black & white.

Published on by Quandie

Black and white has always been one of my favorite combos.  Back in June 2015 I painted this fun mid-century piece …

black and white title

And then about a year ago I painted some black & white suitcases …

inspiration title

I was really itching to do another black & white piece when I saw this dresser on craigslist and decided it would be perfect for it.

black-and-white-before

From the outside it looks like it’s in great shape, but in reality it was pretty wonky.  One drawer was completely missing a bottom, and most of the bottom sides of the drawers (where they rest along the glides) were pretty worn down.  So I sent it over to Ken’s workshop and he fixed it right up by replacing the missing bottom and adding new wood to the bottom sides of several drawers.  He also removed the top and re-glued the corner joints and added some wedges of wood for more stability.   All I had to do was add the paint!

black-and-white-1

The black is Fusion’s Coal Black and the white is Fusion’s Casement, two coats of each color.  Every time I paint with Fusion I am reminded of how ridiculously easy it is to use.  A quick sanding to rough up the surface (especially on this piece because the existing finish was very shiny), a wipe down with some vinegar water, two coats of paint, and a little sanding to distress the edges and you are done.  No need for a top coat.  Fusion has pretty much replaced chalk paint for me for that last reason.  Originally when I first started using Fusion I felt like it was hard to distress compared to chalk paint.  However, when I distress a piece of furniture I mainly just wear down the edges and that is pretty easy to do with Fusion as long as you do it shortly after the piece dries.  Don’t wait until the paint has cured because this paint is very durable at that point.

I really debated doing this look again because that earlier black and white piece took a while to sell.  But in the end, I’m so glad I went for it.  I think this dresser went from boring to interesting with just some paint and some new glass knobs.

black-and-white-close-up

The white is wrapped all the way around both sides.

black-white-side

This is one instance where I didn’t discard the mirror that came with the dresser.  I painted it white and the future owner can choose to keep it in place, or not.

black-white-dresser-with-mirror

By the way, have you noticed anything about my photos today?

black-white-photo-cottage

Yes!  I’m out in the photo cottage.  Are you having this amazing warm spell where you are too?  Sunny and 60 is practically unheard of for February in Minnesota.  I have taken full advantage by putting the top down on my convertible, grilling steaks for dinner, watching Mr. Q trim trees, hanging laundry out on the line and staging furniture in my photo cottage.  Woo hoo, it feels like spring!

black-white-dresser-with-fan

This dresser is for sale.  If you are local and interested, please check out my ‘available for local sale’ page for more details.

But first, tell me, what do you think of the black and white?

Sharing at Finding Silver Pennies Sunday!

23 thoughts on “black & white.”

  1. Love it! it’s classic and goes with just about any color scheme. Love, love, love this… I never would have thought of this combination for this piece.

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  4. I like it! Like a black and white cookie. It’s Springlike here in Indiana too with record breaking temps today. I’m working on some wood crates I had in the garage and doing some purging and organizing inside as well. My daffodils are out of the ground about two inches. Just unheard of this time of year around here.

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    1. I checked around yesterday to see if anything green was poking out of the ground yet, but I didn’t find anything. Hopefully your daffodils won’t get taken by surprise by a yet to come re-freeze!

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  6. It reminds me of spectator pumps speaking of spectator sports. I hadn’t noticed that the top drawer had knobs until the last photo-they get lost in the white. I wonder how much different it would look if the white drawer had black glass knobs? I would call it the Rosalind Russell. Perfection as usual Linda. Record breaking temps in Ohio too. On Saturday, I was outside for 6 straight hours cutting up pallets and sanding. In years past, this traditionally has been the weekend to bring wood in to burn rather than bringing wood out to paint.

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    1. I love that comparison. I’ve always been a fan of spectator pumps too. As for the knobs, I do have two black glass knobs. I will try your suggestion and see how it looks La Verne.

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  7. Gorgeous!! And thank you for the post about the brushes not too long ago! It was really helpful and I bought my first Purdy brush. I am painting a hutch in the same fusion combo you used on the Union Jack end tables. Your work is so inspiring!

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  8. Love it so much. Reminds me of the saddle shoes I used to get my little girl. (Who’s now 28 and getting married. How did that happen ). So classic. You are so inspiring and each of your posts is a treat! PS- almost hit 80 here in St. Louis today. My rose bushes have little tiny buds. I’m a tad nervous. 😬

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    2. I almost wished you a happy 80th birthday and luckily I decided to reread your post. Sheesh. Speed reading isn’t always a good idea.

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  9. I am loathe to comment BUT, the contrast is too stark. I agree that black knobs on the white section would help to knit it together – or even a minor stencil of white on the black or vice versa. It does need some cohesion. But I can’t help but smile everytime I see those suitcases. LOVE THEM.

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    1. You know, I really considered adding a stencil. I even got them all out and held them up to the dresser. I thought perhaps just a simple one. But in the end, I really liked it as is. I think this piece is not going to appeal to a wide audience, but hopefully someone out there will like it as much as I do … fingers crossed.

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