revamped washstand

I really had some fun with this little washstand. Sometimes I need to paint with colour instead of white to break it up a little however I do really love white.

This washstand is Kauri pine so it naturally throws a honey colour when left in its natural state so I had to choose a colour to compliment that. I wish I had a "before photo" to show you but unfortunately I got a little carried away and dove straight into the painting process.

We started by removing the mirror and drawers that were on the top, we do this because we find it really limits the piece in this day and age. With the mirror it is really only suitable for a bathroom or child's bedroom but without it you can really put the table anywhere. We then stripped and sanded the varnish off the top.

I started the legs and body with a coat of Provence, I allowed that coat to dry and followed it with a second coat of Provence. Whilst the second coat was still wet I lightly brushed Florence over the top in places where I thought it would naturally appear darker. I then finished the piece off with a light distressing and a coat of clear wax. When I stood back to admire the work I was a little underwhelmed I loved the colour but was still a little bored, luckily we have a great artistic neighbour. Pearl from Boho Banjo happily lent me another stencil to put the cute little stencil on the top. I did this in a mix of old white and pure white and finished the top off with clear wax and steel wool.