You'll hear me say this over and over again...I LOVE TAKING SOMETHING OLD AND MAKING IT NEW AGAIN! Like, it's an addiction for me. When I first started painting furniture I used to plan, draw things out, create different color combinations, blah, blah, blah! But as my business grew time became short, so I just started to "wing it" and the results have, for the most part, been pretty cool. Now, that's not saying I haven't switched up mid way through a design, just because something didn't sit right with me, but for the most part the "freedom to create" mentality has been working pretty well for me. Especially, when a flexible, open minded person gives me "free range" OH, HOW I ADORE THOSE PEOPLE! Case and point; Jenny's Jewelry Box!
I had done other work for Jenny (see her owl mirror here) and she had mentioned she had a jewelry box that she wanted to have redone. "Well, absolutely! Bring it over!" I said. Always up for a challenge! I actuallly had never "done or redone" a jewelry box of this size before! I have done a million smaller ones but never one this large and when she plopped it down in my foyer, I thought, hmmmm...what a fabulous piece. The thing was though, I felt limited in my design because of the "Greek Styled" scalloped top and pillars. So, I had to think about my approach for awhile.
This was the space that it was going in. So, I knew the colors had to be a bit deeper and more richer than the pieces I usually do. It was time to grow up a bit. I loved the the leather and iron fixtures and furniture, so I knew those had to be incorporated some how. BUT I do know Jenny too, and I knew it had to be playful and fun as well.
I decided to go with a "faux" leather look (see the tutorial here) on the pillars and legs. Then brought in the "iron" look by spraying the hardware black.
The playfulness is found in the Cheetah print on the side and the decorative elements through out.
The really cool thing about this jewelry box too, is all the hidden surfaces, things you don't necessarily see right away.
My most favorite part of this piece, the one that just kind of evolved, was the top. I wanted to personalize it, like I do my smaller jewelry boxes but yet, I wanted it to be more sophisticated, so I chose her initials and then built my design around that.
There you have it!
How do you tackle your "redo" projects? Do you just wing it or do you plan it out? Do you choose colors first, or just let it evolve? I'd love to hear your ideas! Write me here or leave a comment on our Face Book page!
