French Provincial Chest

by Ashley Harding

I have always had a soft spot for French Provincial furniture. Maybe it's because growing up, my bedroom set was this style. Or maybe it's because I live under the impression that anything French must be fancy and sophisticated, so I can't help but to like it! Who knows?! But whatever the reason, I've always been drawn towards the curved lines, turned legs and ornate hardware that defines French Provincial furniture, so when I found a set at an auction a couple weeks ago, I was all about it!

french provincial chest, chalk paint, painted furniture

The first thing I wanted to tackle was the hardware. I feel like everyone has their own secret product or method when it comes to cleaning metals. Wanna know mine? Bar Keepers Friend. This stuff is pretty amazing.

Check out the Before & After. I was amazed at the drastic change in color and the bright, shiny results. It took a bit of work, but it was well worth it.

Now that I had bright, shiny hardware again, I wanted to show it off. I knew painting the piece a darker color would really make the hardware pop, which is what I was going for. I finally decided on Annie Sloan's Graphite.

Here is how the piece turned out.

The first thing you notice now is the hardware...

which I realized as I was taking the Before & After shots, is now on upside down. Whoops! I am kinda digging it though, and not really sure if I'm going to flip them around. I think it's one of those "You say potato, I say potahto" kinda things!

Read more about the details of this piece here: http://www.vintagerefined.com/blog/2015/6/3/french-provincial-chest

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this project?

Ask a Question

Comments

Join the conversation

2 comments

Debi53 on Jun 08, 2015
I adore your color choice & the bright gold is gorgeous against the gray.

Like Reply
Sonia Burrows on Aug 20, 2015
OMG, I love, love this. I didn't think I had a shabby-chic antiquey bone in my body, but you've changed my mind. The more I see this on Hometalk the more I'm thinking "I want this". Where you sanded down the edges and such is that primer showing through or the original colored wood?

Like Reply