Anyone that knows me, knows that I love neutral colors in my home. All of my walls are painted in various shades of gray and almost all furniture in my home is white, wood, gray or industrial black. I have a hard time getting out of my color bubble, but I’ve come to the conclusion that color really sets the tone for the vibes in the house. And a house “dressed” in neutral is… well…boring. So this year, one of my resolutions is add more color, more vibrance and more life to my home.
Of course easier said than done, and I can’t very well do that with us selling our house and packing up and moving across the country right now, but I can certainly start with furniture. Homestead House has really impressed me with their line of colors and I am usually taken aback at how richly pigmented their milk paints are. Especially their line of greens and blues. This color in particular is called “Gaspé Green.”
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I have to tell you…the first time I saw this color mixed, I was afraid it was going to be too “forest-ey.” But as I let the pigments sit and dissolve, I really started to notice that there was definitely quite a bit of blue, with just a touch of yellow in there. I knew I had to make this color the focal point so I picked a decent sized piece with a large surface to really highlight the color.
This piece was previously a stereo that had been gutted. It opened up like a chest on top, and the drawers opened to the front, all leading to the same compartment. It was a great storage piece and definitely makes for a lovely centerpiece in a small room. I hardly had to do any prep to this piece because it was so dry. I gave it a good cleaning using Krud Kutter to get the years of Pledge off and let it dry overnight.
I wanted some contrast with the wood and decided to try something a little funky by staining the legs and painting the base. Natural wood legs are trending right now and it’s one of my favorite looks, but queen anne legs is so unique with this look. I really think it allowed the base to be the highlight, but not completely overwhelm you with the richness of this color.
I painted with two coats of Homestead House Milk Paint in “Gaspé Green,” and lightly distressed using 220 grit paper. I wanted to experiment a little with the finish using hemp oil and Fusion Mineral Paint Beeswax because both on its own provide excellent and durable finishes…so I wondered what the finish would be like if used together?
I applied two coats of Fusion Mineral Paint Hemp Oil, letting the oil sit on the surface for about 15 minutes. I loved that you could literally see the oil penetrate the surface, and hydrate not only the wood, but also the milk paint, adding an even richer look and depth. Then after wiping off all the excess, I applied, one coat of Fusion’s Beeswax Finish. This wax also contains a hemp oil in it, but this allows you to buff for added shine while giving you a barrier with the wax.
After 30 days of sitting in my office, exposed to sunlight, pets, toddlers, and constant traffic, this piece was tough as nails. I couldn’t scratch or peel any of the paint off and there was no additional chipping, as can happen sometimes with a liquid finish. This thing cured just as well as a polyurethane, but then again, I was pretty delicate with it during the curing phase.
These pulls were actually salvaged from another piece and given a new look with Rub N Buff in the color Antique Gold. This is such an easy way to update a hardware, and I might experiment in the future with using it as a gilding wax.
Well thats it for now. Hopefully as we begin to wind down our business, I can have time to blog more about the amazing Homestead House colors. I have a great lineup of their colors and Im so looking forward to talking about each and every one!
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