A painted chest, chair and a kakelugn.

A chest, a chair and a kakelugn.

View of the hallway - doorway to left to bathroom, red French doors to upper deck, door entry to bedroom to right. 

The chest/trunk began as a Asian-motif lacquered box. You may recollect seeing them. They are highly glossed black painted with gold.

It was crying out for conversion. A good sanding removed most of the lacquer so that I could paint the box. I am using small sample bottles of milk paint on a lot of the furniture.  The sanded box took the paint well leaving the impression that it had been around a while and well used. 

I had been looking at Swedish marriage chests and thought I could paint a primitive motif on the box but found I had some laser cut pressed wood images. (Linda, I think they came from you?) I cut them into a shape that fitted onto the chest and painted it a different colour. I know it looks the same but the two colours I am using are both a blue grey.

The vignette on the top of the chest.
I painted a small plinth and put a piece of marble in the centre before adding Elizabeth's bead bottles to a round mirror.  The tray is a pendant backing with a doily reduced to size, books, flowers and stacking bracelets.

I had made a tray to match the size of the top of the chest but I did not like the look of it on the chest.. .. so that will find its way into my storage drawers.


In the picture below I am also working on making a pattern for a sweater. I knitted a rug for the day-bed in the living room so plan to try and continue knitting and I am working on the vignette while talking to #1 son on the speaker phone. Who said I could not multi task?

I painted the edge of the circular mirror gold which finished it nicely. #1 son also said it needed handles and a lock. Now looking for something that will give the impression of  a lock.

No doubt the display on the top of the chest will undergo many changes before I move on.

Linda of http://lindasminiworld.blogspot.com makes the most wonderful cushions and slippers in petit point. Actually she is adept at most things mini. Please go and have a look at her blog and be inspired!  These slippers have the Swedish crown on their toes. She had also made me bee slippers for the Empire room in the French House.

Anyone perusing extreme shabbiness might like to try the following technique.
I did not care for the mottled sateen upholstery on this ugly reddish mahogany wood chair.
When I was bemoaning that I did not think I could do a good job of changing the upholstery on this style chair Elizabeth said. "Why don't you paint it?"
Good idea Elizabeth! I did paint it with the milk paint. The seat went all lumpy. Never mind I thought I will have to pull it off in any case ... so I painted it again and then stuck a Swedish crown motif on the back and painted over that. Then I sanded the edge of the seat where it was all lumpy.... then I painted the wood and wiped it off a bit.....

Then I made a rough linen cushion (below), for those winter afternoons reading beside the kakelugn stove. Ones slippered feet resting on the embroidered footstool of course that Linda made for such occasions.  Thank you Linda!
I must say it felt quite liberating to shabby the chair. I can see that it could lead me down a different path altogether.

Almost last, but not least, above is the kakelugn. The metal wood basket is a napkin ring.

Now B. has finished the stove he can go out and play!

Anyone like to guess what the eyes are made of?

In this snowy weather I am busy in the workroom!

Hope you are having fun too.

regards Janine