The only reason I don’t hang on to every furniture makeover I have done? I just don’t have room in my house!

It’s hard to find these kinds of pieces already painted this way, so they usually require some love. NONE of this furniture looked this way when I bought it.

Though the chalky paint techniques I used are not all beginner level, they are easy to follow and hard to mess up.

People often tell me what they have isn’t good enough, can’t be restored, and they don’t want to ruin it. 

I’ve had all these thoughts before, too!

However, if you don’t take the risk, your home will continue to feel incomplete. Even worse, like you are living in someone else’s space.

That’s why I’m excited to share step by step furniture makeover ideas using the painted furniture currently in my shop.

Armoire furniture makeover

One of my favorite furniture makeover pieces is an armoire.

The gorgeous floral motifs, egg and dart, and rope carvings have a lot of meaning in the history of furniture. 

That’s how I knew this would be a great candidate for a furniture makeover.

Here’s what I did to get this look:

• Clean up my piece.
• Create a custom paint color using French Gray and Belgian Blue chalk finish paint.

I added 50/50 of each color. I did all of my mixing in a food storage container with a lid. All measurements are done with a teaspoon, so I can recreate it if I run out. Storing it this way also helps to save it from drying out between coats.

You can take a teaspoon of one color, a teaspoon of another, mix it up, and test it. 

• Once I got my desired color, I painted the entire armoire. Then I let that dry, and applied one more coat of the exact same paint blend. 

• On curved carvings, I used Belgian Blue because it’s a lighter color and would be a softer contrast.
• For fine details, I used Chambord Gray.

• Use a dry brush technique with the original color combo for the spots heavy in Chambord Gray or Belgian Blue.

Once this was all dry, I finally moved on to the distressing. 

• Use a light hand to knock off a bit of the paint where the piece would naturally age. 

I use sandpaper when I distress, but one of my other favorite tools to use is a scraper. When I want to keep it light and focused, it helps me not get carried away. 

• Lastly, use Gray Antiquing Glaze in the areas where hands would have been, to give it patina.

Breakfast table furniture makeover

This breakfast table has beautiful carvings and elegant shapes in the legs and apron with a inlay, marquetry top.

That is a specialized type of wood work often found in antique furniture.

The problem is, if you want to keep it in its original wood tone, it is extremely expensive to repair. Much less even find someone who knows how to do the repair work of this old world style of woodwork. 

Rather than invest in a super cost prohibitive repair, we gave this a proper furniture makeover. 

Here’s what I did to get this look:

• Clean the table.

• Paint two coats of Latte Beige all over the apron and legs (avoiding the top)

• Once that was dry, I went back in with a smaller detail brush and used Chantilly White. This created a little soft contrast on the beautiful details of the legs.

• For the top: I created a dilution of Chantilly White with water until I achieved the correct level of transparency. This was just enough to cover the damage while also allowing the wood grain to show.

Now this piece has a new life! I know it’s going to be perfect in someone’s home to add warmth and richness to their space.

Chest of drawers furniture makeover

This is a large chest of drawers that was in bad shape and in desperate need of a furniture makeover.

The goal with the paint was to make it feel like the piece was already Chambord Gray all over. Then, it was as if someone created a beautiful whitewash over time.

But that’s actually not how I got started!

Here’s what I did to get this look:

• I started with two coats of Chantilly White all over.

• Once that was dry, I created a wash with more gray than water. That way, I got a little more heaviness with the coverage.

You can see in certain areas it’s built up a little more, which is what I was looking for. I also used a really loose brush stroke, so you could see those lines in the finish of that color. 

• With that dry, I used my scraper to knock off a bit of paint around the corners.

• Then I came back and added Chambord Gray all throughout kind of as some movement.

Pro tip: The best way to do that is to ask yourself, “where would this piece naturally age?”. Then, step back and look at your work before you go on to adding more or less.

• Paint the inside of the drawers Chambord Gray.

• Lastly, I did a tiny bit of distressing by removing some of the paint on the edges.

Are these furniture makeovers worth the DIY?

Each furniture makeover now feels special, expensive, and like an heirloom. That sounds worth it to me!

These pieces are going to help you to finally visualize what you have imagined for your own home.

With a thrift store find and chalk finish paint (not just white paint), you can do your own DIY projects. 

Once I realized that they could be transformed, it helped me feel connected to the history of these pieces. Not only that, it gave my home the warmth and home goodness I wanted to express my personal style.

The best part is I didn’t have to settle on furniture that just wasn’t me.

Will you take on a furniture makeover of your own now?

If you need any help getting started, please don’t hesitate to reach out! That’s why I’m here 🙂

Amitha 

P.S. You can find all of this furniture and the paint used to make them over at my shop, Village Antiques.

We are open Tuesday – Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

You can also reach us at (713) 468 – 3931