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Painted Nightstand: Before & After

by | Sep 28, 2016 | Decorating Inspiration, My Master Bedroom, My Seattle House

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Painted Nightstand: Before & After

Painted Nightstand: French Linen Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Months ago I found a mirrored night nightstand at HomeGoods for my side of the bed. Our previous nightstands were too big for our new little bedroom, so we had to start over. There wasn’t a matching nightstand at the store where I was and I couldn’t find one anywhere else. But I really wanted my husband’s to be unique anyway, so I started searching for something he’d like for his side of the bed.

Painted Nightstand: Before & AfterBefore

It wasn’t easy to find something that was the right size or height or that would be a good complement to my nightstand, but I finally found a vintage Henry Link three drawer dresser quite a few months ago (I found mine on One Kings Lane) that was almost right. The finish was originally super shiny and pretty yellow-ish so it didn’t look right at all with anything we had in our room. But the size and style was good, so we decided that if we painted it, it would be great for our small bedroom.

Painted Nightstand: Before & After
Of course, we were distracted by other projects so we didn’t get around painting it until a few days ago. As I mentioned, the surface was shiny, but we really didn’t want to hassle with any sanding or primer because nobody’s got time for that (at least in this house, ha). So, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint came to our rescue again! We last used it on our stone fireplace and it was wonderful, so we had confidence it would be the perfect choice to update our nightstand.

Painted Nightstand: Before & AfterAfter

This time we tried a new color of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, French Linen. We thought it would look especially lovely in our dark plum bedroom (Black Frosted Plum by Glidden) and would be similar in tone to my grayish wood nightstand. We couldn’t be more pleased with the color or how easy it was to transform this piece! We painted on two coats of paint with a brush and then finished it off with a top coat of Annie Sloan’s clear wax. If you prefer a shabbier look, you can sand some of the edges a bit after you paint it.

Painted Nightstand: Before & After

Little by little this room will get done! I’ll share the entire room makeover so you can see all the details in one post when I get through checking the last few things off my to do list for this space.

Have you transformed any furniture lately?

More posts by The Inspired Room:

How to make your bed so it makes your day

Tips for Decorating Your Dream Bedroom {where to start}

19 Comments

  1. Cyndi J

    I have one of these nightstands too! I got mine for $25 at a local thrift store (non-charity type). It had the original finish (if I remember correctly a gold laminate top and a green base). Now it’s a gorgeous metallic silver finish. I used gold rub-n-buff on the handles and the gold looks fantastic against the silver. I must say that now that I see yours, maybe I’m over the metallic silver and a gray makeover might be in its future. I also have a matching nine-drawer dresser that I’m planning to use as a media center. I got it from someone on Craig’s List for $75. Unfortunately, it’s been painted and the top is peeling. Also the drawer runs are plastic (instead of wood like the nightstand) and have all broken off so I have to fix that first. My plan is to redo the dresser in a dark gray. Anyway, sorry to hijack your post but I’m just so excited to see that you have the same nightstand! And it looks great.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you, Cyndi! Sounds like you’ve got some fun projects to work on, enjoy!

  2. Candice from Georgetown, Ontario

    Love Annie Sloan paint. ❤️

  3. Lisa

    I love that color! I’m curious if you watered down the paint because your finish looks pretty smooth. I’m working on an Annie Sloan paint project right now and am finding the paint to be fairly thick. I have tried watering it down to get a smoother finish but then the coverage is not as good.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      The second coat helped it to look a little smoother and probably the wax, too. We didn’t water it down for this project, this is straight out of the can. We did water it down for the fireplace though because we wanted a more translucent look there!

  4. Sallie

    In August, I repurposed an 11-drawer dresser into a sideboard for our dining room. Removed the varnish & stain from the top, painted the body & drawer fronts flat black, removed two drawers to make “shelves,” changed out the hardware and built a new apron for the legs and a plinth to set it on (so it would come up to the height of the kitchen countertops). We LOVE it! Got the dresser for $30 at a local thrift store – SCORE! Isn’t it so fun to create our own unique pieces of furniture!? Your nightstand is perfect!

  5. Andrea M. Schnapp

    I love Annie Sloan paint. I have used this color on several things.

  6. Mary Burchette (Bella Posto)

    That looks great!! I am a fan of Annie Sloan chalk paint, too ~ the fact that you don’t have to sand or prime a piece before painting is genius! I painted our queen bed and dresser in Annie Sloan graphite and I updated my china cabinet in Annie Sloan old white. I love how the pieces turned out! An easy and relatively inexpensive fix (definitely more cost effective than buying new)! ;)

  7. SoCalLynn

    I just bought a round coffee table at the thrift store that I need to paint and have been thinking of using chalk paint. I don’t want to have to sand much, and I like the finish and colors of the chalk paint.

  8. Patty

    I love the gray! I’m just getting into chalk paint. There’s a painted furniture workshop down the street, and I’ve seen a lot of gray there lately! Can I ask where you got the lamp? It’s beautiful!

  9. Dianne

    I love the colour and the style of the night table! What would be the cost of such a night table?

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      It depends on the condition and where you buy one! Could be anywhere from free to $25 to several hundred dollars. It can really pay to shop around and search Craigslist for a deal!

  10. Mary Coakley

    Really liked your nightstand,I do think grey is a great colour.

  11. Valerie

    I love the night stand in either colour…. the composition is lovely along with terrific storage…. I’ve always believed in repurposing furniture whenever we can….

  12. Jill

    I have an 8-drawer dresser on my “to paint” list for a winter project. I have been thinking that the ASCP in either French Linen or Slate might be my choice. I did a whole bedroom set in Pure White with subtle distressing, and it looks great! I have also painted to small side tables in a couple of other colors. Love that paint!

  13. Linda Grubbs

    So glad you’ve taught me about Anne Sloan paint! Love it!

  14. Linda Grubbs

    Melissa…Hi!
    I’m the one who has been having trouble posting comments (was never able to figure out why)…..but I’ve kept trying and low and behold, ta da!
    Thanks to your inspiration I’ve painted my fireplace and next up is our guest room night stand! I love following your blog….glad I can comment again! I’m excited to see the white painted brick (hope I haven’t missed it and CAN NOT WAIT for the Dutch door!! ) Had one as a child (I loved it so much!)when I lived in Northern CA…but living now in KS….people hardly know what they are. We have BUGS….lots of BUGS. Anyway….regards to you!!! Linda

  15. Carolyn

    I have an old Craigslist nightstand I’d like to refinish…but the top is Formica, dark brown wood-look. Do you know whether it’s possible to paint it? Love the chalk paint, and especially the idea of no sanding!

  16. Nancy PeBenito

    I found a cabinet just like this at the Goodwill for $25 & it didn’t take me 2 but seconds to snap it up! Love the faux bamboo-ish feel.

    Had anyone used lacquer paints with success?

 

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