Stylish Patina

Vintage Modern Style

general finishes

May Giveaway!

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In all our excitement over your incredible submissions last month, we almost forgot to announce which product we will be giving away this month! We LOVE the General Finishes Gel Stains, and we want you guys to try it out for yourself! It’s such a great product and we promise it is so much better than working with traditional stains. What better way to try it out than by winning it just by sharing your latest transformations with us! We will be choosing our favorite transformation at the end of the month to win a pint in Mahogany! Your transformation can be done using any of your favorite products, whether it’s Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® or Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, or even General Finishes Gel Stains! Enter on Instagram using #SPPaintPro!

Furniture Transformation: Twig & Thyme

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We are SO excited to announce the winner of this month’s giveaway! The very talented Courtney Cole of Twig & Thyme Design transformed this secretary desk for one of her clients. Courtney is a Northern Virginia native who currently lives with her fiancé and their two dogs in the suburbs of DC. Curating a collection of vintage pieces was always a hobby of Courtney, who collected painted furniture and antiques while working in fashion. So naturally, when she decided it was time for a career change, this seemed an obvious choice! She loves more traditional styles of furniture, with Empire style being a particular favorite. But, like us, she loves to blend the old and new to create her own eclectic style.

Courtney has a true talent for looking past what may look like a dated or tired piece and seeing it’s good bones. She pulls inspiration for her pieces from her everywhere, from her travels to different cities and countries to her fellow artists to help her clients transform their pieces into something they are proud to display in their homes.

This gorgeous drop front secretary was made in 1937 and had been passed down for three generations. So naturally, it had seen its fair share of wear and tear and was a great candidate for a full makeover. Courtney was commissioned by her client to refresh this piece, while still maintaining a more classic look. The first step was a pretty extensive cleaning to remove the built up grime and worn finish. She sanded down some surface imperfections and repaired the drawers, tip trim, and foot to make sure the piece was ready for painting!

To achieve this polished look, Courtney applied layers of General Finishes’ Enduro Black Poly on the exterior, following each coat with a light sand to help achieve this flawless finish. The inside of the pieces was primed with the General Finishes Stain Blocker (which is a great way to prevent bleed through from stains!) and painted with General Finishes Milk Paint in Antique White. To help maintain the classic look of the piece, they left the original hardware and lightly distressed along the edges to highlight some of the lines and details. The final step was applying a layer of the General Finishes Enduro Lacquer for an added bit of protection!

The results are absolutely stunning aren’t they?

You can find more incredible transformations here, or send us yours on instagram using #SPPaintPro for a chance to win another DIY product this month!

Shop all your DIY needs online or in the shop!

 

 

Furniture Transformation: March Staff Pick

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We are so excited to share this week’s furniture transformation, which was our staff pick for best transformation in March. It comes to us courtesy of the super talented Jilian Moncada of ReFind Design.  Jilian, like us here at Stylish Patina loves to take traditional, vintage furniture  pieces and give them a modern finish. She discovered her passion for refurbishing furniture after leaving her career in fashion to stay home with her two young daughters. In doing so, she discovered a passion that has since spun in to her opening ReFind Design in 2014.

She draws her inspiration from fashion trends, old movies, her favorite interior design magazines and brands like Ethan Allen, Arhaus, and Horchow. Somehow, Jilian, who is a mother to four beautiful children, still manages to pull out amazing transformations like this one! 

 

Jilian started with this beautiful piece, but transformed it to modernize it and enhance its vintage beauty. To create this stunning, and super on-trend, two-tone beauty and breathe new life into this buffet, Jilian used a mix of General Finishes products. To start, she applied a thin application of Queestown Gray Milk Paint to create a “time-worn” effect and create the illusion of a stain. For the cabinets and legs, she mixed General finishes stains in Antique Oak and Black Cherry. She lined the back of the cabinets and drawers with a gorgeous floral wall paper to finish it off. We love the finished product, don’t you?!

 

Congratulations on your beautiful transformation and for winning a Quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

We can’t wait to see what you do!

Don’t forget to tag us in your transformations on Instagram using #Sppaintpro to enter to win DIY products every month! You can shop all your DIY needs at https://www.stylishpatinashop.com

 

Tip of the Week: Polyurethane Top Coats

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Every so often, we have a customer that comes into the store that loves Chalk Paint and loves the idea of how easy and user friendly it is, but wants more of a modern look or more of a high shine finish. You have two options for how to achieve that look. One option is to try buffing over Annie Sloan’s clear wax 24 hours after applying it. Your other option is to apply a wax based polyurethane top coat over the chalk paint. (This option is a little bit less forgiving).

One of our favorite polyurethane top coats to use is the one made by General Finishes. It comes in a variety of different finishes from flat to high gloss making it easy to achieve the finish you want. Just remember the rule of thumb when using poly top coats: the more you mess with it, the cloudier it will look. In other word’s, apply it and leave it alone!

Check out this tutorial from General Finishes for more information.

Come and see us at our shop in Falls Church Virginia (address here) and talk to us about your project or BUY ONLINE if you are out of state!  We have all your Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan products, wax and so much more!  We have everything you need to complete your project.  Do you have questions email us shop@stylishpatina.com.

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Go High Style Glam!

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Today we want to chat about how you can get that High Style look on a budget!

There’s a misconception that all painted vintage furniture is “shabby chic”. We are constantly trying to debunk this though process.  We like to think of each piece as a canvas that can be transformed to fit into any home and any style. We love to see how a vintage piece that has seen better days can be transformed into a beautiful, functional piece that still feels modern and contemporary. We believe this week’s Before & After finally puts this myth to rest!

I found this bland vintage dresser and new the lines and bones were good but it needed a little love. I was crushing on the idea of a black and white high style glam look.  I had seen a cool black and white striped desk that another painted had done but wasn’t sure that was exactly what I wanted to do.  I thought about it and came up with this idea instead. Black + White is beautiful and classic yet still modern …add a little gold to glam it up and call it a day!  The frame of the dresser was painted in a jet black paint, the drawers are a snow white and the hardware was given a new life with a little gold paint.   Check out the transformation below.  I loved it so much after Heather executed my vision we put it in the window at the Mosaic shop and she (Trisha named her Sophie) sold….I was a little sad….so I have plan for another black and white piece coming up soon, maybe even a whole designer line collection of one of a kind black + white pieces.

We love how this piece turned out! The contrast between the black and white really makes a simple dresser pop. Feeling inspired? Stop in to one of our stores and let our experts help you! Or buy your paint from us online here!

Do you have a transformation worth sharing? Send submit your before and after on the blog here for a chance to be featured on the blog!

Happy painting!

Transformation Thursday – Buffet

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This transformation took place at our brand new Mosaic Pop-up location.  The vintage buffet/server has a ton of detail, but the carvings were overwhelmed by its drab brown color and shiny finish.

However, a fresh coat of paint and some distressing is giving this beauty a new life!  The paint is a product that we at Stylish Patina are very fond of – General Finishes Milk Paint in Emerald.  It’s amazing how the bright color contrasted by some distressing make the details really pop! 

We decided to leave the legs with the natural wood finish to further highlight the unique nature of this piece.  I absolutely love how it turned out!  Check out more pictures of this furniture here.  Stop by the shop to get advice on how to do your own transformation!

The Ugly Duckling

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Good morning on this crisp Virginia day!  We are finally starting to see and feel fall around Northern Virginia / Washington D.C. area!  I wanted to share a fun before + after vintage furniture transformation that Heather tackled in the warehouse a few weeks back on one of our studio days.   With me being 34 weeks pregnant (yes can you believe it I’m in my 9th month!) Heather + Christina are doing most of the heavy lifting these days.  I am more of a director than a participant when it come to furniture painting at the moment.  But enough small talk on to the good stuff!

This china hutch was / is a beast.  But I fell in love with the curvy top and carving on the drawers and had to to buy her.  I saw beyond the yellowish wood and massive size and saw something really majestic, hollywood regency ish in her.

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I paint most of our hutches in light / neutral colors but I couldn’t resist a statement color on this beauty! We use Coastal Blue by General Finishes and a little Napoleonic Blue Chalk Paint mixed in. We love how she turned out!  You can come and see her at our Rough Luxe warehouse open every Saturday 10-5pm!

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Come and see us this Saturday for our Holiday Toy Drive + Family Photo Opportunity!

The Male Perspective

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About a month or so ago I was in the shop over the weekend bringing in some new furniture and trying to stay under the radar.  I was trying to just get in and out of the shop and back to my kids.  I had my bestie Yvette from Foundry with me and we couldn’t help but notice this adorable father and his 3 kids (2 girls elementary/middle school + 1 boy in a car seat, yes he deserved father of the year for that alone!).  Usually when guys come in the shop they have a list of DIY products they need to purchase for their wife.

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This guy was different I could hear him talking with his girls about colors and the project they were going to do.  I walked up to him and asked him if he needed any help.  He said no thank you that he was just deciding on colors for his project.  I walked away and went about my business of trying to get out of the shop in under 2 hours (if I think it’s going to take 30 minutes it usually really ends up being 2 hours).  The whole time Yvette and I were watching this cute family and she and I were thinking the same thing “How cool is this guy all into using the paint and DIY thing!”.  Yvette was like you need to interview him for the blog and she was right but I was trying to get out of the shop.  So I brushed it off until she was like I’m going to go ask him if you can interview him for the blog!  So she did and here we are… I ended up chatting with Joshua for about 45 more minutes after he agreed to be interviewed.  He and I spend tons of time in our DIY section and I showed him some other cool products like General Finishes Gel Stains and the High Performance Poly that I think are awesome.

I hope you enjoy this fun little interview with Joshua!

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Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a native of Miami, FL. I came to the DC area after college in 2000. I met my wife Ericka a year later. She was a senior at Howard University. We have been married for 13 years and we have 3 kids (Jaylah – 12, Joslyn – 9, Isaiah – 9 months). We currently live in Alexandria, VA. Our family has an affinity for the arts. Jaylah has been a performing dancer since she was 3. Joslyn is a drummer. Ericka is a fashion marketing teacher at a high school in Fairfax County and started an online clothing boutique. And I paint furniture and love pretty much all things home decor (and sports). That’s probably not a typical combination.

How did you start repurposing furniture and where do you find your pieces?

I stumbled into repurposing when my dad told me that I needed a hobby. Since I could remember, I could always recognize potential. One day I came across a home DIY magazine and decided to try my hand at replicating a featured project. It was terrible. But I took it as a challenge to see if I could become good at it. Over time I just kept practicing until I gained confidence. It probably took me 3-4 pieces before I started to figure it out. I was hooked. I started reading blogs, watching more HGTV, studying You Tube videos, etc. Then I came across the blog of Miss Mustard Seed. Her story really inspired me. Since then, I have entertained the thought of owning a furniture boutique. (That’s why I love Stylish Patina so much. It’s like seeing my dream every time I go there.)

As for how I find my pieces, it depends. But I look on Craigslist and local auction sites to see what someone is basically giving away. But some of my best pieces have been stuff I found on the side of the road. I actually get more excited about those pieces. It’s like finding a hidden treasure. Once the spring comes, people in this area are always putting things on the curb. So, sometimes I will do a drive by on trash days.

Do you have a favorite Chalk Paint® color?

I have not used all of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors. But I think Barcelona Orange has been my favorite one so far. I thought it would be fun to use a bright color that was outside of the box for me. It did not disappoint. 

Do you have a favorite project you have done? 

I think my favorite project was working on a matching dresser and chest that I got for free from a man who bought an old row home for his daughter in DC. The pieces were beautiful antiques that needed a little TLC to be brought back to life. I used the Paris Grey Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in combination with the dark wax. It was my first time using the dark wax and it was amazing!

Do you get teased by your guy friends about your new hobby?

Several weeks ago I was having a lunch meeting with a couple of guys I was just meeting for the first time. When I was asked about my hobbies, I said I loved home decor and I restoring furniture. He laughed very loudly. I think the look I had on my face made him realize that he should probably stop laughing. That type of response among guys is actually not the norm. Most are surprised because they know I love sports and have an athletic background. But most think it is cool and odd at the same time. 

If is true you were a football player?

Yes, in my past life I did play a little football. I rarely lead with that because I want people to get to know me as a regular guy because that’s what I am. Back in 2000, I was fortunate to sign with the Redskins as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee Technological University. It was always a dream of mine to play in the National Football League. I was able to do that for a short time. I spent time with the Redskins, Dolphins, and played a season in the now defunct NFL Europe. 

Any tips for a newbie just getting into repurposing? 

I always encourage people to just go for it. You never know until you try. Find something around the house (that you wouldn’t be too upset about if you messed it up) or go to the “free” section on Craigslist and experiment a little bit. Annie Sloan Chalk paint is a great product to practice with because it is so easy to use. You can usually cover a piece in a couple of coats of paint. Also, use You Tube and DIY blogs for tips. Most of those people have already made all the mistakes you can make. So follow their tips until you develop your own experience. I think you will find that it is fun and not that difficult. 

Here are a few of my favorite Before + After projects from Joshua!  I love his look it’s very chic + stylish.


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Are you local and buy your DIY products from us at Stylish Patina?  If you have a fun story on how you got involved in DIY projects and refurbishing furniture then contact us at press@stylishpatina.com.

Washington Post Design Project

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If you read the Local Living section of the Washington Post you may have seen a little design project I helped out a reader on this week.  The paper contacted me about reader that had a townhouse with a tiny backyard and she wanted to make the space more usable.

A couple tricks to the project 1. It was a tiny space 2. she was on a tight budget.  Here is the BEFORE picture of her backyard that she sent in to us.

before backyard

She was hoping for a sitting and an eating area for up to 6 people with a relaxed country feel.  So now the trick was how do we fit all of this into one little postage stamp (on a budget!).

The largest splurge was investing in flagstone for the entire backyard.  I know it seems sad to get rid of the grass however; to really get the most usable space this was my recommendation.  In an effort to balance the flagstone I included tons of potted plants to soften the edges.  This opens up the area and allows for an easy flow between sitting area and eating area.

As for furniture on a budget my go to shops were Target, Pottery Barn and Ballard Design.   The home owner said she was a bargain hunter so I’m guessing she will know enough to buy items on sale at the end of the season and or check craigs list for some lovely gently used patio furniture.  Good patio furniture can be expensive so it pays to shop around.

The artist that did the illustration goofed up on the dining area a little bit. I actually deigned the wicker chairs to be at the head of the table, the ladder back chairs to go on the side against the fence and a bench to go where the wicker chairs currently are at the dining table.  I also originally put the umbrella in the table 🙂  Here is the illustration of the design and a link to the article if you want to take a look online!

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ROUGH LUXE OPEN

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Don’t forget to come by Rough Luxe Market this weekend and snag up some of our amazing deals!  It’s our 1 year Anniversary and we are doing a raffle for a $75 gift certificate just swing by and enter your email address no need to purchase anything.

A few of the specials this month are…..

A few of the specials we have going on at this months event are….

* The majority of vintage trunks are on sale for $75

* $1 a piece for all vintage china & glassware

* The majority of vintage shutters are on sale for $60/each

* The majority of vintage doors are on sale for $99/each

* 30% off Vintage Art (we have some amazing items)

We have tons of other great sale items..come and see…

Take a look at our June Rough Luxe Inventory on the FB page here.

LOCATION : 138 W. Jefferson St Falls Church Va 22046

TIMES: Fri+Sat 10-5 / Sun 12-5

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Vintage Wing Chair Redo

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I am a little addicted to transforming vintage chairs (and settees) into beautiful modern living pieces.  Here are a few chairs that I have found and then had professionally reupholstered.  You can also check out the before and afters of most of these projects here.

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We have our June Rough Luxe Market opening up June 20-22nd (this weekend) and we have some amazing vintage chairs & settees that with a little vision could be amazing.  I personally think there is nothing as special as making a piece of furniture yours through paint or upholstery.  As a designer most times you can have a vintage chair redone with the exact fabric you want for less than a brand new chair would cost and way better bones.   Take a look at the photos on Facebook for this months Rough Luxe sale if you are looking for a project.

I pulled a few of my favorite chair renovations from Pinterest for a little inspiration.  Come and see us at Rough Luxe and find a piece of vintage furniture to put your personal design stamp on!

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Upcoming Events

* June Rough Luxe – June 20-22nd details here

* Basic Paint Class – June 28th register online here

DIY Succulent Wreath

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Deborah over at The Little Garden Spot and our resident flower guru has been making succulent wreaths in her studio for the past several days and she was kind enough to share her process with us!  We also have one of her beautiful succulent wreathes in the shop for sale.

First, I started with a pre-made moss form. I was going to be very ambitious and make the wreath from scratch but when I found these forms, it was a no brainer!

wreath 1 Soak the form for about 15-20 minutes. You must work with this type of moss wet, otherwise, it will disintegrate.

Second, I made holes with my pruning shears to get the succulents into the wreath. The second picture reflects these so-called holes.

wreath2Third, I pinned the plants in place with floral pins. This step is optional, but the plants need to be secured in place. Especially, if you are going to hang the wreath. (most instructions recommend waiting for several months before hanging-until the plants are rooted in) You can put them as close together as you like, but I tried to leave a little growing room. 

wreath 3The wreath forms I purchased have a chain for hanging or feet on the bottom to use on a table as a centerpiece. Put them in a sunny spot and don’t give them too much attention. If we have a period without rain (10 days or so) give them a good soaking and they should be fine. 

Thanks Deborah! Here is the gorgeous final product that we have in the shop for sale.

succulent wreath