Asian Nighstands Makeover

Monday, March 19, 2012

Here's the latest on my master bedroom project.  First, take another look at the inspiration board.



Lots of Asian/Chinois elements combined with some modern textiles and gold accents.

So, on an Atlanta weekend shopping trip a few months ago, I came across these nightstands, which I may or may not have purchased just for the hardware.



 These are homemade chests, solid wood and not the least bit wonky.  Anyway, they each have two deep drawers which can house scads of magazines and other reading material.  So much storage I'm considering granting the husband a portion of one of the drawers :)

I was certain I would repaint them in Chinese red, much like the color of the side tables in my mood board.  I went and bought a quart of Ben Moore's Million Dollar Red - heaven in a can!

Since they were already painted, I gave them a very light sanding, a quick wipedown, and I was ready to paint.

First coat was very splotchy.  If you've ever painted anything red, you already know that multiple coats are required.


Second coat, looking better, but I wasn't loving them in red the way I was loving them in red in my head.  

So, I was faced with a decision.  Should I add a little depth with stain?  Should I just start over and paint the whole thing black?  I actually did want to bring some red in, but this solid red paint was already getting on my nerves, and they hadn't even left the basement yet. 

So, I impulsively decided to paint over the red with some black paint and then sand it to reveal some the red underneath.

Ugh!  Still too much red so I added another coat of black and sanded the edges to reveal just a hint of the red that was underneath.


Good enough Perfect!  Added a coat of Wipe-on Poly for extra durability, re-installed the hardware and called it a day!


Just one more obstacle - have to get hubby to haul them upstairs for me!

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21 comments:

Cris Angsten said...

Oooh! love it when a paint project turns out perfect! Great find, too :-)

anita said...

Awesome job, Kim!
Looks so great!!

Unknown said...

Very cool. Love the hardware.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Yes! Perfect. When we bought our home, it was totally decked out in 1970s Asian. You would have had a field day with hardware etc. We gutted the place but I kept a few little things here and there.
I painted a wall in my last house red and had the same trouble. Someone told me to do a base coat in pink first and I have to say, that helped a lot :)

Bri@Meyouandawiener said...

Great idea painting over the red, looks just like the real deal Asian pieces.

alison giese Interiors said...

Niiiiice!

SHERRY HART said...

You have patience.....but good for you! They look great!

Taylor Greenwalt said...

It looks great. Cant wait to see the end project.

Ashley said...

Absolutely fabulous!

Tiffany Leigh {thedesignerlifestyle} said...

That hardware is absolutely gorgeous. Love the finished result!
Tiffany
thedesignerlifestyle.blogspot.com

amber wallace said...

they look gorgeous! And that hardware is fab! Great job.

pam {simple details} said...

I absolutely would have bought them for the hardware! It looks great against the black!

My Many Moments said...

Fantastic. Love the red undertones. I would have picked them up just for the hardware too Kim!

Jalon Burton said...

Gorgeous! Beautiful job with beautiful colors! Thanks so much for sharing - did they make it upstairs? Enjoy your Monday - Jalon

Unknown said...

good job!

Jessica said...

Amazing job!! Can't wait to see the whole bedroom!!

InteriorGroupie said...

oooh those look so sharp! Well done

Unknown said...

I love that nightstand! I've been wanting to do the very same treatment on something! Love the red edges... Have a great day Kim
Nancy
Powell Brower Home

Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door said...

Those are simply gorg! What patience and attention to detail you have. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

kayce hughes said...

perfect! by the way I love to put orange shelac over red to give it the right look.

The Vintique Object said...

Lady, you transformed bad to spectacular!! Love that you painted them black with the red undertones. Those chests are thanking you. I can feel it!
Camille