Kitchen Diner Reveal! Why I Am Happy That I Gained The Confidence To Paint The Furniture

My small dining room - an extension just off my kitchen - needed redecorating. There was a lot of wear and tear and I wanted to create more storage space for my kitchen serveware, but it all needed to be done on a budget. I decided the best way to bring in more colour and character to the room at a low price was to restore and paint some antique furniture; after painting the walls, ceiling and woodwork in a creamy off-white shade, I invested in and painted a Welsh pine dresser that I won on eBay, as well as upcycling my old wooden Ercol chairs that I discovered eight years ago in a charity shop.

yellow welsh dresser — *This circular red mirror is from* *John Lewis & Partners.*

I fixed my damaged walls and painted them in the soft tone of Silent White by Little Greene. This white paint colour has an ochre undertone, so it has a creamy and velvety appearance. I then positioned the Welsh dresser that I won for £60 in the alcove and decided that it definitely needed brightening up, so I opted to paint it in the popular shade of Yellow-Pink - a bold but muted mustard yellow colour, also by Little Greene.

painted pine dresser — *The pine dresser before being painted in Yellow-Pink by Little Greene.*

I removed the chunky old wooden handles and thoroughly cleaned the dresser with sugar soap before giving it two coats of Zinsser BIN primer. I chose this primer as it has a stain blocker in it, meaning that the wood knots which feature all over the dresser would not bleed through the final paintwork (I did not sand the dresser first as you do not need to do this when using Zinsser BIN). I then applied two topcoats of the Yellow-Pink in an Intelligent Eggshell which is hard-wearing and washable.

For a more modern look, I purchased some small round wooden ball handles from Etsy and painted them in the colour I was painting the old dining chairs in!

pinted welsh dresser yellow — *The red lamp is by* *Tala.* *The hand-painted plates are by* *Harlie Brown Studio. The terrazzo glasses are from* *Heal’s* *and the wavy terracotta pots are by* *Straw London.*

While I had no concerns about painting the dresser (I’d previously had success painting another dresser in my home), I was worried about painting the wooden dining chairs. Much of the surface area of the dresser could be painted using rollers suitable for wooden surfaces, which gives a lovely finish. However, the chairs would have to be painted using only a paintbrush and I was nervous that brush marks may make the chairs look second-rate and messy. I decided that I had nothing to lose - the chairs were in a bad way - so I set about sanding them back to create a smooth and even surface ready for the paint to be applied.

ercol chairs upcycle — *The dining chairs before.*

I picked a really rich plum shade for the chairs - I had seen some gorgeous wood dining chairs with a red stain on a recent showroom visit and I was inspired to create a similar look. After sanding, cleaning and priming with Little Greene’s USP, I gave the chairs three coats of Córdoba in an Intelligent Eggshell using a good quality paintbrush.

furniture painting upcycled chair — *My old wooden dining chairs upcycled in Little Greene’s Córdoba.*

I was so pleased with how the chairs came out. I took my time painting them and left each coat to dry fully before applying the next, now they look as good as new.

The room took on a very traditional look, so I styled it accordingly once it was all painted. I added a gingham tablecloth from Mango Home and hung vintage artwork that I’ve owned for over 20 years!

I’m really pleased with the end result - the colours all work well together and using only the ‘power of paint’ and buying vintage furniture, the room was transformed within a budget-friendly price range.