Getting my paint on! My Farrow & Ball furniture painting experience.

I thought I would share something a bit different on the blog today. It is still relevant as it is still arty and crafty and an expression of my creativity so I hope you enjoy the read....

It has been quite a while in the planning and dreaming stage but last week we finally had our bedroom painted. For those of you that don't know or haven't been around that long, we moved into this house three years ago this June. Since then we have very and I mean very slowly been going around the house decorating. Obviously it is time consuming and costly to do things in one go so we have been taking our time. We are getting there but there is still so much we need and want to do. 

I once saw a Farrow & Ball paint colour called Downpipe and I fell in love with it. I always knew that I would want this in my bedroom and so the planning and looking around the internet for inspiration began and I made my dream into reality. It is more expensive than other paints but I tell you what, you can definitely tell as the richness in the colour is unbelievable and the walls look so much nicer than the walls in the other rooms (that could also be because this time we got a painter in to do it for us but don't tell Mr B I said that lol!)

Once the room was done we actually has quite a lot of paint left over. I know painting old wooden furniture in F&B paint is a fashionable thing these days and it is something that I always thought of in the back of my mind but never really did ya know. Maybe I was always looking for the perfect piece of furniture. Who knows. 

I was given this washstand by my parents some time ago. They were given it by their parents who were given it by theirs. It's Old. I am not sure how old exactly but I know that it is very old indeed. My parents have had it in their home from when they were married in 1974 until they gave it to us just before they moved to Italy, so about 2014 time. It isn't in the greatest condition so might not have survived the move but to be honest I think after 40 years they were just a bit bored of seeing it everyday. Now it used to have a marble top on it but when my Dad inherited it unfortunately it was broken so my Dad is responsible for the wooden top. It actually reminds me of that Only Fools & Horses sketch 'Trigger's Broom' (see video clip below).

I love that sketch and it does make me think of these poor old wash stand lol! As I said it is not in the best of condition, partly due to it's age and partly from all the moves it has had. That I know of it has had 4 moves in my lifetime / memory so goodness knows how many before that. There are 'dinks' in it, the decorative back piece is broken and the leg is split. It has had a full life! I love it though and when my parents asked me if I wanted it I said yes instantly. I have always loved it and have very fond memories of it in my childhood home. 

It has been in our bedroom since we lived here I still love it but since we had the room painted it just didn't seem to 'fit' any more. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but it just didn't seem right in the room which I had to fix. I mean I love that thing!

I had a kind of lightbulb moment...we have leftover F&B paint! I was a little skeptical and nervous at first. I had never done this before. What if I ruined it. I asked my folks if they minded if I painted it and luckily they said no which is good. In the end I just decided to go for it. To commit and just get on with it. Most sensible people may have done a test patch or tried on something else but no not me I just got on with it!

I took the remaining decorative back off and then I sanded it down and then just got to painting. 

As you guys know I paint a lot but that is only ever on paper or canvas. I have a bit of a reputation for being 'slap dash' and getting paint everywhere so I am not 'allowed' to paint walls lol! Yeah believe me it is best for all concerned! But ya know when it came to this piece I did OK. Partly I think what helps is the paint. It soaked into the wood and was just beautiful to work with.

I painted one coat and let it dry. The coverage was pretty good but it definitely needed two coats.

And here it is all painted up and finished!

Time to put it back into the bedroom once it was dry for the final result. I liked how it looked but did I love it. Did I love it once it was back in the room?

My gosh yes! I love it so much. I don't know whether my parents like it or not, they said it looked nice but they could have been being polite and deep down they are cringing lol! Well I am really happy with the results anyway. What do you think? I think it definitely goes much better with the paint in the room now and the look that we (OK I) are going for in their. 

If you are interested in home decor and the like let me know and when the whole room is finished I will show you. We have a new bed now but we still need curtains, bed side tables, lighting. And I really want to get some new bedding now too. That will probably all be next month or the month after now as gotta save up for those bits but I will show you when it is all done if you would like to see it.

So if you have been wondering about painting furniture with F&B paint I say just go for it. I am glad I did but also I don't want to be held responsible for you painting a family heirloom and then hating it so if you are in any doubt then maybe do some test pieces first lol!