As much as I love the gorgeous pieces I’ve done lately using those beautiful Prima Marketing floral transfers, or the really cool buffet that I shared last Friday stenciled with the re.design decor wax, sometimes I like to just keep it simple. So that’s what I decided to do with today’s piece.
I picked this one up a week ago at the Lynnhurst/Fulton garage sales.
It was ridiculously bargain priced, but it also was in pretty rough shape. I didn’t get a good ‘before’ shot that shows how badly warped the top was so you’ll just have to trust me on that. But my handyman Ken had to literally cut it into strips and then glue them back together again to attempt to flatten it out. He made several other repairs that I neglected to get photos of too.
Once Ken was done with the repairs, it was my turn to make it pretty again.
I started by painting the inside in Fusion’s Coal Black and the outside in Dixie Belle’s Caviar. You might be wondering why I didn’t go entirely with one or the other, and the honest answer is that I didn’t have enough of either one to paint the entire piece!
So I opted for the Coal Black on the inside because it will be fully washable once cured which is really nice on a shelf. Plus it’s rather putzy to wax the inside of a cupboard. The Fusion paint doesn’t need a topcoat, so I avoided that task. I went with the Caviar on the outside because I just slightly prefer the look of distressed and waxed chalk paint over the look of Fusion. The Fusion paint has just a little bit more shine (although it is still considered matte) than the waxed Dixie Belle paint. And by the way, I waxed over the Caviar using Fusion’s Black Wax. I absolutely love all of the waxes from that company whether it’s Miss Mustard Seed, Fusion or Homestead House. It’s soft and creamy smooth, so it goes on easily. Plus it’s perfectly safe and doesn’t contain any aromatic hydrocarbons (if you don’t know about those, check out my wax post).
I added a simple little ‘1918’ stencil above the door. You know me and my numbers, I’ve got a thing for them.
You may also have noticed that I chose to remove the fretwork from behind the glass. I really feel like I could have gone either way with that. Some people love that look, and others prefer a more simple look. Since I was going for simple with this one, I took it off.
Then finally, the pièce de résistance, I used some of the Prima Marketing re.design knob transfers on the knobs!
This design is from the Cursive Letters set.
Let me explain how this style with the black background works. These are black rub-on’s. The portion that shows as white in the picture above is clear, these are not white rub-on’s. So if my knobs were painted solid black, the design wouldn’t really show up much.
Instead I painted my knobs black on the ‘stem’ of the knob, but a creamy white on the face. Then I applied the transfer. Once that was in place, I sanded around the edges of the knob to remove any excess white paint and to give them a distressed look. I followed up with a topcoat of Fusion black wax.
It may appear like the entire knob was painted black and then the transfer was applied over the black, so I just wanted to make that clear (pardon the pun).
I love how the knobs add just a little touch of the unexpected to this cupboard.
I feel like this piece is a great example showing how you don’t necessarily have to do something fancy or use complicated techniques to salvage an old piece of furniture. Sometimes all it takes is a little paint … and maybe some cool knob transfers … and your piece will turn out simply beautiful.
If you’re wondering where to purchase the Prima Marketing re.design knob transfers, check out their ‘where to buy’ page.
If you’re wondering where to buy the Fusion paint in Coal Black or their black wax, check out their ‘where to buy‘ page.
If you’re wondering where to buy the Dixie Belle Cavair paint, you can shop with them directly online or find a retailer near you.
And finally, if you happen to be local (Twin Cities, MN) and in need of a simply beautiful cabinet, check out my ‘available for local sale’ page for more details.
q is for quandie 
Love the update! You did your black magic to this sweet cabinet. And thanks for the tip on the knob transfer! Can’t wait to try the rub ons for handles out.
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The knob transfers really are fab, and very affordable!
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So classic and beautiful. The knobs are such a subtle accent. I’m still amazed how a coat of paint can turn a dated, tired piece of furniture into something you can have forever.
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I continue to be amazed by that every time myself!
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It turned out very nice. The dark colors look good on it.
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Thanks sis!
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I like the plain glass minus the fretwork. It allows the lines in the base to stand out, and the black is beautiful!
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Thanks Kim! I absolutely love the black too, but as you know I think every room needs a pop of black 😉
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So stunning!
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Thanks Laura!
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What a gorgeous piece of furniture!! I love it ❤️ Simple and elegant. The stencil and the knobs are the perfect jewelry to this piece. Your vision is amazing 😉
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Thanks Monica! I love your description, simple and elegant 🙂
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Morning Linda..just wanted to tell you…that I always love your “idea’s” and that you are very talented..I wish you all the best….Linda B.
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Thank you so much Linda!
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I don’t have any black pieces, but this one is so pretty. Taking the fret work off made it have a totally different feel!
I have a real mess I am dealing with! I bought a small cupboard. It is an old wainscot
One with one door. I bought it at an auction. I failed to smell the inside of it and it was so dirty! I have painted with two coats of white chalk paint (the famous one) and it keeps bleeding through! I have used $50.00 of paint already!!! Not liking the chalk paint! Do you think tough coat will cover up the smell (smells like pee and talcum powder (go figure)!? Then a coat of fusion? I can’t stand the smell, you can only smell it when you open the door! HELP! 😃 I would like to keep it, I don’t know if I can sell it for what I will have in it when I am done! 😢 I think it has penetrated the wood, so putting rice in it or cat liter to absorb the smell etc will probably not work. What do you think of just using BM paint on it? Like a latex paint?
Just beside myself here in Indiana!
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Oh, I feel for you Shelly. There is nothing worse than one of those pieces! There are all kinds of recommendations out there for getting rid of smells but in a serious case like yours my recommendation is to use Dixie Belle’s BOSS. The BOSS will both seal in the smells and seal the bleeding stain (or whatever it is that’s bleeding thru your paint). Be sure to follow their directions. I think it’s two coats of BOSS, and then wait a full 24 hours before painting (this does make a difference as I’ve found out). After that I believe you can paint over it with any kind of chalk paint. I’ve had good luck with the BOSS!
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Linda,
Thank you so very much! I will definitely try that! I really love the cupboard, but didn’t think the old stain would bleed through this badly!
Thank you!!!😉
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Love the black and the knobs are to die for. Also love your use of puns, as always! Lol. Always good to read your blog and get a smile or a chuckle…
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I’m glad I was good for a chuckle this morning 😉
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It is Simply Beautiful! Thanks for the tips on the knobs… the transfers really reduce the need to replace knobs. It’s a gorgeous piece. And the date on the cabinet also looks fabulous. A job well done.
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Thanks Janice! And really, aren’t those knob transfers just brilliant? I’m so glad I kept all of the wood knobs that I pulled off pieces up until now. I can recycle them for use on future pieces, all I have to do is paint them and add a transfer.
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I think this is one of my favorite pieces you have shared with us and I never think of using black as a color choice. Thanks for shaking up my thinkin’ Lincoln.
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I love using black, it’s perfect when you’re painting a piece that is fairly dark to begin with. Just keep in mind that some of the water based sealers (like Miss Mustard Seed’s Tough Coat or the Real Milk Paint Co’s Finishing Cream) can turn cloudy over black. I usually use a black wax over black milk paint or chalk paint. Hemp oil works well too.
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I love the simple elegance of this piece. I’ve been in to black furniture lately and this piece is perfection – like all your work is. I appreciate how you never over distress your pieces. They always look so natural – not like you’re trying to hard. The knobs on this are the icing on the cake. They fit that simple elegance perfectly. Thank you for sharing the details on those transfers and how you painted them white first then distressed off the extra paint to make it look all black. It would have been way too easy for us less knowledgeable folks to have bought them then painted our knobs black to try to get the look you achieved – not that i would ever copy your work! LOL! I just use you for inspiration! (A fancy word for copy!)
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to share your work and the details on how you achieve it. I know doing the blog takes a lot of your time – especially the staging and amazing photography you do. I don’t know how you do it – a regular job, painting furniture all the time, maintaining your blog, photography and still find time to post so regularly. (I love that I can read your entire post in my email rather than just a teaser. It makes it easier for me to save & refer to all the wonderful work you do.) Just know, whenever I see a new post from you in my email it puts a huge smile in my heart!
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Thank you so much Christie! FYI – I’ve purposely chosen to include the entire content of each blog post in that email rather than forcing people to click a link to read the entire post. As someone who is also a blog reader, I know that the extra time it takes to click and load a blog can be a little annoying. Most of the ‘blog advice’ articles I’ve read suggest that you not do it my way because then you never actually know how many of your email followers are actually reading your posts (and not just deleting the email unread). But … I decided a long time ago that I didn’t want to blog just for the numbers. If I’m only blogging to become internet famous, go viral, or gain 100,000 followers, then I am in trouble 😉 Instead, I rely on comments like yours to know that I am truly reaching people and that my blogging is worthwhile! So thank you for taking the time to leave such lovely comments, I really do appreciate them.
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Well, thank you for doing your blog the way you do. It does get irritating having to click & open another page to read a blog post. Some bloggers post so seldomly that by the time their post ends up in my email, I’ve forgotten who they are and end up clicking delete because i know I’ll just be following a link just to figure out who the heck they are! lol – I have a bad memory. I couldn’t forget you at all – your work is so memorable and posts so helpful You’re posts are always worth clicking on to go to the true page to leave a comment or just to see “the real thing” but I’m grateful I don’t have to if I don’t have the time. I find all you do and how you do it worthwhile to me. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comments, too. It makes me feel as if you’re a real person who cares about her followers instead of just words & pretty pictures on a page. I definitely think you do what you do for the right reasons – you don’t come across as if you do it for notoriety or money but to reach others and maybe teach us a thing or three. It seems like you simply want to save a bit of beautiful furniture and make the world a little prettier, one piece at a time. Now, enough with me being sappy – I’m off to paint!
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Have fun painting!
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Wow everything Christie Taylor said!
She expressed my thoughts too! I just love it and those knobs make heart putter patter. Going to copy those with your # at the top too! Perfect just
perfect!
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Thank you Victoria! And as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery 🙂 Somehow that simple little addition of a stenciled year on something adds so much character. I did that on the Welsh cupboard in my dining room too.
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Absolutely beautiful! I’m new at this and was wondering about the bronze or goldish color around the edges.How did you do this
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Actually that is just ‘distressing’, in other words I sanded the edges with fine grit sandpaper to wear away the paint. Then I waxed over the entire piece with black wax. Those edges are actually just the color of the wood underneath with a little wax on them.
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Ok, you convinced me. Black it is! I have the same type of china cabinet and have been going back and forth between white or black. I love this so much that I’m going to paint mine with MMS typewriter! Did you have to use shellac or something first to prevent bleedthrough?
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Nope, no shellac. I don’t usually worry too much about bleed thru with black. And by the way, this one sold the same day I posted it 🙂
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So good to hear. I’m painting a Jacobean (sp?) buffer at this very minute with GF antique white. I did two coats of clear shellac and am hoping no bleedthrough!
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