Hello beautiful friends! I’m back for Trash-to-Treasure Tuesday with one of my favorite furniture styles! It’s a beautiful French provincial night table makeover from my new Spring Haul!
My friends have even more makeovers for you at the bottom, so keep an eye out for those.
I lucked upon this pretty lady at the thrift store for only $12, AND I had a 20% off punch card that I was able to use on it as well:
It doesn’t appear too trashy here, but it did have some issues on the top:
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
The Top
If you paint over the missing stain, you will see that through the paint, so in order to prepare the top for paint, I sanded the top smooth with my rotary sander:
Clean
After vacuuming up all the sanding dust with my shop vac, I cleaned with White Lightning using an applicator pad:
I then swapped out my water for clean water and gave it another wipe down to remove any residue.
Because I had plans to swap out the hardware on the top drawer, I filled those holes in with Dixie Mud:
I let that dry overnight and the next day, I sanded it smooth with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around an old sanding sponge.
Paint
Time for the fun part! I’m always excited when the prep is done and I can finally paint!
I mixed a custom Dixie Belle color using about 1/3 Hurricane Gray with 2/3 Cotton White:
It makes the loveliest soft gray color!
Two coats were all this piece needed.
Then I filled in the finer details using craft brushes…
I used Fluff for the details. The tiny areas were painted with a script liner brush:
That was the most time consuming part!
I also added my favorite stripes to the top drawer using FrogTape and Fluff white:
FrogTape for delicate surfaces is the best!
Sand
Once all the painting was complete and dry, I sanded all over with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around an old sanding sponge, hitting the edges more to distress a little.
Seal
All that was left to do was seal this pretty piece! I used Dixie Belle’s Satin Clear Coat and applied it with the blue sponge applicator:
I cut this one straight across at the top, so I could get right up next to the top surface!
French Provincial Night Table Makeover: The After
Let’s see how this pretty lady turned out!
As you can see, I painted the flourish across the bottom in Fluff as well to balance the stripes on top…
And changing out the hardware on the top for a simple glass knob added more interest…
Isn’t this color so lovely??
I kept the original hardware on the two bottom drawers and just opted to paint them in Fluff:
Painting in the recessed areas was time consuming, but well worth it to highlight those details.
I kept a damp rag on hand to wipe away any stray paint while painting those details. (There was a lot lol.)
Drawer love
And y’all know I love a surprise! While I chose to keep the insides of the drawers as is since they were in perfect condition, I did add some love to the outsides!
This is one of my favorite Belles and Whistles transfers, the Lace Transfer:
I just cut it to fit the sides and used the enclosed burnishing tool to burnish it onto the drawer sides:
I know I always say my makeovers are fun to do, but when you get to play around with different elements to bring one look together, it really is fun!!
I get lots of questions about the florals I use, and most of them are just really good fakes! I thought I would share where I got these from! Have you ever checked out the flowers at HomeGoods or TJ Maxx? They sometimes have a display with flowers in clear wrap just like you’d find at your favorite florist and they also have small bushels of florals but I often overlook them.
Last week though, these really caught me eye!
They were only $10! I just cut the stems and added them to my favorite faux greenery that I found at Michaels a few years ago and it looks like I went out in my garden and cut a handful of flowers!
I’m not a floral arranger at all, so I like a messy, just whacked from the garden, kind of look ha ha!
I hope y’all enjoyed this makeover today!!
Shop Vacation
Just a quick reminder that I do have my Etsy shop on vacation this week through Thursday while we are out of town for Spring Break. I personally pack every order, and I’m unable to do that while I’m away, but the shop will reopen bright and early Friday morning! If you have any questions, I’m still checking my messages, so fire away!
Don’t forget to check out what trashy makeovers my friends are bringing your way today!
If you liked this makeover, I redid another much more simply a couple of years ago…
See what I did with this one HERE!
Another piece down, several to go!
If you missed any so far, you can check them out at the links below:
Repurposed Cigar Box
Antique Oak Chair Makeover
Painting the Smalls #16 (candlesticks, small box, tray)
Stenciled Mirror Makeover
Hutch Makeover
I’ll be back on Thursday with a two-for-one…these pieces are also French provincial beauties:
UPDATE! See what was under all that paint here now!
See ya then!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Mary Kaiser says
It is so beautiful now! I always love it when you use stripes and floral transfers on the sides of the drawers. The color is beautiful! This will sell super quick in your booth! I hope your having a great vacation!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Mary!! We are!! Have a great week! XOXO
Janette says
I just love to see your wonderful re-do’s, you make such a brilliant job on each and every piece. Hope you don’t mind when I say that for my personal taste I don’t like the chippy look, I do not mean to offend because your designs are always gorgeous.
Christy says
Thank you, Janette! XOXO
Larissa ~ Prodigal Pieces says
What a beautiful job you did, Christy. Great save! 💐
Christy says
Thank you so much, my friend! XOXO
Denise Cox says
Funny…as I love flowers/gardening so much and we’re heading into that time of year, your lovely arrangement is what really caught my eye! I thought it was real!! I was going to ask you if you grew them, so thanks for the reference (although I have to drive an hour to get to a Home Goods). Like you, I often use the ” messy” look and find it turns out great!!
Christy says
Oh funny! I wish I had such gorgeous blooms in my own garden! XOXO
Rose Lefebvre says
Wow! It looks so much better! Love the design on lower part. You have made it so much better. Love her curves.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Rose! XOXO
Cheryl Atkinson says
Christy!! I hope you are having a great vacation. This.little dresser is so pretty. I must try this.custom mox of yours and.the flowers are beautiful. You are such an inspiration to me. Thank you!!
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, Cheryl! Thank you, my friend! XOXO
Fran Blunt says
I love what you did with this one. It’s hard to find reasonably priced French Provincial pieces. I have been saying to myself I wish there were white transfers. I need to pay better attention! You are the best!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Fran! French provincial might be my favorite pieces to make over! This transfer is four pages of the same print, so you can cover a lot of surface with it! Have a great week! XOXO
Niki says
Looks lovely Christy!! I like the white in the fine area and on top around the routed edges. I like a clean look so I’m never usually a fan of the filigree pieces on wood, but this is cohesive. I’m digging’ the floral arrangement as well. I do not like faux flowers at all so I’m picky about them but these are beautiful!!
Sometimes on your before pix I wonder….”how would I use that in the space I have available ( which is sometimes too much and not enough all at the same time.) Then after you stage it I can see it, your staging is always on point!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Niki! I’m pretty picky when it comes to florals too, so they have to look realistic! And I appreciate that so much…I do enjoy the staging part! XOXO
Marcie Lovett says
Not too trashy, Christy 😉 It’s nice to work on something that doesn’t demand lots of prep periodically. You made up for that time-consuming step with all the details, though. Vintage French Provincial furniture often had gold trim to highlight the recesses, your makeover is a modern interpretation. Although I like the original hardware, adding the glass knob on top really makes it look custom. And the transfer – I thought you used a stencil. Great way to get the look without the extra effort and mess! This one’s not going to last long, I bet (has your mother seen it yet? 😂)
Christy says
Thank you, Marcie! Yes, it was fun to not have to work so hard on this one! And ha ha… My mom hasn’t mentioned that she’s seen it yet lol! XOXO
Cyndi says
You put a LOT of work into this one. What a transformation! It’s beautiful!
P.S. When I saw the first photo with the floral arrangement, I thought, “I’ll bet she went outside and snipped those.” They look so real. 🙂 Really pretty!
Christy says
Thank you, Cyndi!! Don’t the flowers look legit?? I wish I had those outside my door ha ha! XOXO
Ruth M says
Hi Christy,
This chest looks great. I have one much like it that needs updated too. Am I reading right, that the only pre sanding done was on top because of the uneven finish? Once the surface is cleaned, then this product can be applied without sanding? With very dark wood and possible knots, would you recommend stain blocking primer? Thank you for the beautiful inspiration!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Ruth! Yes, with chalk paint, you just need a good cleaning first. If you have knots, you will want to at least prime over the knots or they will eventually come through. XOXO
Gail says
So pretty! Thank you for sharing your flower tip. I am always amazed at furniture fixers who have this tiny bucket of water to clean their pieces, and the water looks like weak tea. I have a 2 gallon bucket and my water always looks like 7 day old coffee. lol
Christy says
Thank you, Gail! Some pieces aren’t too dirty, but trust me…I’ve had some dark roast coffee water too ha ha! XOXO
Denise - Salvaged Inspirations says
This turned out so beautiful and I love the ‘drawer-love’ as well! Pinned! Have a great week off my friend! XOXO
Christy says
Thank you so much, my sweet friend! Enjoying it so far! XOXO
Mary says
Oh my…another beautiful piece transformed by your gifted hands! As usual, I found myself scrolling up to see the “before”..like in this case I totally missed that scroll work at the bottom of this piece (like on the oak chair I missed those beautiful feet!), and that is so often the case when stain is the finish and not paint. But you brought out all her beauty with your attention to detail! Gorgeous! It won’t last long 🙂
Christy says
Thank you so much, Mary!! Yes, stain often obscures all those pretty details! Glad you enjoyed this one! XOXO
Nancy F Lambert says
Christy,
It’s beautiful, Great job.
Christy says
Thank you, Nancy! XOXO
Christie says
When I need to paint those recessed carved details, I use a higher pigmented glaze instead of paint. It gives me the same coverage but a longer open time with increased wipeability. This way, if I don’t immediately see my error I still have plenty of time to “erase” it. The glaze also wipes back more cleanly with less staining of the surrounding paint color so I don’t have to make any touch-ups.
You did a wonderful job on this French Provincial city. I love the shade of gray you created. It’s as close to my perfect gray as you can get – no blue undertones or casts. You are a creative genius!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Christie! That’s a great idea with the glaze! And I like this shade of gray too…just right! XOXO
Jenni says
Love the makeover! I like the just from the garden look for flower arrangements too. I also don’t think I’ve noticed your herringbone floors before, I love them! Do you have a post about them? Or can you tell me more details about them, please? 😍
Christy says
Thank you, Jenni! I haven’t officially shared the after of our floors, but we had them done last May. I shared them briefly in this post as I talked about some things we were working on: https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/antique-side-table-makeover-and-what-were-working-on/ We love them!! XOXO
Jean says
Christy what do you do to get rid of the old furniture smell please?
Christy says
Hi Jean! If you plan to paint, that will take care of the outside, but you’ll need to seal in the odors on the inside too. For that, I use Dixie Belle’s BOSS in clear and brush the entire interior with it. Works like a charm! You can see where I used it on a very musty dresser here: https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/how-to-paint-an-antique-dresser/ XOXO
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
So much better!! Love the pretty lace transfer…finished it perfectly! xoxo
Christy says
Thank you, Nancy!! Love that Lace transfer! XOXO
Linda says
Christy, I LOVE reading about your “hauls”, and how you transform all the pieces. I have two similar nightstands that have been waiting for me to transform them, but I’ve been too afraid to start. They are so shiny, (just like this one!) and seem like they would need at least a quick scuff sanding or a bonding primer, so I’ve held off painting them. Can I really use just chalk paint and without doing any other prep work besides a good cleaning? Thanks for your inspiration. I truly don’t know how you get so many projects done!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Linda! Chalk paint has excellent adhering properties, so a good cleaning is all the prep you needed in most cases! Here’s more you can read about it: https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/how-to-paint-furniture-using-chalk-paint/ And if this wasn’t my job, I wouldn’t get nearly as much done lol! XOXO
Petra says
What a lovely piece – it looks so solid 🙂 As always, I love the stripes and the colour mix is very pretty 😀 xo
Christy says
Thank you so much, Petra! Enjoy the rest of your week! XOXO
Jen @ Girl in the Garage says
Wow, what a lucky steal! And you made it over beautifully, Christy! xo
Christy says
Thank you, Jen!! XOXO
Marietta says
Wow. Wow, wow, wow! You did it again.
AND-I am dying to see where you go with the rocking horse. I have small collection of such beautifull creatures and I wish I had found one like that. But; I do have some fun ones.
Christy says
Thank you, Marietta! That was a fabulous find for sure! XOXO
Michele M. says
BRAVO!!! Fastastic job – it is AWESOME!!!!!
Christy says
Thank you, Michele!! XOXO
Becky says
Beautiful! I love those drawer sides. 😄
Christy says
Thank you, Becky! XOXO
Kerryanne says
This ones a stunner Christy!!
Thank you for sharing your gorgeous make-over at Create, Bake, Grow and Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring your French provincial night table at tonight’s party and pinning too.
Hugs,
Kerryanne
Christy says
Oh yay!! Thank you SO much, my friend! The feature is always appreciated!! Have a fantastic weekend! XOXO