FADED FRENCH ELEGANCE

Shabby. Faded. French.

I love this wardrobe armoire.

I love it's worn finish

Creamy, soft colors & it's elegant french lines.

Old paint in a gorgeous shabby creamy white

and pale french blue.

Carved, curvy legs chipped so much that the bare wood shows through quite a bit

and the old patina... rubbed and distressed from real use & wear through the years

not from sandpaper and sweat.

I found this armoire several years ago in an antique store while looking for

something to hide the television in.

Meandering around the store, there were so many armoires.

Each one was beautiful- and perfectly restored or finished.

Which meant that nothing was talking to me~

I wanted painted, shabby & loved.

I went to the back of the store where they unload and tinker with pieces and found

a large (nearly 9' long!) wardrobe armoire with no doors on it.

Stately & elegant & painted & shabby.

and Perfect.

I caught my breath as I reached out to touch all it's details...

Carved shells, dainty scrolls , french drops in each corner, a gorgeous apron

and thick carved moulding on top.

The doors were at the store owners home

where she was in process of custom painting a design that she had drawn on them-

mimicking a high end armoire in a magazine.

Fortunately, she had not gotten too far yet and she brought them over for me.

Though the doors were covered with drawings,

I loved the very simple but elegant look they had and knew

a fresh coat of paint would fix it.

While repainting to cover the drawings,

the paint I was painting over started streaking away with the brush,

so I grabbed a cloth and rubbed the paint off and then stepped back

and looked at the original enamel finish that was coming through

in all it's faded blue and white gilded glory.

I LOVED IT.

The more I rubbed the later paint off, the more of the original finish was uncovered,

the more in love I was!

*sigh*

The gilded details coming out have required some chipping of the paint to reveal them, not done with that,

but the doors are the back to the original finish.

This armoire now sits to one side in our bedroom

holding lots of finds, fabrics, quilts

and books.

I am leaning towards a faded, soft, shabby Frenchy feel in the bedroom at the moment...

More natural, less color, more serene...

Several baskets and bins of faded

pink & cream hydrangeas,

bleached rustic wood crates, shabby urns and an antique birdcage

sit atop the armoire.

I love the juxtaposition of the elegant and the more rustic in this room~

the dark wood finishes mixed with the chipped paints.

Perfect Faded French Elegance.

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