寶貝熊與貓先生的生活大小事

BEFORE

I was in search of a buffet or sideboard with someone specific on my mind.

It was just few days after I was told by a friend of mine that she would like to have a grey buffet in her dining area. 

Just an hour in for my search on local craigslist I was very fortunate to find this guy who was selling his buffet for a very reasonable price. 

However, since the lighting and angle in the photo was not sufficient and off, it seemed to me like some kind of a gamble. 

So.. the debate of whether I made a rushed mistake and wasted my money on this buffet went on in my head for hours until my dear dad and trusty boyfriend pulled their car into the garage with this baby in the back seat, I finally got the chance to see "it" clearly and in person for the first time. 

I shall do the seller justice and say this solid walnut buffet was well-maintained with literally no sccratches or dents visible on the outside, and looked almost unused and fairly new. 

I hurried and took a photo for my friend but I made a huge mistake by not checking and clearing with her for the style that she wanted so this poor baby would not be able to serve my friend and her family after all. 

Nonetheless, I set my mind on painting it in grey color and I would carry out that promise to myself and to this beautifully constructed buffet. 

AFTER

This classy shaped of solid walnut made buffet or sideboard is well-maintained and in excellent condition, has 2 cabinets, one with a shelf divider, and 3 drawers, the first one on the top lined with felt for delicate silverware.

It was transformed with, first of all, hand-painted couple coats of Rust-Oleum Chalked Ultra Matte Paint Aged Grey color to get the whole buffet an even coverage and a more updated, kind of edgy color palette.

According to my dad, I "destroyed" a perfectly painted buffet by heavily sanding the whole piece with various grits of sanding sponges, I switched in between the lower and higher grits depends on the area, some were just more stubborn than the other, and the degree of distress that I was aiming for, I always tried to achieve for a “it was chipped naturally and organically” look at the end.

The buffet was then protected with a layer of Van Gogh Fossil Paint Clear Natural Beeswax to seal the paint.

To add depth and history to go with the paint chips I created intentionally, I dabbed, rubbed and massaged on thick layers of Van Gogh Fossil Paint French Caffeine Dark Beeswax over the entire piece to unevenly darken the light grey color until I’m satisfied with the dirtiness and the aged look.

To glamour up the buffet for a contrasting feel, carving details on cabinet doors and drawers front were highlighted and outlined with metallic acrylic craft paint Bright Gold color.

As well the original hardware was spray painted with Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Paint Gold color to match the gold theme that I just adored so much lately.

When glamorous meets distressed, when classy meets edgy, how can you not fall in love with this amazingly revived and restyled painted buffet by me?