A Fresh Coat of Paint

Hello new readers! Did you miss the 'Urban Outfitters controversy' on Sunday? Hop on over to that post and join in the discussion. Don't forget to enter the august giveaway too!

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With the intention to move into my first flat by the end of the year, one of my goals for 2010 was to refinish a piece of furniture. a) to save money and b) just to see if I could do it! At the time I didn't know what item I would attempt to work on but I soon settled on bedside cabinets... because I knew I wanted a 'shabby chic' look for a new bedroom and white painted cabinets might fit nicely with that idea. Just to make it clear - I intend to move into a converted Victorian flat with high ceilings and period features, not a new build apartment where this style of decor probably wouldn't work.

I bid on and won a pair of solid wood bedside cabinets on eBay and drove 5 miles to collect them. They were in perfect condition and I paid £15.

First a little disclaimer...don't expect a miracle here! This was a first attempt at something totally outside my comfort zone and in showing you the result I'm opening myself up for criticism. Please be kind! several coats of white paint later, a touch of distressing and a change of handles and I was left with these:

As I said earlier, my idea for a new bedroom when I finally find the 'perfect' flat is a little vintage inspired and somewhat 'shabby chic'. I've always been a modern, minimalist kind of girl when it comes to home interiors yet fancy trying a new direction. Here are some other items I have my eye on:

Bed frame £99.99 at Argos

I quite like the idea of a grey wall where the bedhead rests, like this:


A close up of this Cath Kidston bouquet duvet cover set:


Magenta pink bedspread by Iohn Lewis, £60

My next mission is to find a matching pair of table lamps (for cheap!) which will team well with the bedside cabinets and the black bed frame. Any ideas where to look?

If anyone is interested in a brief tutorial on how I went about changing up the bedside cabinets just let me know and if enough people are interested I'll put a post together. Before the summer is out I have the frame of a large mirror to paint white and have plans for a fun noticeboard project which will end up on the wall of my new kitchen.

Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture? What home interiors projects have you tackled? Are you a modern, minimalist girl or a vintage, shabby chic lover? Drop me a note in the comments section - I'd love to hear your views!

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