Romantic Lingerie Chest
This Lexington Lingerie Chest was in excellent condition when I bought it and I could have left it as was. (The “Before” picture is below) However, I already a vision in mind. I wanted to do it in a two-toned finish with black paint and stain. As you can see, I didn’t do that. Nothing specific changed my mind, I just decided that a solid black color would give me the elegant look that I wanted.
BEFORE:
As always, I began with cleaning and with this piece, it was easy.
*Learning point - In this process, I did discover that this piece of furniture, although beautiful, is not completely made of solid wood. Instead, it has parts that are made of particle board which is not something that I like. However, I bought this piece through an auction and only saw pictures. If you get a chance to see your piece for purchasing, you can look for evidence of particle board or veneer and so forth. It doesn’t always matter to many people because you cannot tell by looking at it but for me, it matters as far as placing a value on the piece. Solid wood furniture is always going to be more valuable than furniture that is not.
After cleaning and a scuff sanding, I primed. After letting it dry, I painted it this beautiful rich black. (Name of paint listed at the end) I sealed the top with Gator Hide and sealed the remaining part of the chest with Wise Owl Hemp furniture Salve - Unscented.
I loved the hardware on this piece; it is nice and heavy and has details that can be accented with black wax. I cleaned the hardware by soaking it in a water/vinegar mixture and scrubbed it with a hard bristle brush. I think sprayed it with a gold spray paint, let it dry and sealed it with a spray polyurethane. I then rubbed some black wax on it and wiped it away, leaving some in the crevices.
What better way to add a little romance than with a beautiful design on the drawers. Decoupaging is one way of creating this look on the sides of the drawers. I love working with paper from ReDesign with Prima; such quality and so easy to work with. I also love supporting small businesses and I buy many of my supplies through Etsy. This particular paper was purchased from MaikaDaughters on Etsy.
I promise in the future I will be better about photographing more details of my process. But at this stage I have been using a basic decoupage paste. Cut the paper to the approximate size, brush the decoupage paste onto the drawer side and lay the paper down. It’s pretty easy to slide it around if you need to. Smooth it out and make sure it is laying flat without bubbles. Brush a nice even coat of your paste over the paper, clean up the edges if necessary and let it dry. Apply 3-4 coats, sanding in between.
Tip - there are different ways of trimming the paper to the exact size if needed. One way is to let it almost dry completely and then use a scrub pad (like you use in the kitchen to do dishes) and sand downward on the edges of the drawer. Any extra paper will come off easily. After the first coat dries, rub your hand across the paper. If it feels rough, sand it with a high grit sand paper such as 220 or higher, and then apply another coat. It should feel smooth after sanding.
Supplies used:
Dixie Belle Chalk Paint in Caviar
Wise Owl Hemp Furniture Salve - Unscented
Wise Owl Hemp furniture Salve - Lemon Verbena (inside of the drawers)
ReDesign with Prima Decoupage paper - Washed Damask
