Hello there, friends! Hope you all had a fantastic weekend… we had Sawyer’s birthday party (even though his actual birthday is in August, but summers are tough!) and opened our house up to several loud, gross, funny boys who spent the night. We lived, and our house survived the attack as well. 😉 Seriously though, they are nice kids, and I am glad that my son has found a good group of boys to call friends. Anyhow, I didn’t come here today to blog about a birthday party because frankly, 7th grade boys parties aren’t especially blog worthy… pizza, video games, brownies, the end. Nope, today I have got a little vintage piece of furniture I recently gave a new look. It’s just a small piece, but as we all know, details can make a space. Today I bring you furniture makeover: black & brass vintage nightstand.
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As I mentioned, this was a small piece, and an easier makeover, but those little guys can really make a difference in a space. I found this guy originally at my local Goodwill, and was drawn to the shape, the brass, and the original hardware (which I had apparently removed by this point- oops!).
As you can see, it was somewhat work, but I admit those scratches on the inside came from a certain Squeakers the chicken hopping in that opening and me making her get out. Painting furniture with her around is always an adventure!
I used my orbital sander to lightly sand all over. In the smaller nooks, and around the edges of the drawer facade where the sander could not reach, I simply sanded by hand, the good old fashioned way. Once it was thoroughly sanded, I wiped it off with a damp rag, allowed it to dry, and then applied two coats of General Finishes Lamp Black, allowing ample dry time between coats.
Once it was dry, I again pulled out the orbital sander and used it to lightly hit the edges. I don’t always use my orbital sander to distress, but it works well when the lines are relatively straight. For pieces with more details, I distress by hand. I prefer pieces with light distressing and don’t usually care for heavier distressing (though I have done it in the past, but these days the look makes me kind of cringe.). Heavier distressing tends to look more artificial to me. Of course, here I am artificially distressing this piece, so not like I have room to say anything. 😉
After distressing, I applied my Black Bison wax, allowed it to dry for about 15 minutes, and buffed it with a rag for a bit of shine and to help harden the finish. I just love this wax for its harder finish and durability. I prefer to use it on pieces that are distressed as opposed to the midcentury and sleeker pieces. You may recall just a couple of weeks ago I shared a midcentury dresser I painted with the same color, but the overall look and treatment was completely different in honoring the era and style of the piece. You can take a look at that more modern finish here. This little nightstand, however, wanted a more time worn look, and that’s what I gave it.
The brass pull really stands out against the black, and it’s a pairing I’ve always loved…. classic and a bit sophisticated.
Those brass bands on the legs are pretty chic, as well, aren’t they? I don’t know the actual name for them, but the placement makes me think of swanky garter belts, so I think that’s what I’ll call them. And who doesn’t love a brass garter belt? Eew.
Now to refresh your memory of what a difference a varied finish technique can have on the same color, here’s a look back at the midcentury dresser I recently shared.
No matter what the finish, I always am happy with the results with General Finishes Lamp Black. And this is not at all sponsored, just words coming straight from the mouth of a fan! Both of these pieces will be available at Sweet Clover October 20-22.
