September 4, 2011

A little bit of sunshine.

One of my most treasured pieces of furniture is my sewing machine desk which belonged to my grandmother. I think it has beautiful lines and a clean, modern look, which I love. I've been wanted to do something to it because I felt it wasn't living up to it's full potential and didn't quite mesh with the feel of my house but had no idea what I should do!

But thanks to Pinterest, I was suddenly inspired and decided to paint it!!
 Here's the final product...
I love it. Love. It.

I opted for an ombre look using gradient shades of yellow! The term "ombre" is new to me...but I'm all of a sudden seeing it everywhere from Project Runway to nail polish one to even hair color.
So what did I do? I painted everything but the drawer fronts in Behr Ultra White and bought four small samples of Behr Ultra Premium paint in Moonlit, Daffodil, Vibrant, and Lemon-Lime which were less than $3 each.
Here's a view from the top which shows where the sewing machine tucks away. Even though I don't know how to sew, I love that it's still under there!
I left the hardware completely original and I love how the yellow lets it pop!
It's been awhile since I actually hand painted anything using a paintbrush and considering the value of the item I was painting, I decided to splurge and get the one that every blogger always mentions as the absolute best - the Purdy.
 After years and years of always buying the cheapest paintbrushes possible, I will never go back! This thing is amazing! Not ONE single bristle was left on the surface (meaning I didn't have to ruin the paint by picking out a stray bristle) and even after multiple washes in between coats and colors, once the brush was dry it was like it was brand new again! Now I understand why everyone always speaks so highly about these brushes...if you haven't tried them yet, you should! It's totally worth it.

Hmm...now what else can I paint?

21 comments:

  1. That desk turned out AMAZING! Thank you for sharing that idea as the two tone white and yellow is now becoming a huge contender in my dresser decision!

    I love the yellow against your wall color as well, it's so inviting!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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  2. Thank you so much, Jen! And thanks for visiting my blog...you're my first "celebrity" comment! Ha!

    I can't wait to see your finished dresser. I'm certain it'll look amazing in whatever color you choose!

    Take care,
    Rachel :-)

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  3. Hi Rachel,
    Saw your cute desk at the PoP Party and had to stop by to see more of it. Painting the drawers in variant shades was a brilliant idea! Your Gram's sewing table has been given a new lease on life - and seems to fit in with your decor so much better. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  4. Hi! I'm Nicole from Romanian Princess. I saw your blog on a link up and decided I better add you! Please return the favor and follow me back at:

    www.romanianprincess.com!

    XoXo Nicole Mariana

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  5. I am loving this desk makeover! Shades of yellow was genius! What a beautiful addition you now have! I would love to have you share this at Show & Share!

    http://southernlovely.blogspot.com/2011/09/show-share-4.html

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  6. i LOOOOVE that! the ombre in yellow looks fabulous!

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  7. I love how this looks! I love ombre designs too, and I think it looks great on this style of sewing table! Very cute!!

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  8. love the piece (i'm a mid-century fan!) and love the way you finished it...& i'm sure your grandmother would love it, as well!

    well done!

    amy

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  9. I have a sewing table exactly like this that I'm getting ready to repaint. I absolutely LOVE this idea. And even the color yellow. I'm using that with purple right now to highlight my basement. I think I'm going to do this as well.

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  10. Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that I featured you today at Southern Lovely. Grab a button if you'd like!

    http://southernlovely.blogspot.com/2011/09/show-share-4-features.html

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  11. Thank you, ladies! You are all so very sweet and have made my day!

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  12. The desk turned out so good! I love how the yellow gets darker as you go down the desk! It looks great! Such a good job!

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  13. The lines of this desk are great and I love the gradient paint technique. One of my favorite trends! Great transformation.

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  14. LOVE this!!! I have an old dresser I've been wanting to do gradient paint on. That's a perfect tip to use paint samples! Thanks for sharing :)

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  15. Great job...visiting from Suzy's...I love the yellow's you chose!

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  16. Wow - I love it! I have a set of drawers that I might just tackle in a similar style!

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  17. Just found your blog and I LOVE this desk! Great job! I'm planning on doing something similar myself with a dresser. Did you have to sand and prime? Any advise would be awesome. Thank you!!! :)

    Jamie
    www.sweetpeaandpoppy.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jamie,

      Thank you so much! I only lightly sanded and primed the top of the desk...I didn't think I needed to do that to the drawers. Looking back though, I probably should have at least primed the drawers. I tend to look for shortcuts and that's one I probably shouldn't have taken :-)

      Good luck on your piece! Are you doing yellows or another color?

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  18. You gave me an idea to color a white wooden shoe rack I have that I just bought the other day. I love the color, I'm thinking of coloring the shelves a nice gray shade, since obviously this is where the shoes go & the outside yellow, some white flowers stencil on the yellow & who knows I might have something more attractive, than just a plain white shoe rack, too boring. If I don't like it, I can always re color it a different color, I love your ideas! :)

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