Cassie Bustamante

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Furniture Makeover: Turquoise Asian Inspired Nightstands

September 11, 2017 by Cassie 27 Comments

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Before I begin, I want to thank you all for your comments and support on my last post.  I’m so happy that you’re as excited as I am about retro-blogging.  Just as in the good ol’ days of my blog, I’ll be sharing a fun furniture makeover with you today.  As I mentioned last week, I am back at Sweet Clover as a vendor with my own little space to take care of and fill and style as I wish.  Yesterday I completed the space which I’ll be featuring later this week.  Today it’s all about a sexy little pair of turquoise Asian inspired nightstands.  (This post does contain affiliate links).

Turquoise Asian Nightstands

I actually hadn’t planned on adding too much to my space after initially setting it up a week ago, but then as luck would have it, I had a great week thrifting.  I found these at one of my stops, in all of their pale yellow with minty underlay crackle finish.  Pardon the before in the back of my car (and taken as it was actually standing on its head), but you get the idea.

Nightstands Before

I love the asian inspired piece I have in my own home that now sits in my dining room and I knew I wanted to go bold with color as I did with that.

I am really into using what paints I still have on hand at the moment, and General Finishes milk paints are always my go-t0. The finish, durability, and ease of use can’t be beat!  From my paints, I selected Corinth Blue which unfortunately has been discontinued, but it’s a bright bold turquoise.  Before I could get to work painting, I had to prep.

Once the hardware was removed, I got to work! Using my orbital sander (I have this one and love it!), I sanded the nightstands to smooth them as much as possible from that crackle finish.  At the curves where the sander couldn’t reach, I hand-sanded.  I wasn’t able to remove all of the crackle look, but who needs perfect?  I knew I’d distress these a little bit to let that lighter color show so a little texture would be fine,

After sanding, I wiped clean with a damp rag, and began applying my paint with my favorite Purdy angled brush.  I love to use their 2″ brushes as they fit well into smaller cans of paint.  2 coats was all that they took… and boy, do I just love when that happens!  Lazy girl painter here.

Next I went back to my orbital sander to give these a little distressing at the edges.  I often do this step by hand, but because of the smooth surfaces and boxy shape, these were easy to use with the electric sander… my arthritic hands thanked me.

Distressing Furniture with Orbital Sander

Finally, to give them a protective finish, I applied General Finishes Satin Finishing Wax.  This wax is my favorite to use because it comes in an almost liquid form in a squeeze bottle, which makes application with a rag a breeze.

I staged them on my porch with several other items that are all for sale this weekend at Sweet CloverTurquoise Asian Nightstands

I staged them with several other items that are available this weekend at Sweet Clover, including that fabulous vintage kilim rug. How fantastic is that original hardware, by the way?  I always love when I can reuse what a piece came with because a) it’s less wasteful, and b) it maintains the character of the piece.

 

DIY Painted Turquoise Nightstands

Awesome original hardwareI’ve potted several succulents, spider plants, and pothos in all sorts of vintage containers to bring some life to my space.  And unicorns are pretty much a no-brainer when it comes to one of my staples.

I can’t wait to show you how they look in the space later this week!  My porch is not necessarily ideal for staging, but it’s what I’ve got so I am going to make it work as well as I can.

How to paint furniture with general finishes paintThe best part of hunting down pieces and painting them over the last couple of weeks has been the actual labor of it all.  Sanding and painting alone are pretty mind-clearing activities, a meditation of a sort for me.  And when the final vision is achieved it’s rewarding… it feels great to have paint under my fingernails again.  I didn’t realize how much I had missed it.

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Filed Under: furniture transformations Tagged With: diy, furniture, paint

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Comments

  1. Paula says

    September 11, 2017 at 7:06 am

    These look great and I’ll bet that they sell quickly. I saw your booth on FB and was seriously impressed with how much merchandise you were able to collect and fit into that area. Sanding and painting is a mind clearing. When you have problems, it’s great to have projects to focus your mind on something other than what is bothering you.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 11, 2017 at 6:43 pm

      thank you so much, paula! i have been a woman on a mission the past few weeks…. gathering, cleaning, painting, etc… and it has felt so good.

      Reply
  2. Shelley | Crazy Wonderful says

    September 11, 2017 at 7:33 am

    I bet it does fell good again! They look beautiful, and I’m a sucker for those original drop pulls. Love all your finds up top too!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 11, 2017 at 6:43 pm

      i am, too- drop pulls get me every time! heck, i even love the ones that hobby lobby sells that are similar! 😉 thank you so much, shelley!

      Reply
  3. [email protected] says

    September 11, 2017 at 9:09 am

    Love them….AND that rug! Also, the upside down shot in your car is blowing my mind. I feel like I’m in Alice in Wonderland 😉

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 11, 2017 at 6:42 pm

      isn’t that rug awesome?!?! i was so excited to find it! and my car pretty much is like wonderland.

      Reply
  4. Tanya Derrey Bingham says

    September 11, 2017 at 11:54 am

    I love them Cassie, they turned out gorgeous!!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 11, 2017 at 6:41 pm

      thank you so much, tanya!

      Reply
  5. Kate @ KateDecorates.co says

    September 11, 2017 at 12:02 pm

    Love these, Cassie! That color blue looks SO good against the rug. (Side note: Such a bummer that GF discontinued that color.) I’m sure the nightstands will sell quickly for you!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 11, 2017 at 6:40 pm

      thank you so much, kate! i certainly hope so!

      Reply
  6. Emy says

    September 11, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    These look amazing Cassie! I’m so glad you found such pleasure in painting furniture again. <3

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 11, 2017 at 6:40 pm

      thank you, emy! i thought you might like this color!

      Reply
  7. Kathy says

    September 11, 2017 at 7:43 pm

    The pulls are so darling and I love the color you used. I think painting is therapeutic too. Can’t wait to see them at sweet clover but they look pretty on your porch!!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 12, 2017 at 5:42 pm

      thank you so much, kathy! i loved those pulls so much!

      Reply
  8. [email protected] says

    September 11, 2017 at 7:50 pm

    Wow such great pieces. I really love their shape and drop pull sand the color you chose is perfect. I’m also glad that you have paint under my fingernails again 😉

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 12, 2017 at 5:42 pm

      it truly feels good! i feel inspired again!

      Reply
  9. Maggie @ Maggie Overby Studios says

    September 11, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    What a great set! I miss being able to do this more often myself…living vicariously.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 12, 2017 at 5:42 pm

      it really has been therapy for me!

      Reply
  10. Lauren says

    September 12, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    I love them! I love it all! That rug … ugh. I wish I was close and could come buy it at Sweet Clover.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 12, 2017 at 5:41 pm

      thank you, lauren! i wish you could, too! 😉

      Reply
  11. Carli says

    September 12, 2017 at 6:34 pm

    Those night stands are gorgeous! I love that Corinth blue!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 13, 2017 at 8:28 am

      thank you, carli! i do, too! i wish they didn’t discontinue it. 🙂

      Reply
  12. emily @ go haus go says

    September 13, 2017 at 10:57 am

    They look fantastic! Love the color you chose. You are so right about the therapeutic effects of the actual heavy lifting. I feel the same way. It’s such a great way to clear the mind and my anxiety almost always goes away. Dirty fingernails is a small price to pay. 🙂

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 13, 2017 at 12:46 pm

      thank you so much, emily! it really is worth the dirty nails… less than therapy! 😉

      Reply
  13. Jessica | Petal + Ply says

    September 13, 2017 at 12:26 pm

    You picked the perfect blue for that set. So pretty! I’ve been trying to use up the paints I have on hand too. After opening a few and finding that they’re drying out/spoiling I couldn’t justify buying new paints until I use what I have. It’s been fun combing different leftover colors to make enough for a piece or two. Bonus- getting to throw out cans and having more space!!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      September 13, 2017 at 12:44 pm

      yes! i need to clear out my cans for the same reasons- to be lest wasteful and make new colors and space… and because one chicken keeps coming in the garage when i am working and jumping on all my cans. seriously.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My September Space at Sweet Clover: Earthy, Midcentury, Boho Goodness - Cassie Bustamante says:
    September 13, 2017 at 5:00 am

    […] and a brass trunk on top.  My space is heavy on the wovens, brasses, and blues! You can see the nightstands I shared earlier this week to the left.  Check out that vintage UCLA School of Optometry poster […]

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Cassie!

I believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a beautiful life and be your best self.  Here you will find budget friendly ideas to live happily, healthily, sustainably, and most importantly authentically.  We all get one chance at this life, and this ordinary girl plans to make hers extraordinary. How about you? Read more...
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Hi! I'm Cassie.

Mother, wife, shop owner, blogger, writer, incurable diy-er, furniture painter, coffee and wine drinker, friend. Seeking happiness and passing it on. Read More…

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