Every piece of furniture I upcycle carries its own unique story, but Fleur, a pair of pine bedside tables, holds a special place in my heart. The tables came to me at an unexpected time – when I was ill in bed with COVID. They appeared on our local community Facebook group (I obviously wasn’t ill enough to not be checking out Facebook!). Someone was looking to rehome them as they’d been sat in their garage for years, I couldn’t resist! I immediately saw their potential and knew exactly what I wanted to do. Unable to go myself, my patient, understanding husband stepped in and collected them for me! It would be a while before I could get to them, but I had them in my workshop.
The Transformation begins
I already had a vision for these bedside tables even before they arrived. A few days earlier, I had come across an oil painting of roses that had been printed on canvas. It was the painting’s colours and impressionistic style that attracted me. It was just perfect! The other thing I knew I wanted to do was to cut the base to create legs in the style of Stag furniture as I felt this would enhance the transformation.
I had other jobs to complete, but as soon as I could the game was on and the work began. To create a cohesive look that brought out the beauty of the floral artwork, I custom-mixed the green colour for the carcass of the tables constantly matching it against the canvas to make sure the shade was right.
The Preparation
Firstly both units were cleaned and rubbed down to remove all staining, and any dinks filled and sanded. Next the legs, I’d never done this before, but no time like the present! It wasn’t as difficult as I expected, and I’ll let you judge, but I think I achieved a great result.
We’re ready for the fun bit, well not quite as I needed to add two coats of undercoat ….
….Now that’s done let the fun begin.
Artistic Flourishes and Modern Touches
The carcass, including underneath, was given two coats of the custom colour – Simples! Now I’d decided that I wanted to have the picture framed by the custom green border, which was possible due to the design of the unit. I knew the design would work with the unit, but (it was a big BUT) how to achieve the look? I decided to take multiple measurements for each section and pre-cut the canvas print. I’d never done this before either, but I knew the canvas couldn’t be treated the same as if it was paper. I’m pleased with the result, but I’ll let you have the final say on that.
Having applied the decoupage, whilst good, it wasn’t good enough for me, it felt unfinished. The answer was to extend the custom green, only by 2mm, into the drawer openings in the carcass. That was an improvement, but it still wasn’t perfect. The answer was something I’d done before - I needed to wrap the design around the drawers’ top edge. This was hand painted using acrylics and when finished and I stood back the design was complete. The completed piece was given two coats (the drawer edges and top of the unit were given three) of matt varnish.
To complete the design new knobs were added that would not steal anything away from the oil painting. I believe these changes have brought the tables into the modern age, adding a touch of sophistication to their design. When the previous owner saw them she said “Beautiful, what a transformation” I hope you’ll agree.