Saltwashed Chest of Drawers

Do you remember this piece?

I painted it in a soft gray and used one of Miss Mustard Seed’s hand painted stencils on the front.

I thought it was simply adorable, but it just sat and sat in my space at Morgantown for months. Despite my restaging and moving it around, no one seemed to be interested in it.

Since customers weren’t digging the look, I started over again. A few people suggested painting the chest gray all over with no stenciling, so that’s where I started.

After 2 new coats, all I had was a gray box. The chest was incredibly plain and I couldn’t remove the wooden knobs to exchange them for something more exciting. Believe me, I tried. They were practically superglued on, so I decided to do some experimenting.

After lots of product and color layering, the chest had a brand new look.

It was completely worn and weathered as if it had been exposed to the salty sea air for years.

What made most of this layering possible is a fun product called Saltwash.

It's a powder that you can mix into any type of paint, thickening and giving it a cake batter consistency. You can stipple it on and create soft peaks, or you can brush it on every which way like stucco. It creates the most amazing texture, which is what I was going for on this once-boring chest of drawers.

Look at the layers that were exposed after some sanding and chipping!

I know this look may not be suited to everyone’s taste, but like I mentioned before, I wanted to experiment. I picture this piece in a beach house surrounded by coastal decor or perhaps in a farmhouse home with rustic elements.

You always take a risk when you mix paint products together. They don't always play well, but things turned out just fine.

I staged this piece with one of my favorite water color paintings by Marian Parsons of Miss Mustard Seed.

You can see more of her work by checking out her Society6 page. I paired her adorable cow with an old oil can I picked up at an auction and a precious metal goat bell. It makes the sweetest tinkling sound when it’s rung.

On the other side of the chest, I put some wooden dominoes in a clear Atlas jar with a glass lid.

The book is a tiny New Testament that I picked up from a local antique shop. It’s one in a set of six and I was absolutely obsessed with them at first sight. When you open the worn cover, the date peeks back at you in careful cursive script.

Can you believe that? I have a book from the 1850’s!

The font and the pages just melt my heart.

The chest made its way to Painted Table Designs this afternoon. The Marshmallow and I had lots of errands to run, and this piece was one of them.

It's currently listed at $225 so if you're interested, stop by and pay a visit. I'll be in on Thursday if you'd like to see me too!