adding embellishments

Oftentimes, I'll see a piece of furniture somewhere that has good bones, is solid & sturdy but just… plain.  Sometimes I pass them by, other times I'll do something like what I did with these two pieces, which is to add a little interest to them myself.

The first one, sadly, has no 'before' photo.  I'll share this photo with you, though, to show you why: my garage (and my mind) are so chaotic right now that sometimes I am not thinking rationally.  Instead, I'm thinking "just get this done!!!"

Yikes.

But somewhere in all this mess were these:

These took the next two projects from plain to perfect.

Anyhow, on to the trunk.  It was very plain, but solid.  It had an apple painted on it that gave it that 80's country appearance.  It was every bit as hideous as it sounds.  So I added the wood applique (after staining it dark so when I distressed it, the dark would show through) and painted the piece in a blend of chalk paints (provence and chateau gray).

And now:

I can honestly say it is one of the pieces I'm most proud of ~ not in small part because it started off as, essentially, a plain box with an apple on it.  And I love love love how the finish turned out.  I am getting more brave in how I mix my ASCP colors and have been begging my husband to spring for a trip to see Virginia at the Southern Institute of Faux Finishing & attend one of her classes… a girl can dream, right??

The next project came in the same day (from the same client).

Before:

It isn't a dramatic transformation because the client wanted the piece in ASCP Country Gray (similar to the 'before' pic).  The goal was to match it to another piece I had done for her in country gray, so the knobs were chosen accordingly as well.

After:
(Disclaimer:  these might be the worst 'after' pictures ever, as this piece was hardly dry before it was picked up.  So I took the pictures in my driveway and there were shadows everywhere!)

It doesn't take much to add a lot of interest to a piece.  A good reminder to myself to be a little less choosy when shopping for pieces, for sure.


EDITED TO ADD:   So many of you have asked, I got the wood appliques online from The Wood & Shop Inc.  Here is the link:  Wood & Shop Appliques

thanks for coming by!
kathie

linking to these great parties:

Restore Interiors Restored It Wednesday

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

My repurposed Life's Catch as Catch Can

Primitive & Proper's Piece of Work Wednesdays

Perfectly Imperfect's All things Furniture

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's Tuesday's Treasures