Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Stunning French buffet

Good morning! I hope you are surviving Sydney's heat if you are local. We don't have aircon and I'm finding it hard to work. Hot hot hot... but hey it could be worse :) I always think of guys who are roofers on days like these.


vintage french painted sideboard Lilyfield Life

Here's a recent piece I painted- beautiful French cupboard/ /small sideboard. I spent days stripping the old paint. It had been painted in latex paint with no sanding or primer.  Most of the paint just pulled off in long strips. I don't usually buy previously painted pieces because of the extra work involved but the shape of this vintage piece was too hard to resist.

I painted it all in a custom mix of ASCP: - muted pale grey with white trim. I then waxed and used an antique glaze to add patina. I absolutely love this piece. The photos don't really do it justice. Happy to arrange a viewing if you are interested. 

120w x 44d x 86h cm 
*now sold*

Pickup Lilyfield or delivery may be possible

vintage french painted sideboard Lilyfield Life


vintage french painted sideboard Lilyfield Life

I have a few pieces for sale at the moment so let me know if you are interested in anything. I have updated my for sale page with what is available.

Stay cool
Fiona xx









Friday, January 13, 2017

You like hard work? Beautiful cocktail cabinet

When I bought this gorgeous antique drinks cabinet, a friend of mine, who is one of Sydney's leading antiques dealers, said to me "Wow, Fiona, you really like hard work don't you?"

vintage cocktail cabinet repaired and painted by Lilyfield Life

It was in a bad state but actually it probably looked worse than it was - the mirrors were broken and falling off the interior and the varnish was very perished and all the shelves on the door were falling out but in reality the structure was very solid and nothing I couldn't fix.


Above is the before photos and below is after the first coat of paint - I like to do a thin coat so I can see any issues in the timber. This piece needed sealing with Zinsser BIN as the varnish was so perished and it would have bled without sealing properly.

vintage cocktail cabinet repaired and painted by Lilyfield Life

All finished below - and already sold. Heading to a lovely home in Glebe to sit next to a fireplace in the main lounge room of one of my good customers.

vintage cocktail cabinet repaired and painted by Lilyfield Life

vintage cocktail cabinet repaired and painted by Lilyfield Life

vintage cocktail cabinet repaired and painted by Lilyfield Life

I love this piece. Those legs are just gorgeous.

Fiona xx


Wednesday, January 11, 2017

6 years old - Happy birthday Lilyfield Life


I realised last night that my furniture business is now 6 years old! It actually feels like I've been doing this forever - in a good way as painting furniture and blogging is now in my blood and I can't imagine not doing either.

While I had painted furniture and my kitchen cabinetry prior to starting my business officially this little chair was the first piece I did under my brand name. 


How cute is Jonty?
He was 4 years old and just about to start kindergarten.  He always says he helped launch my business. 


These are some of my first pieces.  All done well before chalk paint was even heard of :)
no stencils used - the harlequin pattern and damask were all hand drawn and painted.







So many pieces of my hand painted furniture now gracing your homes. Thank you everybody for your support and purchases. I am so grateful to have turned my passion into a great business.

Fiona xx

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The first coat of paint

Sometimes the first coat of paint makes a piece look absolutely terrible and you might wonder if you have done a bad thing by painting your piece of furniture. My advice is always to press on and add another coat ..and another .. and another until you are happy with the result. Sometimes two coats is enough and sometimes it might be 5 coats depending on what you are painting and what colour paint you are using.

But every now and then the first coat of paint just looks absolutely amazing. 


I've a load more work to do on this piece as it will be painted a solid colour and the interior needs a lot of work but I love it already. 

Fiona xx

Monday, January 9, 2017

Marble top cabinet - back into painting

We've been having very relaxed holidays - bush walks, beach, sleep ins and jigsaw puzzles. I was feeling so relaxed I couldn't even imagine picking up a paint brush again. I thought perhaps I'd better do something before I never do anything again.

Lilyfield Life lamp bedside table marble

How beautiful is this little marble topped cupboard. I just love it. Marble tops are my absolute favourite even when it's very old marble with a couple of chips and stains. Still beautiful.

This is an old cupboard sourced from a farm in country NSW.  Perfect as a bedside or lamp table. 65w x 42d x 74h cm
NOW SOLD
Pick up Lilyfield or delivery can be arranged, just contact me for a quote.


Lilyfield Life lamp bedside table marble

Lilyfield Life lamp bedside table marble

Last week we did the Spit to Manly bush walk. Absolutely beautiful despite Jonty complaining for the first hour. To be fair he had been sick all week and probably wasn't quite well enough to hike 10KM but we needed to get him out of the house and at the end of the day he announced that it was the best day ever. I think the swim at Manly beach and fish and chips for dinner over looking the beach might have gone someway towards that.

If you haven't done this iconic Sydney hike then here is a great overview. I love Matt's website. Such a great bushwalking resource.

My photos below:


Spit to Manly bush walk

Spit to Manly bush walk

Spit to Manly bush walk

Spit to Manly bush walk


Phil's back at work today and kids are booked into swim lessons. I'll slowly be painting pieces. I have an amazing cocktail cabinet coming up.

Stay tuned
Fiona xx




Monday, January 2, 2017

More black pieces of furniture

gold and black vintage mirror Lilyfield Life

I am still enjoying holidays but thought I would share some more pieces that I painted at the end of last year. I did a run of black furniture and then I thought I was ready to put the black paint down and move onto some lighter coloured piece but I ended up having to paint a load of vintage furniture black for a customer and I bought a cabinet that in my head I could only see black and another vintage linen press that was already black and I kept the original finish.

black painted sideboard Lilyfield Life

Always love a good before and after. This cabinet was in perfect condition having sat in an elderly couple's "good dining room" for 50 or so years. Beautiful condition but as anyone who has tried selling their elderly parents' furniture knows, nobody wants brown furniture these days. Along I come with my paint brush :)

black painted sideboard Lilyfield Life

This linen press below was actually block but not in great condition so I ended up doing one more coat of black and then heavily distressing it. I actually took these photos before painting the top panel but then didn't take a final photo, so the top panel paint work ended up being more opaque than pictured here. I absolutely love this piece and the buyer was so happy with it.

vintage linen press Lilyfield Life

One of my regular customers just loves black furniture and she is renovating a large home and has kept me busy for months both sourcing furniture for her and painting pieces she already has. These pieces below were from her childhood and I painted them satin black.

custom painted dressing table and wardrobe Lilyfield Life

custom painted dressing table and wardrobe Lilyfield Life

custom painted dressing table and wardrobe Lilyfield Life

custom painted dressing table and wardrobe Lilyfield Life

And lastly a pretty vintage mirror refinished in black paint.

black vintage mirror Lilyfield Life

I am now ready for some colour on my paint brush!
Do you have any black furniture in your house? I'd also love to hear which is your favourite piece I have done?

Fiona xx


Sunday, January 1, 2017

Happy New Year: fresh start 2017

Happy New Year
and 
wishing you the best year yet for 2017


Have you made any resolutions?
Do you ever keep them?

I started the new year with a three hour yoga and wellness morning that friends of mine had organised as part of their fundraising for Oxfam 100km walk. Oh man I have tight muscles. Strong but tight and in need of a lot of stretching. It was a brilliant morning and a great way to start the year. I'm going to add stretching and yoga back into my routine as I definitely need it.

I am still having a break from the furniture painting. It's been so hot that I'm not even wanting to paint. Reading, going to the beach and spending time with my family and friends has just been lovely. Hope you are having the same good times with your loved ones.

Fiona xx