The failing yellow latex paint on this cabinet needed to be completely removed and a fresh coat of red milk paint (as “bole”) and three more layers of subtly crackled and chemically aged soft greys were applied to give it a dry and chalky old antique Swedish finish. We used a candle holder that served as color inspiration. A white stripe adds interest and a few molecules of silver leaf add some sparkle around the glass moldings. The way I work is this: the client finds a portable inspiration piece to guide the finishing – could be a chair, box, drawer, or lacking this, maybe a few paint chips from the paint center. I then make one or more finish samples in the studio and the client takes these home to view in the home’s particular lighting conditions in the room where the piece will be. When approved I then use the finish sample to guide the finishing of the piece, and the client can come to the studio to approve and give suggestions or feedback. Take a look at these cloooooose up pictures on Flick’r (and be sure to click “view all sizes” and then “original” to really zoom in, because the real beauty of this finish is in the fine detail.
