One of my latest projects: a wooden set of drawers. Originally, it was dark and dull with totally outdated hardware. From the moment I got it I knew I want to use the triangular "panels" on the front door. I thought about decoupage but needed a design with smaller motives that would be visible on the limited space. The decoupage paper I used came from Zazzle You can find there tons (and tons) of different designs. Actually, they are so many of them that it is impossible to choose!😉My next step: finding the shade of blue (read: going through my thousands of cans and jars) which would work well with the decoupage design I selected.

The execution followed standard steps: clean - fix - clean and prime. The wood was showing some tendencies to bleed so despite choosing blue paint, I decided to prime the whole piece with my "primer to go to" Zinsser Bull Eye 1-2-3. Next steps: scuffing, light cleaning (to remove the dust) and painting. Since I applied white primer, it took me 2.5 coats to get the desired coverage with my Yankee Blue chalk paint from Dixie Belle.

I kept the top of the tables free of paint (forgot to mention: I sanded it really well) and I applied Rust-Oleum Chalked Decorative Glaze just to give it a bit of aged look. Then came the fan part of cutting the puzzle pieces - decoupage paper to apply it. I started with the idea of applying the decoupage on the fronts of drawers and doors only. But after a second thought, I decided to add it on the sides as well to make the pieces looking lighter.
Once the decoupage pieces were dry I added some dry brush dabs with blue paint around the corners and white dabs around the edge of the drawers and on the sides of the tables.

Final step: sealing with my satin varnish Minwax Clear Polycrylic Water-Based Finish Satin 

I love playing with various media and trying to find the way to combine them. This chest of drawers - with 3 big drawers but each of them featuring 3 independent "grooves" - gave me an opportunity to mix 'n match. I decided to combine floral tissue decoupage Pretty Meadows from Redesign with Prima with light colored cane webbing. Since I wanted each "groove" to look like individually framed picture, I selected 2 paints to use on this piece: darker (framing) Blue Pine and lighter (background) Chateau, both from Fusion Mineral Paint.

I left the top stripped and unpainted for 2 reasons: I like leaving wood visible as often as I can. It makes a nice contrast against the paint body of the piece. And it gives a bit more modern look. That is the esthetical reason. And then there is a practical one: wooden surface sealed either with wax or varnish is easier to maintain that painted surface (even when sealed). No risk of stains, discolorations etc.

The final touch: new hardware in the shape of heart. One of my lucky finds on the ebay. Yes, ebay is a great source of unusual, discontinued hardware. Give it a go:-)

Instagram is packed with DIY hacks that can be used when upcycling furniture. Using IKEA armrest RODEBY to create ridges on the front of the drawer is one of those mind blowing hacks.
That's what I did on the top drawer of this chest. The process required cutting the armrest to the right shape (I used my magic Japanese cut saw), attaching it to the fronts (Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue) and sanding the edges so they were perfectly aligned and are not sharp. Then I follow up with priming and painting.

Another interesting bit on this piece: I like contrasting elements. That is why the ridges on the top drawers are horizontal but the lines on the bottom drawers are vertical. To paint this piece I used to colors from Fusion Mineral Paint (I like "block" painting - combining contrasting colors): Everett and Champlain. To add the vertical stripes I used Pearl - I like the effect of the stripes which are reappearing and disappearing depending on the light. 

I love using decoupage when upcycling my pieces. Since most of the time the surface I cover with decoupage is big it is very important to find decoupage which is easy to apply and resistant (I had my share of horror stories with decoupage disintegrating during application).

Mint by Michelle - her Mint Decoupage Paper -  is my recent discovery and an instant love. I used one of her designs - Foil Bird - as a theme when upcycling a set of IKEA night tables. The whole process required: paint (Paisley from Fusion Mineral Paint complemented perfectly the decoupage), decoupage paper and new hardware. Since I was working with pine, I decided the prime the piece (to avoid yellow bleed - stains sneaking through the paint over time). The top of the tables was sanded and white washed (any white or off-white paint will do). And the final touch: varnish all over the pieces.

Not all transformation have to be complex. In case of this small round table, I decided to make the design of the decoupage on the top - its main hero. The design (I found it on Zazzle), because of its round pattern was a perfect fit for the round table. I combined it with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Napoleonic Blue. I sealed it with the clear wax and followed with some brown wax to give it a darker, aged look (actually, Napoleonic Blue combined with brown wax is just divine). I did not replace the hardware and just painted it in the same blue (it does not happen often that I paint the hardware) but I did not want to have any other elements drawing the attention away from the orange tree. The top of the table got couple coats of varnish (in addition to Mod Podge Hard Coat) to make sure the decoupage is perfectly protected.

I am not a big fan of black color but I love a good charcoal. It is dark enough but not too harsh. Ash from Fusion Mineral Paint is one of my favorites. I used it to transform this set of night tables. Since I love combining painted surfaces with bare wood I decided to keep top and legs without painting them. But the veneer on the top was very damaged. No panic! I used my magic potion: Liquid wood from Retique It. Liquid wood is available in 3 different shades and stain that comes on top - in almost 20 different colors. Driftwood is my favorite and it worked perfectly with charcoal paint. Retique it saved me on many occasions when veneer / or wood damage was beyond fixing.

The final touch: hardware. Clearly, charcoal was asking for something shiny, ideally in gold and with unique shape. 4-leaf clover hardware was a perfect finish.

Cane webbing is an amazing way to add the lightness and style. I tend to use it on the chests of drawers and sideboards which have drawers / door with a "frame". They make the application of the webbing easier (more neat). I used to buy the webbing on Amazon, but then discovered few suppliers on Etsy (one of my favorite is based in Vietnam - give me a shout and I am happy to share the details.). I am going to prepare a special blog post about the application of the cane webbing soon. So follow my blog.

There are various types of cane webbing - with varying webbing patters and color. Since I decided to go with the lightest one (it is almost an off-white) and selected a darker color to frame it: Bellwood from Fusion Mineral Paint. I used Chateau for the body. I like combining color, especially if both are rather neutral ones.

Usually I do not paint the inside of the cabinets/drawers. But this one was pretty scruffy so I painted everything.
Using the liners in the drawers and on the shelves is my standard (unless there is a beautiful wood hiding there). But I like adding a little "something" on the inside of the door. This time - just a small stencil. Just a nice touch.

Since this was a solid wood piece and the top was in a good shape, I paint washed it (off-white) and varnished.

Adding extra patterns using wooden dowels/rods is another way to refinish your piece. This IKEA piece was transformed by adding square wooden dowels. It was rather times consuming process - each piece had to be measured and precut (I did it manually using me Japanese cut saw). Then I spent time gluing each piece to the drawers making sure the distance was identical and that the dowels applied on all drawers were in a continuous line. But the final result was worth it.

As the next step I primed the piece and painted it using color Nautical from Dixie Belle's Silk line.

Since my intention was to make the lines "the main hero", I opted for simple round brushed golden knobs to complete the transformation.

My first "kids targeting" project (actually, it ended up being purchased by an adult - just a big fun of hedgehogs!).

The transformation started with a... hedgehog itself. II wanted to find a way of using one of the furniture transfers from Hello Baby collection by Redesign with Prima and the hedgehog was my first pick mainly because of its shape and horizontal orientation a perfect fit for the frontal section of the trunk.

The hedgehog required a natural environment so I selected Hazelwood by Fusion Mineral Paint as my main color. I decided to create an ombre background by blending Hazelwood with Putty to create lighter base for the hedgehog.

I like keeping some parts of my pieces with the bare wood visible, especially in the areas which will face high traffic: stained and varnished surface is less likely to wear a visible damage over time. I sanded the top to remove all the traces of the varnish and old stain. I followed with the application of Dixie Belle's Voodoo Gel Stain in White Magic. I let it dry and then added a coat of Rust-Oleum Chalked Decorative Age Glaze. The combination of both helped be to hide yellow undertones typical for the pinewood.
 

An amazing transformation can be achieved just by selection a right color. Or colors. I like creating color blocks - working with contrasting colors. In case of this lovely chest of drawers, I followed client's brief to use navy blue but I recommended combining it with a lighter off-white color. The final set: Midnight Blue and Chateau from Fusion Mineral Paint. I used Midnight Blue on the top, base and the top set of drawers. The "body" and remaining drawers were painted in Chateau. I find this lovely neutral color a particularly good fit for vintage pieces as it carries the feel of the old castle walls.

I did not need to look for new hardware as the original pieces were still in great shape and required just a bid of "facelift".
 

One of my favorite transformations. I love decoupage and in case of this piece the decoupage elevated it to a totally different level. My idea when starting this project was to preserve bare wood on the top and along the legs to create the frame. And to dress up the rest using decoupage: Blue Flight rice paper from Decoupage Queen. 

I sanded the top, edges and the legs and used the primer in the areas where I was planning to apply the decoupage. I painted those areas with a white paint too, to make sure I got totally white background. Once totally dry, I continued with the decoupage.

Final step: I stained the top/edges and legs to get the warm - not too dark but contrasting wood color.

Since the original hardware was a perfect fit to the style of the cabinet, I refreshed it - sprayed it and kept it.
 

Another example of using cane webbing while upcycling the furniture. This time I removed the original glass and replaced it with cane webbing plus a piece of chipboard as a base. It is amazing how it totally changed the style of this sideboard.

In order to create contrast with the light color of cane webbing, I decided to go for a darker paint: Oakham from Fusion Mineral Paint. Rooted in grey, this dark neutral is balanced in its warm brown and bronze undertones. I kept the top of the sideboard unpainted and paint washed it in off-white before sealing it with a matt varnish.

I added new hardware - handles - in brushed gold. I like their rounded edges. Here is the link.

I painted the chipboard which was used to attach the cane webbing with the same paint as the rest of the sideboard (actually, I painted the whole inside part of the doors) - but I thought it looked rather empty. I decided to decorate it with subtle stencil using gold paint matching the hardware.

 

Great solid wood set of night tables... but originally rather boring.

My idea was to retain a lot of visible / bare wood but to make the final look more exciting. I decided to add "ridges" to the middle drawers and paint them as well as the sides.

I started with a thorough sanding of the top and the fronts of top & bottom drawers. I had to remove all the old varnish / some stain to allow my application of new staining product.

I used a hack with IKEA's Rodeby armrest bamboo tray. I cut the section of it, just enough to cover the front of the drawers. I used the Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue to attach it plus couple heavy cans placed on the top to make sure it adhered well. The edges had to be sanded to make sure they aligned perfectly with the edges of the drawers (no sharp corners). I scuff-sanded the applied sections to make easier the adherence of the paint.

Since I planned to stain a little darker both the wooden top and the fronts of top & bottom drawers, I wanted the parts which were to be painted stand out a little. Therefore, I selected Little Lamb "woolly grey" from Fusion Mineral Paint.

I followed with the staining of the wooden surfaces, and once all the elements were dry - I varnished the entire night tables.

The final step: new round knobs and lining of the drawers with self-adhesive paper. A bit bigger and in gold to contrast against wood/paint. If I recall well, I had to spray paint them as they were dark brown...
 

Big transformation started with adding the legs. Personally, I am a big fan of legs. There is a great set of legs for each and every piece of legless furniture. You can find more about my fascination with legs in my blog post 'It is all about legs'. In case of this desk, there was no need for a big height: just enough to lift it of the ground. I used 2-inch wooden legs which were super easy to add.
 
Although the desk was made of solid wood, its top was very damaged, but I wanted to give it the wood-like look. In the situations like this Retique it Liquid Wood is my "go to" product. I gave it even more realistic look by creating patterns with graining tools.
 
I selected a deep navy as a lead colour for the desk: Peacoat from Country Chic. To create some contrast, I went with lighter stain colour for both desk's top and fronts of the drawers in order to make them look identical. In both cases I used a bit darker glaze on the edges.
 
Since I wanted to balance the smart / neutral look of the wood-like top / drawers with a bit more playful elements, I decorated the front of the top drawers with decoupage Cobalt Flourish from Redesign with Prima - a perfect match for the blue colour used on the sides.
I selected golden hardware to add a more refined finish.

First step: I wanted to make this piece look lighter. Therefore, I decided to replace its existing bun legs with slant legs that would lift the chest of drawers higher of the ground. Here is the link to the solid wood slant legs I used. They come in various lengths.

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I sanded the varnish / stain off the top and scuffed the rest. I decided to put the weight on the bottom drawer painting it with a darker colour and keep the other drawers lighter: I used the combination of Willowbank and Cathedral Taupe from Fusion Mineral Paint. I used a bit of a crackle finish on the top drawer and I gave the final touch using Antiquing glaze to make the crackles a bit more visible/finish more aged.

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I left the top "pure" without staining it and just sealed it with a matt varnish.

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The most important detail of this makeover: the hardware. I love the line/shape of these handles! Here is the link: Brushed Gold Half Moon Pullers.

My first move: replacing the legs. It is hard to see it in the "before" photo but original legs were "bun" style (and I do not like bun legs!). I guess they were supposed to be the extension of the columns visible on both sides of the sideboard. I replaced them with basic low square legs which almost match the bottom part of the side columns.

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Next step: sanding off the top and scuffing the rest. I decided to paint the piece in Champlain, warm white, from Fusion Mineral Paint. Since I wanted to use both doors as frame for the cane webbing - I selected the darked version in order to create the contrast.

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I stained the top in order to match the shade of the cane webbing. I replaced the hardware.

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In case of the sideboards and other pieces with the door, I like decorating them on the inside part as well. So I applied the decoupage.

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Of course, all the drawers and shelves for the liners. 

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