Recently Melanie from Lost & Found Decor asked if I wanted to participate in a Fusion blog party. For this particular event each participating blogger was asked to choose one of Fusion’s shades of blue and use it in a project of some kind. Melanie wanted each of us to choose a different blue, and it was first come, first served. I was hoping to get Homestead Blue, which I was going to use on a typewriter stand (was going to add a Union Jack top), but that color was taken. I also would have been happy to get Laurentien, since I used it on that pair of vintage school desks and it’s one of my favorite colors, but that was taken. Another great choice would have been Seaside; it was taken too! Now I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with the remaining color choices, but I tend to be a little bit particular about pairing just the right color with just the right project and I don’t have that many unfinished projects waiting in the wings.
Fortunately, another of my favorite Fusion colors wasn’t spoken for yet, Inglenook. And I had just the right piece for it, this lovely french provincial sideboard. I’ve done a few french provincial pieces in this color and each one has turned out gorgeous.
I must start out by saying that this is probably one of the prettier ‘before’ pics I’ve ever shown. This piece was very lovely to begin with, and structurally it’s in perfect condition. The original finish was a bit worn out and yellowed though. It was also shinier than I like. Who am I kidding, this piece could easily have been left alone. But that’s not what I do. I paint stuff and give it a new look, so that’s what I wanted to do here.
First I stripped the top. I was told that this piece is made out of walnut. I always thought that walnut was a dark wood, but I did a little google research and discovered that walnut is one of the few woods that can range from very pale to a dark chocolate brown. I really loved the pale color of this walnut. To me it feels fresh and clean. So I just added some clear furniture wax to protect it rather than adding any color using stain or a tinted wax.
Next, after sanding lightly, I painted the rest of the piece in two coats of Inglenook. Once the paint was dry, I distressed lightly to bring out the details. Before I put the hardware back on, I refreshed it with some gold rub ‘n buff.
And that was it.
I used some old gold frames in my photos to bring out the gold hardware.
I just haven’t been able to bring myself to part with these two frames. I love the detail, and the fact that they are both just a little bit shabby.
The frames are joined by a gilded cage full of vintage salt and pepper shakers.
What I really wanted to do was hang some sort of gorgeous landscape oil painting on the wall above this sideboard, but oh, wait, I don’t have one of those! I’m still regretting the one I passed up at a garage sale last summer because it was $35 and that seemed high to me (kick, kick).
But what I do have is a really gorgeous french provincial sideboard in the most lovely shade of blue. In the end, it’s probably a good thing that many of the other blues were already spoken for!
If you have a space in your home for this gorgeous sideboard, be sure to check out my “available for local sale” tab to see if it’s still available.
Now for the fun part. You have the opportunity to win a prize package from Fusion that includes 2 pints of any shade of blue, a brush and some Fusion Antique Glaze. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada who are 18 years old and up. You have until midnight on May 1, 2016 to get your name included in the drawing on Rafflecopter using this link:
Please be sure to visit the other five bloggers that are participating in today’s blog party as well!
Melanie at Lost & Found Decor
Tara at Suburble
Crystal at Team Sutton Designs
Susan at Homeroad
Becky at Beyond the Picket Fence
And best of luck to you in the drawing!
q is for quandie 
I couldn’t like a piece of furniture more ! I would probably have never thought to paint a sideboard in Inglenook. And your staging is always inspirational.
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Thanks Janice! I’ve painted several sideboards in Miss Mustard Seed’s Kitchen Scale, which is a much more vibrant teal, and they were all a big hit, so I felt like Inglenook would work just as well.
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It’s really beautiful. I love that you left the top unpainted too. Love the staging too. Who thinks to put salt and pepper shakers in a bird cage? You are amazing!
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LOL … I have to laugh just a little because it didn’t even strike me as noteworthy to put shakers in a bird cage, but of course now that I think about it, it maybe is a bit unusual 😉 I’ve moved the cage with the shakers to the middle of my dining room table now, they’ll probably stay there for a bit.
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Yes she is amazing! I love that too!!!
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Inglenook is my favourite blue and it pairs so beautifully with pale natural wood. Love your staging and that is one gorgeous piece.
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I was really hoping that this pairing would work out well. To me the bare top feels a bit coastal/beach-y, while the bottom half of the sideboard has a decidedly classy french vibe. Maybe I should have named this piece after a coastal French village on the Cote d’Azur. Hmmmm … why didn’t I think of that before I posted this? LOL. Thanks for the comment Mary!
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Just gorgeous! And I also was most impressed by the caged salt & pepper shakers. Inspirational!
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Thanks Annie! It’s so fun that people are responding to the caged shakers. Clearly I’m going to have to keep them in there! And P.S. welcome back from Spain. It looks like you had an amazing trip!
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Absolutely gorgeous Linda. Truly amazing! Sorry I stole your first pick 😦
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Well, it was totally meant to be. I’m not sure I would have used Inglenook on this piece had it not been for this blog hop, and now I’m so glad I did! Thanks for organizing this and arranging for a fabulous prize!
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Gorgeous piece and color! Heading to the other blogs to view all the blues. Thanks for sharing, Cynthia
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Thanks Cynthia! You gotta love that Inglenook, it’s such a lovely shade of blue.
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Beautiful piece. It’s a show stopper!
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Thanks Joyce! And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, I always appreciate that!
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Your salt and pepper shakers gave me an idea for a cool chess set!
Well, if there was anyone around to play chess.
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I’d better keep adding to my collection then, so you have enough for a chess set.
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Absolute stunner Linda!
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Thanks Darrielle!
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Great colors…staging is great…you are just killing the whole “paint the furniture” thing! I liked thus piece before you painted it, but LOVE it after you worked your magic on it. Gave Ken a little breather too! Lol…someone will be really lucky to get this piece…
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Bwa ha ha … I’m killin’ it … love that. It was nice that I didn’t have to ask Ken to help me with this one, but I kept him busy with some other stuff at the same time 😉
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This is such a pretty piece Linda. Good call on leaving the top bare. I always thought walnut was dark as well. No doubt this beauty will fly out the door. The blue is lovely. I am still in a gray frame of mind I could see in a pale gray too. Does Fusion carry a gray? The frames are fab just fab!
I am heading back to Charleston in May. I need to get some more of their red to do an iron bed that shares a space with the chest I did. Since it is already been painted I am hoping I can just clean it and start painting? What say you?
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Fusion Mineral Paint comes in several great greys. Stirling , Pebble, Bedford to name a few… As well as some darker ones.
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Thanks so much I will check those out!😊
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Thanks for the reply Janice! I might have to find out what Pebble looks like, I’m not familiar with that one.
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Thanks Victoria! Stirling, which is a very pale grey would have been pretty on this one, although I’m not sure how much I would have liked it paired with the natural top. I have a jar of Stirling that I’ve had for ages, and I’ve been dying to try it on something, but haven’t found just the right piece for it yet. If you’re looking for a dark, charcoal grey the Ash is very nice. I used it on this mcm piece. The grey portion of this union jack desk is another Fusion grey, Bedford.
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You can’t go wrong with Inglenook.
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Totally true!
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