sunbleached coffey.

Published on by Quandie

You’re probably wondering about that weird title, but all will soon make sense to you.

Some of you may recognize the name Kent-Coffey, especially if you know your mid-century furniture designers.  I always thought Kent-Coffey pieces were expensive, high end, sleek, designer items.  On the contrary, a little bit of research has revealed that Kent-Coffey furniture was intended for the average consumer.  Much like Readers Digest books, it was mass produced and was priced affordably.

Not only that, but in addition to the sleeker, more modern designs, Kent-Coffey also made some French Provincial stuff.

Like this dresser from the Charmant line.

I picked this one up via Craigslist.  I had seen a photo of a similar piece online that had been refinished with white washed drawers and a pale grey painted body and I wanted to try the same look myself.  I wish I could remember where I saw it so that I could give proper credit, but I’ve searched and searched and can’t find it.  Suffice to say, this is a copied idea not one that I came up with on my own.

My first step was to strip all of the drawer fronts.  Once I had the finish removed I could see how beautiful the grain was.  After a good cleaning and sanding, instead of white washing them I chose to stain them with Varathane’s wood stain in Sunbleached, followed by a coat of Minwax Wipe on Poly.

I painted the body of the dresser in Fusion’s Bedford.

Bedford might just be my favorite of all the Fusion shades of grey (although I do also love Putty, which is just a little more pale).

I decided to keep the original hardware since it works so well with the whole French provincial look, but the drawer pulls really popped too much in their original brass color.  So I ‘white washed’ them using a Little Billy Goat Goat Stick in Cream.

For more info on Goat Sticks, check out {this post}.

Now the drawer pulls blend a little bit more with the overall sunbleached look of this dresser.

This is a bit different from my usual treatment for a French provincial piece (you can see others here, here and here).  What do you think of it?

Is it your cup of tea?  Or should I say Coffey?

This dresser is for sale. If you are local and in need of some Sunbleached Coffey, be sure to check my ‘available for local sale’ page for more details.

37 thoughts on “sunbleached coffey.”

  1. This is simply stunning. Understated elegance and such an unexpected combination of the sun bleached drawers with the paint. Nice call on the hardware too.

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  2. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love how the wood grain shows through on the drawers and the hardware is really lovely now with wash on them. Very pretty. I can’t imagine this be for sale for very long.

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  3. I love it. It looks like the dresser in my bedroom you have told me to paint (which now I think would be a great idea).

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  9. I like the way Debbie worded that….it’s not really my cup of tea either…not sure why though? I love my catalog dresser that you painted. Might be just that I like the painted “look”? Anyway, like Debbie said, lots of other people just love it and thats what makes the world go round! It is a stunning piece and I’m sure it’s perfect for someone!

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    1. Well, I have to say this particular dresser would not really fit into my own decor either. But I still enjoy working on these sort of pieces for a change of pace. I hate to say it, but I think our generation remembers these mid-century pieces from the first time around and to us they really look like something our parent’s had or something we received as a hand-me-down and couldn’t wait to replace with something else!

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  10. I usually am not a fan, but I really like this piece. I love the blend of gray and whitewash. Great job on this piece!

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  11. I love the two tone look you created! I actually have a similar piece that has really yellowed over the years and I’d love to do something to it. This idea appeals to me. 🙂

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    1. Give it a try Stacey! It really was a fairly easy makeover. The drawers were easy to strip, stain and finish. And of course the Fusion paint was super easy too.

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  14. I would like to save one of you pictures to pinterest. Is this possible from this post. I did check your Pinterest board but did not see it.

    This is a really nice finish and I would like to keep track of it for future use.

    Thanks, Tricia

    ________________________________

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    1. Ha! I must be falling behind on my pinning! Please feel free to pin whatever you like anytime, you should be able to do so directly from the post I think. I’ll try to get some of these pinned myself too. Thanks Tricia!

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  16. Ok, you are killing me here! That Is ALL OUT GORGEOUS!!! I just Love this piece! I Love The Different look of It! Wow
    Blessings

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  17. Oh dear I am really in trouble. I love and could really love it if I was closer to you. Beautiful it is my dear and should go very quickly. Love to Mom and Debbie from Betty in Ontario

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  18. What a lovely and unexpected makeover. It looks very feminine to me and perfect for a little girl’s room. I think it would have been beautiful with the drawers painted white as well. Nice job.

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    1. Yes, that would have been a pretty combination as well. But when I saw that beautiful grain on the drawers fronts I just knew I didn’t want to cover it up with paint. I’m a fan of a subtle grain. I think this wood is Pecan, by the way. I should have mentioned that in the post!

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