Antique Washstand

Sorry, I don't have a before of this wash stand (apparently I was in a hurry!).   It had already been refinished in a dark stain and is in great condition.  I didn't want to tell the people I bought it from that I was painting it because I know how much work it is to refinish something!  Shhh...don't tell!

I have mass amounts some paint hanging out in my basement, so I thought I would experiment and mix my own color.  It has about 4 different colors in it from four different brands. :)  It's a little brighter than I normally do and it took a minute for it to grow on me, but now I love it.  

 AFTER

 It is very sweet. ;)

 I originally left the original pulls (I don't believe they were the actual originals but they were the pulls that were on it when I bought it) on it, but when I finished up and stood back to look at it I hated them!  They were very decorative and there was just too much going on on the drawers.  So, I had to remove them, fill in the holes, and repaint the drawers.  A fairly quick redo turned into a big ol pain in the you know what! 

I've said many times before how I love that a cup pull can instantly update a piece.  I love that it still feels vintagy with the color, shape, and details, but has a modern element with the pulls. 

 I actually didn't sand this top down to the bare wood, which is the first time I've ever not done that!  I simply took the old finish off by hand and then stained it with a coat of Java Gel.  I could get away with it because the top was in nice condition to begin with as it had been refinished once before.

 I painted the insides of the drawers with a pretty butter yellow and love how it just adds a little bit of fun when you open them up! 

I love the back piece on this stand too!  I wet distressed this piece so I didn't take off the dark finish under the paint.