Decisions, Decisions....

I have a Chinese apothecary cabinet that looks almost identical to this one and I can't decide what to do with it. It doesn't quite fit with the rest of the house, so at this point it is inhabiting our basement and serving as storage for all our Christmas ornaments. Painting may help. Or it might be better to let it move on to a new home where it is better appreciated as is.

Sometimes when I am immobilized by indecision, I will try out ideas on a smaller, less intimidating piece. Which leads me to my post for today.

Although hard to see, the scale of this apothecary cabinet is quite different. It is a tabletop size, something you might use as a jewelry cabinet. It was painted with a combination of Old White and Old Ochre. A little Louis Blue was added to the Duck Egg and used on the face of the drawers. I used more Dark Wax than I usually do. It adds the shading and shadows and gives it more dimension. I like it on this, but I still don't know what to do with the large chest. Any ideas?

Chinoiserie Chalk Paint

One of the techniques I have been working on lately is using Annie Sloan Chalk PaintⒸ to create a Chinoiserie style paint finish. A shiny lacquered surface is usually made by spraying several light coats of lacquer based paint. It is almost impossible (for me) to brush on lacquer correctly, it must be sprayed on for a smooth finish, meaning several cans of Spray Lacquer (limited colors) or  High Gloss Spray Paint. Because this must be done outdoors, when the temperature is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, for me it is only an option about 6 months out of the year. There are also numerous environmental reasons to find other alternatives.

The mahogany chest above had never been painted and the finish was in excellent condition. My client chose emerald green for the color and was willing to allow me to experiment with Chalk Paint. It took a little mixing and layering of the colors above to create this rich green. Graphite was used to finish the hardware and add the striping. It was topcoated and buffed with clear wax. It was an easy process for me and my client is delighted with the result.

I like Annie Sloan Chalk Paint  for my craft and furniture projects, but for walls nothing compares to Pure & Original Fresco Lime Paint. I love the natural variations of shades and tones the lime creates within one paint color. You have to see how gorgeous it is! Checkout my most recent interior design make overs with Fresco. It can be purchased online at www.502paint.com

P.S  Pure and Original also makes a chalk based paint called Classico in 140 colors! Its amazing too!

Chinoiserie Apothecary Cabinet

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Arles