Chalk Painted Lanterns
I am a lover of all things rustic!! Wood, metal, cowhide, rust, leather. If it’s rusty or distressed I’m a fan! This style of decorating can however, lead to a certain amount of heavy, dark pieces that need light accessories to perk them up and offer the right amount of contrast.
Below is my entertainment center which I love for its function, but look at those deep dark shelves. Things just fade into the dark if you’re not careful. Follow along with me as I some cute pottery lanterns a quick face lift with some chalk paint and a sponging technique!
My entertainment center!! I have a love/hate relationship with it! Look at those dark shelves!
While I love these pottery lanterns I need a much lighter finish. I firmly believe that chalk paint is the modern home designers duct tape, so I used a sponge technique to change these pieces from dark and dreary to light and lovely in no time!!
I used Waverly Inspirations Chalk paint in three colors-white, hazelnut and truffle. I used a Waverly paint and wax brush set from Walmart and a Natural Sea Sponge by Signature Colors from Lowes Home improvement!
Using the White chalk paint and the paint brush, I applied a thin coat of white paint to the entire outer surface of both lanterns. I let this coat dry thoroughly.
When the first coat was dry, I thinned out the Hazelnut Chalk paint with approximately a tsp of water to give it a lighter texture. Using a small section of Natural Sea Sponge, I sponged on a light coat of hazelnut, not quite covering the white paint. This dried quickly due to the thin consistency.
I thinned out a small amount of truffle paint, and using the same sponge, dabbed the darker color where I wanted it. I opted for very light coverage as I was trying to keep the piece light in color, but this is personal preference.
They turned out great!! They show up so much better in the shelves now! A big difference for such a quick project!
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You've given me ideas. Thank you! We also have a dark wood bookcases across our wall.
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Great idea, they came out beautifully! This is the second time I've seen the Hazelnut chalk paint by Waverly used in a project and I'm in love with that color! Then I found out it's not sold in Canada
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Oh no!!!! Girl, that would be just my luck too! It’s a great color and part of my homes color palette! Brown, light brown, tan and beige!🤦🏼♀️
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