Friday, February 10, 2012

The Antoinette Chair


 The Antoinette Chair 
This photo was taken last night, after Antoinette
 got it's new spot by the fireplace. 
Here she is in the morning light~
And this is how Antoinette came to be:
First, I painted all the wood of the old Victorian chair.  
Lest you think I was destroying a piece of history,
 lets just say that the cracked and glued areas became
 apparent as I painted...I don't belong to the club of rules
 that says that old wood furniture must not be painted....
and I never will.
 This stiff little artist brush helps me paint the areas 
closest to the gimp trim without too much trouble.
 This is the chair done in two coats of Antoinette without any wax finish.
 The next step requires a wax finish. You can choose clear,
 or clear with dark, however I planned to use the Dark wax only.
 As soon as you apply any wax the carvings and details will stand out, 
and more so with dark wax.  Clear and Dark wax will darken the color, 
but Dark wax will change the color, so you might do a sample
 like I did ahead of time just to make sure you will like the result.
 You can see the dark wax over the pink paint.  
After applying it I  rubbed it off, 
leaving more behind in the carved areas.
 This is Hannant's Dark Wax that I used, 
which is now sold as Annie Sloan dark wax.  
I made two sample chips in Antoinette with and without the dark wax. 
 Dark wax really changes the look of a piece.
I preferred this chair to have a blush or 
browny pink look, not sugary pink. 
 Here is Antoinette with the dark wax~she looks like a blushing bride.
Next step is a touch of gilding~
I applied a small amount of gold leaf Rub n' Buff
 with my finger to the carved areas on the legs 
and the shoulders to create a gilded effect. 
 A little gold goes a long way in my book.
 You can buy tubes of this product on Amazon.  
The winter sun was setting and I was ready to take Antoinette's picture~
and she seemed to look best next to the fireplace. 
Which inevitably means rearranging accessories and such.
Like adding the pink tole tray to the bookcase.
 I noticed the chair looks like a companion to my pink hooked rug~
 I'll be doing other things with Antoinette chalk paint 
so you can see how it looks with a clear wax coating
instead of the dark wax finish that makes it so grown up. 
See how much pinker this is looking?
I found that applying the pink over white instead of dark wood
also plays a role in the finished color.
More on this piece later.
Before~
After


Photobucket

49 comments:

  1. It looks fabulous Amy!! Wow, I love the pink!!

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  2. Amy, that is gorgeous. What a difference that color made.

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  3. Wow, it looks so much better now, Amy! The detailing really stands out, where it was hardly noticeable in the before pictures. Nicely done!

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  4. I knew it! Love it...looks so pretty and romantic, love the soft gold rub application....well done Amy!

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  5. Amy You are amazing I wish I had your energy !!! That chair turned out so pretty !!

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  6. Wait, I missed something...you move too fast for me! Your bookcases are different, no? No more flowers? I'm going to have to go find out what you did and why.... :)
    Stacy

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    1. Yes, I did a winter makeover look with grey paint. But the floral bookcase panels will get put back in the spring!

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  7. Shes's beautiful, Amy! Love the paint treatment, too!

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  8. Great chair. Love the new finish. Hugs, Marty

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  9. WOW,! 'She' looks amazing!!!!!!!!Now I am completely sold on that color:) Thanks for sharing with us. You are always such an inspiration.
    ~Debra xxx
    Capers of the vintage vixens

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    1. Thanks Debra~I love the browny pink color you get when you use the dark wax!

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  10. I love her face lift you would never know she went under the paint brush

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  11. that style chair looks perfect in your room! I really like the new aged pink color on her too. Looks like we're going to be seeing a little more pink in your home now.

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  12. Hey Amy,

    I KNEW you would fall in love with this color...it is divine and like I said "a pink for us grown up gals"

    Gorgeous chair and she looks so perfect in this room now...she belongs.

    janet xox
    The Empty Nest

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  13. Great job on your fabulous chair, Amy!! What a precious color pink this is, love how the dark wax take it to a new level! yummy!!

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  14. You did a marvelous job on the chair Amy! She looks beautiful sitting next to the fireplace.
    xxoo

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  15. Ohhhhhh, she's yummy! I think i will have to pick up some of that color in Annie Sloan!, that and the Robin's egg blue... i've been holding out, but now it's settled!

    Cindy

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  16. I love it, Amy! The color is perfect for the fabric and it looks SO good in your living room! Fantastic job!

    XO,
    Jane

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  17. I love it! And if it needs paint I think paint it! =)

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  18. it looks fantastic! Happy Friday, Amy!

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  19. I don't belong to that club either!! Love the way it turned out, can I get that wax in Lowe's or Home Depot? Love the gold too, it looks so pretty with the hooked rug : )

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  20. your living room looks so pretty Amy!
    I love how the little chair turned out!
    hugs from here
    Donna

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  21. Amy,
    That looks fabulous! I just bought my first can of the dark wax and haven't used it yet. Making a sample is a good idea so I can experiment a bit.
    Lorraine

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  22. Amy- I just love it! That chair looks amazing and I love the way the darker wax enchances the whole thing. Now...did you say you were tired of that crummy old pillow on the chair?;>) I will be happy to take that off your hands just so you can be rid of the awful thing! xo Diana

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  23. Beautiful chair ! I am keeping my eyes open for a pretty frenchy chair , I haven't run across one yet , but I'm not giving up .

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  24. The chair looks so pretty! I wasn't crazy about the upholstery but now it looks great with the pink accents. Was it hard to paint around the fabric? That is the only thing keeping me from painting my sofa and chair. I know you are in the camp that I should not paint it. I really love the pink tole tray up on the shelf. I adore the backs of the shelves done in grey.

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  25. Love the Antoinette chair! The paint and dark wax have totally changed the look of the chair.

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  26. Antoinette looks beautiful Amy! Have a wonderful weekend, Gail

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  27. Hi Amy,
    I'm lovin this chair and the dark wax really gives the detailing a great look. You done good girl.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  29. Hi Amy
    Love the chair it turned out gorgeous great
    choice of color too ( not sure what happened to my first message lol??)
    xxoo
    Pam

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  30. Antionette now looks like a true mademoiselle! The touch of gilding is like a pair of earrings that just finish an outfit perfectly. Also appreciate your showing your test pieces and the chair at each stage of the process.

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  31. Amy,

    I love the chair! I am with you on painting the wood. I think it is beautiful (especially in that morning light)!

    blessings,
    karianne

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  32. Just gorgeous!
    Have a great weekend :o)
    ~Des

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  33. The "chair" what an amazing make over...Love it...And as always your blog is so inspiring to me I could visit it every hour and still get ideas...I invite you to check out my new blog...Blessings Lori

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    1. Hi Lori, I can't reply to you directly because you don't have your email activated with your comments (no-reply)...and I went to your blog but something is wrong with the comment area because there is no place to leave a comment! That may explain why you have zero comments! I hope you are able to check back~

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  34. First - your chair looks fabulous! And second, thanks for sharing your new sponsor. I am about to take the plunge and order my first can of Annie Sloane chalk paint and will have to head on over to their site to check it out.

    I hope you are doing well! I am pretty behind on blog reading this days but am catching up on yours tonight!

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  35. i love chalk paint! your chair looks beautiful you did a great job! i'm a new follower! susan

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  36. Truly amazing transformation. The color choices are exquisite..I cannot wait to take the classes offered by my local Annie Sloan supplier...

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  37. Tres chic!Assez présidence française! I love pink..and I too have no qualms about painting old furniture. Lovely!

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  38. Hi Amy,
    I love the chair. Can't wait until my local Annie Sloan store gets this paint in. Should be here in 2 weeks. Love the pale pink.

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  39. So much better painted. In fact, now a beauty and so fitting for the rest of your house. I'm in the process of painting an empire loveseat hi-gloss turquoise!!

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  41. First of all I would have been scared to paint like that with the fabric till on.....and you did such a good job. I agree.....it looks better painted and with the glaze also

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  42. She's soooo pretty now! And, yes, I'm so behind in my blog reading, but I just had to comment. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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