A Cottage Washstand
When I last shared my washstand with you, this was its status:
It was all prepped and ready to receive a fresh coat of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint. It had been through quite the transformation up to that point, even though it didn't look like it at first glance. It no longer smelled like cat urine (huge bonus) thanks to this miracle product
and it was functioning properly thanks to some small structural repairs.
The fun part had finally arrived - it was time for paint!
I decided to take my color inspiration from a piece I saw on the Instagram feed of Amy Pike at The Shabby Shrub.
She mixed a rough ratio of equal parts Boxwood and Kitchen Scale (perhaps being a little heavier on the Kitchen Scale end).
This lovely combination of grassy green and vibrant teal results in the most beautiful shade of cottage green.
This is what the washstand looked like after one coat. It took two coats total to get the coverage I wanted. (Side note: I hardly ever paint pieces only using 1 coat of product. 99% of the time, I use 2 or more coats. The only reason why it's not 100% is because I'm pretty sure there was a random time in the past when I painted something with 1 coat of paint. I just can't remember what it was because I've painted A LOT of pieces!)
After two coats of MMS Milk Paint were applied and dry, I distressed the piece with 120 grit sandpaper. I went more aggressively than I usually do because I wanted this piece to chip. It had that amazing natural texture from the original gatored oil finish, so I wanted to play up those bumpy areas.
The piece was sealed with an application of Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil. This natural finish is super easy to apply! Simply pour it in a cup and brush it on.
Hemp Oil darkens MMS Milk Paint the most of all of the finishes in the paint line. Applying it is so satisfying because you can instantly see the Milk Paint come to life right before your very eyes.
I mean, c'mon...look at that!
Okay, just one more...
I let the Hemp Oil sit for about 20 minutes on the surface. This gave the oil a chance to soak into the surface of my washstand, which happened to be quite dry. While I was waiting, I applied some Hemp Oil on the gorgeous original handles. Then, I grabbed a shop rag and wiped away the excess oil from both the handles and the washstand.
These are the rags that I love to use. I have about 4 boxes of them downstairs in the workshop at the moment. They're great for wiping away stain, wax finishes and Hemp Oil. I also like to get them damp and wrap up my paintbrushes in between coats so they don't dry out and get crusty.
Once the washstand was wiped down, I brought it upstairs from the workshop and let it sit overnight. The next morning, I went to stage it and found that the Hemp Oil had soaked in and the surface was completely dry to the touch. Now it wasn't cured yet (that process takes 3-4 weeks) but it was dry enough to stage and photograph.
Talk about a total transformation, eh?
This little piece is so daggone cute! I'm in love with the chippy patches that revealed themselves when I distressed the piece.
Here's a lovely spot along the backsplash.
And this corner on the top was a lovely surprise.
Those random chippy patches paired with the original handles are just....mmmmm!
Like, look at that texture!
No really, look!
All of that chipping, crazing, crackling and distressing works together to create the most charming cottage feel on this washstand.
This piece was totally worth saving. It has hand-cut dovetails. You can tell they're hand-cut because you can see the line the carpenter drew to mark where they should end. And, the skinnier the dovetail joints are, the older the piece is. I never paint over the joinery on drawers because I want people to see the craftsmanship that went into creating the piece.
Yep. That right there. I don't paint that.
There's your typical cupboard storage underneath the washstand, and I really wish you guys could smell this piece. (Is that an odd thing to say?) It's so fresh and clean, which is a far cry from what it smelled like when it first came to my workshop. This little guy came quite a long way.
See for yourself!
This pretty washstand is the first official piece that I've painted that will be going to my brand new second location. I've been invited to be a vendor in this gorgeous 1835 farmhouse in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania.
This is the new headquarters of the super talented Tracy McClaskey of Homestead Studios, and I will have a gorgeous room on the second floor. (The second and third windows in from the right are my spot!) I'll be moving in soon and the soft opening of the shop will be around August 4th. I'll provide more information as details become available including what paint products will be coming with me, workshop offerings, hours of operation, etc.
For now, I'm off to a seriously adorable start!
