different.

I also have a lovely timber MCM style chest of drawers for sale. 

These gorgeous campaign drawers have been buffed and polished and the timber looks beautiful. There is some splitting between a couple planks of teak but I have used melding brackets internally to rejoin them so it is all solid and secure. Splits aren't particularly noticeable. Solid timber and drawers on timber sliders. Brass hardware and mounted campaign corners.

90w x 46d x 74hcm

$275

Pickup Lilyfield

Hope you have a good day. It looks like it's going to be a lovely one
Fiona x

Springtime and Painted Furniture

Good morning, I've been remiss blogging ebcuase the photo mechanism (picasa) that I used for blogging has been retired and it's taken me a while to sit down and research how to upload photos. Finally sorted it this morning. Hopefully...

Spring is definitely here and our garden is recovering from winter and months of neglect. We are also enjoying fresh cut flowers from the markets. How beautiful are these ranunculi. 

This is the wisteria outside our kitchen window at the moment. Such a splash of colour.

Our orchids are doing so well this year also. 

I have been painting and selling one or more pieces of furniture a day which is fantastic but a bit tiring. I'm looking forward to a break. It's such a logistics battle for me, moving furniture every day in my small space. I dream of a warehouse :) I was trying to rent a garage in a block of flats opposite our house but the owner of the block isn't interested despite there being 5 empty garages. Such a shame.

This is a sweet little serpentine cabinet I painted recently. It was in pretty bad shape when I bought it. The varnish was very degraded and it had heaps of scratches etc. I decided to paint it in ASCP Duck Egg Blue and distress it gently. Just a simple paint job but pretty.

I also picked up this gorgeous rattan chair and gave it a new life with paint and antiquing wax. I've actually painted this exact chair before and both times was tempted to keep them but hey, how many chairs do I need?

enjoy your day

Fiona xx

A gentleman's press, a console and my antiques booth

On Wednesday I was home all day and managed to finish several pieces. I love a day when I don't have to run around too much and can get some productive hours in of painting.

I finished this lovely fitted gentleman's press. I adore cupboards like this with either shelves or drawers inside or a mix like this one. I painted the exterior in a lovely taupe that I mixed using ASCP French Linen, Paris grey and white. The drawers I painted in a seafoamy duck egg that I mixed from ASCP Duck Egg, Louis Blue and White. The hardware on this piece in lovely. The handles lie very flat so the doors shut nicely.

I also painted a sweet vintage demi lune console. These are always a lovely addition to a room with a bowl of flowers on them or an ornament.

I was talking to a friend this week about how I got started as a furniture painter and shared with her these photos of my booth in an antiques centre that I got asked to be in when I was just starting out. These are some of my first painted pieces. Claire said it looks like my house - what can i say; my style is my style :)

The antiques centre was literally at the end of my street and I just loved having a booth there. Unfortunately the guy who ran it was quite dodgy and it eventually went into receivership. A lot of people had trouble getting their stock but. I'd already seen the writing on the wall and had given up my space. I was selling most of my stuff here on my blog anyway. (Thank you to you lovely customers and readers). I wonder if anyone who is reading today has been here this long?

Fiona xx 

A couple of little Armoires

Good morning! We have a couple of tired kids this morning. Jonty danced in the Dancesport Challenge last night making it into the finals for salsa. We were so proud of him and his partner Katie, and of all the kids participating from our school. They all looked gorgeous and had worked so hard. That's my boy in the middle :)

I've had some lovely furniture to paint lately. Two little french style cabinets - armoires that if I'm totally honest were excruciating to paint but a lovely result.

This lovely glass cabinet is still for sale. Details below. I have painted in my special French green grey finish. I really love this colour. For many years I have searched for a paint similar to one I saw on a beautiful old french cabinet. This colour is the closest I have found and i always love it on a piece.  It is a green based grey and very subtle. It's the colour I painted the cabinet in my lounge room that people always comment on and love. The cabinet I could have sold 100 times over but I don't want to part with :)

if this doesn't sell I will happily keep it also.

The inside is painted with a white satin paint and the exterior in a french grey chalk paint, distressed and waxed.  Painting around all the glass is not something I enjoy ;)

This is just a lovely piece of furniture that will look great in any room. I would love to see it in a bathroom packed with rolled white towels, pretty bottles of bubble path and perfume and little wicker baskets filled with makeup :) but seriously it's going to look fabulous anywhere 😍

The lock works if you need to lock away your pretty things :)

76w x 46d x 160h cm

$850

Pick up Lilyfield

in progress below.

The second french style cabinet has already sold. Off to a little girl's bedroom. I painted it all in a bright white satin enamel and left it undistressed. I thought it would be perfect for a baby's room so made it all clean and white. 

I have a few more lovely pieces up this week. Working hard and loving it. 

Hope you have a good day

Fiona xx