damask stencil redux.

Published on by Quandie

Mr. Q recently brought home another tall dresser from craigslist, and once again I neglected to take my own ‘before’ shot so I am using the photo that accompanied the ad.

tall dresser before

It wasn’t really terribly special, and the hardware was quite Ugly with a capital “U”.

I knew I could dress this one up with some stenciling though.  I decided to revisit an overall damask stencil like I did last year on this piece.

stenciled dresser

I wanted to keep it just a tad more subtle this time though.

I started by painting the dresser in one of the MMS European colors, Schloss.  It still had a rather streaky look after coat no. 2, so three coats were needed on this one.  It’s a bit lighter than the Trophy that I used last year, and really even a bit lighter than I expected it to be.  But that’s not a bad thing, I really like how pale it is.

Once the three coats of Schloss were on, I stenciled the damask pattern using a lighter grey acrylic craft paint, Martha Stewart’s Lake Fog.

damask dresser title

I sanded and then finished with a coat of MMS furniture wax.  One thing to keep in mind when using an acrylic paint on top of a milk paint, the clear wax will darken up the milk paint but not the acrylic paint.  Before the wax went on, it was almost hard to even see the damask pattern on the drawers.  The wax darkened up the milk paint background just enough to bring out the stencil.  I love the sort of faded quality I got this time.

damask angle

You can see that I used pretty cut glass knobs that add a little touch of sparkle but don’t compete with the stencil.

This dresser had a lot of damage to the veneer around all of the edges of the drawers.  I decided to just work with that and consider it part of the character.

damask close up

The Schloss is a very warm grey.

damask leg

My lilac blossoms opened just in time for the photo shoot!

lilacs

The combination of the purple flowers and this pale grey is gorgeous.

damask with lilacs

But this shade of grey would work equally well with blue, or in an all white room.

Stenciled dresser painted in MMS milk paint in Schloss

This dresser is for sale for $225, let me know if you are interested by leaving a comment or emailing me at oakdalecarriagehouse@gmail.com.  Sorry, this one is sold.

Linking up with Elizabeth & Co. and The Painted Drawer.

25 thoughts on “damask stencil redux.”

  2. This piece is magnificent. The color is gorgeous and the the shape of the piece allows the stenciling to take center stage. The way you painted this piece was a perfect combination right down to the hardware. I also like how you kept the two small drawers simple. I think they look elegant and anything more (like a contrasting color) would have made them less so. Great job!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Totally agree with everything salvagejunkie said above! Love, love, love the paint color, the glass knobs, the stencil, the fluted legs and the two little drawers on top. She is a beat!

      Like

      Reply

    2. Thank you! As a matter of fact, I did contemplate adding something to those top two drawers, but in the end came to the same conclusion as you, that anything more on them would have been too much.

      Like

      Reply

  4. I love the subtle look of the low-contrast paint color and damask design. One could live with this piece for a long time.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks Kim! I am really happy with this low-contrast look too. You can’t really get the same feel from the photos, but in person it has a really lovely sort of faded appearance. Sort of like fabric that has been washed a million times.

      Like

      Reply

  7. Love, love, love the faded quality! Like a well worn wallpaper! Might I ask where you got the stencil? It would also be pretty on a wall. Always look forward to your posts!

    Like

    Reply

    1. This stenciling technique would be gorgeous on a wall. In fact, I originally purchased this stencil thinking I would use it on a wall. I haven’t quite gotten around to that though. Unfortunately, I don’t remember where I got this exact stencil, but Maison de Stencils has many pretty damask stencils. Check them out here.

      Like

      Reply

  9. Thank you for answering! You are so sweet to help all of us like minded painters. Without you, there would be no inspiration!

    Like

    Reply

  11. So pretty! I love the softness the stenciling brings. Happy to feature you at Be Inspired this morning. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.