It’s been nine years of painting furniture, maybe more. The days of white finishes, Duck Egg Blue and Paris Grey are all but retired for me. I have long ago stopped hemming and hawing over paint colors with the constant worrying about what will sell. Reality check…no matter what color a piece is painted, someone will wish that it was a different color.
Instead, I’ve been exercising far more creativity with my paint finishes. Every piece of furniture is its own canvas for a decorative, artistic finish. Something to showcase. Something of visual interest. Even if it doesn’t appeal to everyone, you can’t deny that some of these newer pieces are just more interesting to look at.
I had a relatively blank canvas to work with on this antique player piano. It sat for several weeks while I waited to be inspired, but all that came to mind was yellow. Finally, I just dived into it and painted the whole thing yellow. But, it looked like Big Bird. Which is terrible. I’ve never liked Sesame Street so that was just an unacceptable finish! But, if you want something the color of Big Bird, a 50/50 ratio of English Yellow to Arles is spot on! That’s what is painted on the top half of the piano.
I decided to two-tone the finish with a bold teal opposite the color yellow. I mixed equal parts Provence and Florence for the base and added a stripe on the keys…which by the way you can do with Chalk Paint® because it adheres to anything! But, it was still a bit blah. I mean, the color is over the top but it is so boxy and boring.
I grabbed a Royal Design Studio Stencil that had a triangular tribal feel. I thought the triangular shapes helped to juxtapose the boxiness of the piano. And, I haphazardly stenciled Pure White, Antibes, Burgundy and Barcelona Orange.
It added a bit of whimsy, a little more color and mixed up the design.
It’s not for everyone. And, it certainly would never make an appearance in my house. But, it will be a fabulous statement piece in just the right house. And, with only 24 hours on the floor, I’ve already had two highly interested buyers. Whooda thought?
You can check out the pricing details and more pictures on the for sale page!
