Turquoise tiles on a marble topped wash stand

As soon as I saw this piece I had the colour scheme planned in my head...

Jolie Graphite on the exterior and ASCP Florence (a tiny bit left in an old tin) was the perfect match to the tiles.

I well I doubted myself for

About an hour 

and contemplated different colours 

and 

then came

Back full

Circle to my first idea 

I also did manage to fall backwards off a tall stool when I was looking in my cupboard for the Florence paint. Actually I didn’t even fall, I just stepped down completely forgetting to even tread on the two lower steps. I just went to step from about 90cm high straight onto the ground - it’s like my brain stopped working :(

Loads of bruises on my triceps,

Forearm, hands and my bum but nothing too hurt or broken and I didn’t break the piece of furniture I fell into. Thank god I have lost some weight ha ha 

Anyway I dusted myself off and got to painting. My creativity waits for no one ...

The marble on this piece is lovely very old marble. And tiles are to die for.

Available: I’m in love with this very old piece: a beautiful marble topped wash stand by master cabinet makers Beard  Watson. The tile colour is amazing and I have painted the interior of the cupboard to match; a beautiful turquoise. Exterior has been painted in a charcoal graphite chalk paint, gently distressed and a smooth waxed finish. As a side note, the tiles are removable if you wanted to replace them with a mirror or you can take off the whole top and just use the base. Saying that I love it just as it is. Vintage castors and towel rails on both sides. The marble has a few faint marks towards the back but otherwise it’s in very good condition for its age. 

91w x 46d x 127h cm (NOW SOLD)

Pickup Lilyfield .

I have to say I’m so impressed with Jolie paints. Really easy to use and a super smooth finish and lets just say the wax is fantastic- so much easier to use the previous waxes I have used (not naming names)

If you are interested in buying this piece let me know, it’s even more lovely in real life

Fiona xx

Beautiful French cabinet in gum leaf grey chalk paint

Good morning lovely people: I wanted to thank you for all the lovely emails I’ve had from the last couple of blog posts. It’s nice to be in contact with you again. Today I’m sharing a beautiful cabinet I wasn’t sure I could part with. I really lovely the colour and shape of this vintage French piece.

This piece was so beautiful on the inside but not that nice on the outside. So I have left the interior unpainted, it’s just beautiful timber.

The exterior I have painted in a lovely gum leaf grey chalk paint,- waxed finish and some black glaze and a little

Folding wax. The overall finish is really subtle and soft.

If you are after an elegant statement piece and love this then let me know.

 Available: selling this divine French cabinet with single drawer.I have painted this in a sage green grey chalk paint with a waxed and glazed finish and a little gold on the brass ormulu and braiding. Lovely smooth finish. A very beautiful piece. Single drawer and lockable with a key. The timber interior is very beautiful:

82w x 40d x 91h cm

(NOW SOLD)

Pickup Lilyfield 

Fiona xx

White chalk paint pieces of furniture

A few months ago I got a little confused about what paint I had. I had a tin of a beige colour chalk paint for a custom piece and when I had finished the job I mixed the rest of the tin with a bright white and it made the loveliest soft  white. Fast forward a few months and I needed to buy some soft white paint and I totally forgot that the white I had been using was a mix and not the actual paint I’d bought ...and I went and bought 4 litres of it. When I got home and opened it all I could not believe I had bought 4 litres of BEIGE paint. Far out....

So I’ll be mixing paint to get the soft white colour I like for a long time. 

Anyway .... as you can imagine I am using the mix on lots and lots of pieces. I have these pieces available . These French style drawers which are so lovely. They would work well as a console table or large bedside table also.

The drawers interiors are painted in a putty satin enamel. 

90w (at widest) x 41d x 87h cm

(Now Sold)

I also have these vintage Australian cedar bedside tables. They are very solid and in great shape. The drawer interiors have been painted in an aqua satin enamel. I actually can’t believe these haven’t been snapped up as they are GORGEOUS and usually in high demand. 

Available ; vintage cedar bedside tables with a serpentine front and two smooth sliding drawers. Painted in a white chalk paint and waxed finish (tops have been sealed with a clear coat so you can safely have your water glass on them). Interiors of the drawers have been painted a gorgeous aqua water based enamel. 

Very solid and elegant 

45w x 43d x 75h cm 

(Now Sold)

Pickup Lilyfield or delivery available

This vintage timber mirror has been painted in the same white with a little dark wax for patina. 

Available - a lovely vintage timber mirror painted white with patina added with black wax. A nice deep bevel edge and glass in perfect condition. Ready to hang on strong chain.

92w x 65h cm

(Now Sold)

Pickup Lilyfield only

And finally this vintage French desk I painted for a customer. I loved working on this special piece. My photo certainly doesn’t do it justice. The tope was leather and there are two slide out panels for extra working space each end. My customer was so happy with it. 

Hope you love the colour as you’ll be seeing so much more of it :)

Yours in white paint 

Fiona xx

Furniture Painting on holidays - 24 hour project

We are back from holidays traveling the Great Ocean Road. I’ll share more about the holidays soon but first I wanted to share a project I did for my sister in Melbourne. 

The kids and I drove to Melbourne via the south coast and stopped in Eden for a few days then arrived in Melbourne Friday evening. Phil flew in on the Saturday. So Friday night I was chatting to my sister Rachael while she was prepping dinner and she mentioned she’d been wanting to paint the furniture in her lounge room white for a few years. She was really nervous about doing it and also didn’t have the time she thought it would take.

Her furniture was a matte yellow with loads of texture. She had bought this set around 10 years ago and only choose the yellow as it was available immediately but the white was on back order for a few months. The yellow was quite dated and Rach was over it all. So when she mentioned it, I looked at her husband and said why don’t we go to the paint shop and I can paint it now. So while Rach put the lasagna in the oven, Sean and I jumped in the car and went to Bunnings: the only shop open at 730pm on a Friday night and close by. So I didn’t use my normal paints but I knew adhesion would be no problem as I was painting over a matte good surface. Also I have used so many different types of paints over the year I know I an get a good finish regardless of the paint I use.

After dinner, we set up in the lounge room - me with my paint stuff and Sean and Rach on the lounge and all of us with a glass of red wine: how civilized:) I gave the pieces a very light sand and a wipe down then primed it all with a good primer. I used my favourite brush (around $17 from Bunnings - the Monarch Angled Sash brush 50mm. This brush gives the best smooth finish that I have found and they last very well)

 One coat of primer

I didn’t even clear the bookshelves or baskets: Rachael wanted to leave the timber bits timber and luckily I am a really neat painter. We went to bed around 1130pm when I’d finished priming it all and let the primer dry overnight. 

The next morning I got up at 630am and did the fingernail scratch test and the primer wasn’t going anywhere. Such good adhesion which always makes me happy. So I started on the first coat of white paint. Because I couldn’t buy the chalk paint I wanted I used Dulux wash and wear paint in a low sheen. We choose Antique White USA as this is what Sean and Rach’s doors and architraves /skirtings are painted in. Also it has very good coverage for white so that helped me out with how mnay coats of paint I needed to do. I painted all morning which worked out fine as Sean went and picked up my husband Phil from the airport as he flew down to join the holiday and then we were just hanging out at home for my nephew Max to come home for lunch. By lunchtime I had finished the painting (two coats of Antique White USA (and the coat of white primer) gave full coverage over the yellow and after lunch we went out to the Finders Keepers Markets for a browse: well Rach, Sasha and I went to the markets and the guys went to a nearby pub for the afternoon. After dinner the paint had all dried nicely and we set up with the red wine again in the lounge room: I did the top coats and lightly sanded everything with a fine grit sand paper for a smooth finish - the product I used the Rustoleum Matte sealer that i really love and its non yellowing so that's a what you need for over white paint: and by 10pm I had finished everything. What a turnaround. 

Rach and Sean were absolutely thrilled  - so nice to do this for them. Th whole lounge room looks different and lighter and brighter. More modern also.  The white paint really set off the dark timber also and made it look so nice.

What a quick project - nice to do something I love for someone I love

Fiona xx

Some recent painted furniture

Hello again, I know it’s been a while but I have been working hard with lots of interesting pieces coming though my studio. I thought it was about time to share some here. I just hope I have a few readers still...

I had two of these little Japanese cabinets. They are designed as little benches for near the front door to put shoes etc in. One of my customers bought one as a TV cabinet as they have a marrow lounge room. Both painted in shades of grey. 

I also had a pair of vintage Japanese bedsides tables. Over the years I have done several of this style of furniture but never bedsidenso I was thrilled to source these. I painted them in a dark grey chalk paint and they were snapped up immediately with loads of people interested.

I love bedside tables with a pull out shelf. So handy. 

In the same grey I also painted these vintage English bedside tables. These bedside tables are very similar to several little bookcases I have painted before. Nice and slimlineamd good for a small room.

I have two pairs of bedside tables still for sale if you are interested.  A pair of duck egg bow front ones and some taupe serpentine fronted ones. drop me a line if you are interested. (Now sold)

And these lovely ones: $600 the pair (now sold )

I also have a few other pieces for sale that I’ll share tomorrow. Have a lovely day

Fiona xx