It's a good thing my livelihood doesn't depend on the consistency and regularity of my blog postings. Lately around here, I've been welcoming pieces in and sending them on their merry way without taking the time to document much of their transformations. But now and then, a piece comes along that deserves the extra time and care needed to highlight it.
Check out this vintage French corner desk. These beauties are very hard to find, and this is the first one I've ever gotten the chance to work on.
It's cute in its original state, but rather bland. When discussing this piece for a redo, this client had a startling and ambitious vision: give it the Midas touch.
We were going off of a single picture from an outdated blog that included no links or information on the perfect shade of gold that we were set on. So, by trial and error, I tested and rejected no less than fourteen different shades of gold until I was happy with this shimmering champagne-gold hue.
Problem was, this type of paint was a true metallic, and it wasn't a fan of adhering well to anything. I coaxed it with priming, bonding agents, thickeners, and stabilizers. Little by little, layer by layer, the gold began to build up. It was about as time-consuming as applying gold leaf.
But I think it was worth it. All twenty-two layers of it. Ok, the top only has fifteen, but those stubborn legs...
This client wanted even more unexpected touches, as if a metallic gold desk wasn't enough already. So she requested a juicy purple to peek out from the solitary drawer:
Thankfully, the original hardware was still in pristine condition, so it underwent the gilding as well.
I'm a fan of how it turned out. This was a fabulous opportunity to transform a unique piece for a client and friend with a bold and exciting vision!
My one and only New Year's resolution is to picture catalogue every piece I do this year. Last year, I remembered to do that less than 10% of the time, so I can only improve, right?
I'm excited to show off some of the amazing pieces I'm finishing up soon--I have the best clients who find such phenomenal pieces for me to transform!
Thanks for stopping by:)
