A storage chest for Sonia
Many years ago, I got a little wooden chest from freecycle.
I painted it white, and I put it in Zoe's room, and then Lisey's, and then when I moved here, I brought it along and kept it in Lisey's room.
You can see some "after" pictures of it here, in this tour of Lisey's room at the other house. Look at the foot of the bed and you'll see it.
Anyway. Sonia texted me a few weeks back to see if she could have the chest to store some blankets and stuffed animals.
And I said, hmmm, you are gonna need something bigger than this! The freecycle chest is pretty small.
Soo, I poked around on Facebook Marketplace, and found a solid wood chest for $15. Sonia and I went to pick it up and I brought it home to sand and paint it.
We didn't like the white/pink combo, and besides, the paint job was a little sloppy and a lot worn.
Definitely time for some fresh paint.
But first, no one's favorite task: sanding.
I took the lid off to make my job a little easier.
This pink paint felt like it was made of concrete...so thick and hard.
Luckily, I didn't need to get it down to raw wood. That's the beauty of painting!
After the sanding step, I brushed everything off and brought it inside for priming and painting.
I don't let Chiquita in the room when the paint is wet, but once the paint was dry, she enjoyed having new hiding spots.
After I got some coats of paint on the piece, I decided to put the extra effort in and fill some of the holes and dings in the top and on the sides.
There were a lot to fill on the top!
And I filled a few spots on the sides as well.
I sanded those down, gave the chest one last coat of paint, and reinstalled the lid.
Then I was ready to make a delivery!
I put this at the end of Sonia's bed, and it fit perfectly.
As you can see, Sonia has a lot of blankets/stuffed animals to store. 😉
Her bed, her bookshelf, her nightstand, and her dresser are all free/inexpensive secondhand AND they are all painted in the same Benjamin Moore Cloud White paint.
So, even though nothing technically matches, it does all kind of match since the color is precisely the same.
And since Sonia's maximalist self fills her room with all sorts of colorful things, the simple white furniture is perfect for her; a blank slate. 😉
The chest has lots of room for blankets and stuffed animals.
A nice thing about a solid storage chest is that when closed, it doubles as a seat.
That's Sonia's cat, Crouton. She adopted him after we met him during a volunteer shift; she fell in love with his super fluffy self!
I always think he looks a bit like a mini-lion.
Sooo, that's the story of Sonia's storage chest. I really, really love how this looks in simple white; so classy.
I almost wanted to keep it! But that would have sorta defeated the whole point of this project. 😉
I know I've been doing an awful lot of painting posts lately, but that's because I got on a finish-all-the-projects roll at the end of summer.
The looming nature of nursing school lit a fire under me. 😉
Unfortunately, I did not get the scuffed table all finished. But it is next on my list when I get a minute.
Incidentally, I have painted SO MUCH FURNITURE with Cloud White. Here's a little sampling to close out this post.
Benjamin Moore Cloud White Furniture
I finished a piece of furniture! (the free bookshelf)
One of the first pieces I finished for my rental house; a free Buy Nothing group bookshelf
Trash to treasure: a bookshelf with legs!
Legs elevate this shelf in more ways than one.
Want to see a free bookshelf I painted for Sonia?
A FB Marketplace freebie turns into a plant-growing shelf
Sonia’s bookshelf | Before and After
A free chalk-painted bookshelf makeover
A craigslist Ethan Allen nightstand rehab
Ethan Allan, via craigslist!
Sonia’s $25 Goodwill dresser is now white!
I love the way the new handles look on this piece.
Two twin beds: painted!
I unstacked an old set of bunkbeds and painted the resulting twin beds.
Sonia’s Side Table Makeover: before, during, and after
A sweet little nightstand with a drawer
Gorgeous, as always! Were you able to find a brand name on that chest, or do you think it was homemade? I wonder if the red paint was chalk or milk paint—that stuff is nearly impossible to remove. Thankfully the remaining color didn’t bleed through!
I didn't see a brand name anywhere; no markings at all.
Chalk paint is a BEAR to remove, especially if it's been waxed over. This seemed like a different texture than chalk paint, though. Like, a little glossier.
Another great job. You take furniture that was built to last and give it a new life.
My favorite thing to do!
I love your furniture painting posts! I have a few pieces that need to be repainted. Maybe I will finally get the inspiration to do them!
Looks great! But I actually like my furniture look beat up, depending on what I'm going for. What I like the absolute best is old wooden kitchen doors with dog stratches on them.
@Rose, our little 1890s house came with both dog scratches in the wood and cat prints in the window sill paint. I didn't repaint the sills (liked the color, and it was in good shape) and I only painted over the scratches in the doors, without sanding them down or filling them in. Many a pet has contributed to the divots on the underside of our interior doors! I figure their ghosts* are here, too, and their history is to be respected just like their owners.' I like to think of someone respecting our cats' contributions in just the same way down the line.
*Given our house's age, it's less a question of if the house is haunted, but how much! 😛
@Rose, I, too, like the look of "we've been around here for awhile." My retirement house is 30 years old and still has the original off white tile kitchen counters. I love them. I know that many people prefer a more updated look, but to each her own.
@N, Ha! I used to sometimes think this house was haunted even though it was built in 1920. There were little children's handprints on the cellar walls, which we fondly called the Blair Witch Basement. But in our other house, built in 1820, I never felt like there was anything weird going on. A friend of mine did say, "Wow, I wonder how many people have died here!" Thanks a lot.
@Anne, I love colored bathroom fixtures and all that kind of stuff. Any original old features. When we bought the house, my contractor wanted to rip out the enormous farmhouse sink on legs and I said NO WAY.
Would you have left the chest as-is?
I think the stark white would have been a bad clash with Sonia's bed (Cloud White is slightly creamy), but I could see it working if you already had an eclectic collection of furniture. Sonia's is pretty eclectic, in that none of it is from the same company, but as far as color goes it's alllll Cloud White.
@Kristen, No, it was awful as is. Looked very 80s and not in a good way. I might have left the dings in it. Here's my old sea captain's chest in my living room (before recent redecorating).
https://ibb.co/WftznPN
Oh, oh, I see. I agree that the dings look great on the chest you have!
That's an old photo from when the house was mostly a rental. Now the chest is upstairs in the back hall holding blankets and the less beat up, painted navy, captain's chest with rope handles in the living room. And that white sofa has been replaced by my daughter's piano.
Yet another fine furniture rehab. And greetings to Crouton, who is a fine fluffy boy!
I love your list of links in BM white. Thanks for including it, it gave me a smile.
Cloud White and I are long-time friends at this point. 🙂
¡Muy bonito! ❤️
Gracias. 🙂
Crouton (LOL) is a gorgeous kitty!
He is so fluffy, he is a delight to pet!
I gotta say that I can relate very much with Sonia's maximalist existence. Try as I have for the last four decades but I'm not great with reducing my possessions and I'm not happy when I can't own things. Love dragon and the Cuphead plushies!
Sonia is for sure a diehard maximalist! The more stuff, the better, in her mind.
This is the polar opposite from me, which goes to show that children will just be who they will be! 🙂 And if being surrounded by things makes her happy, who am I to argue?
@Kristen, For me, it's like a security blanket.
First of all that Chiquita is such a ham. I think she's hoping an agent might spot her and offer to represent.
Also, I really love your all white themes. It kind of makes me want to do my bedroom in such, but I do share it with my husband and I have to limit the girliness.
@Anne, back in the day of "country" decor, an acquaintance did her bedroom in ruffles, lace, and cutesy stencils. I asked her what her husband thought, and she said that he said, "Whatever makes you feel like doing it!" (I think we all can guess what he was referring to. . .)
Beautiful piece! Pottery Barn worthy.
It does kind of look like a Pottery Barn piece now! Except...a lot of Pottery Barn's current offerings are not even solid wood. So maybe this is actually a small step up from PB.
Way cheaper too!
I think Sonia and my daughter may be the same person. Stuffed animals, blankets and throws, and white furniture to offset all the color and patterns.... yup. All that, and a cat lover, too! Crouton is a very handsome boy and he shows up well against all the beautifully painted furniture.
Another fabulous furniture makeover! You're amazing!
Aww, you are so kind. Thank you!
I liked what I saw. As usual a job well done. Wishing you the best in nursing school.
Thank you!
I couldn’t tell but hopefully there isn’t a latch or lock on this. These old trunks can close and lock themselves if little ones use as a hiding space. It happened recently to a family whose twin girls suffocated. Horrible news. I know there are no little kids at your house, but these trunks last a long time and get passed around. Lane furniture has an ongoing recall on trunks and we mail you a fix for the latch. Millions are out there. Google it and stay safe.
Nope, no latch at all on this one!
@Kathy E, thank you for posting such an eye-opening reminder! Probably everyone knows about the danger of empty refrigerators being a possible death trap, but not about the possible danger of trunks since fewer people have them nowadays. Even an attic trunk filled with old pretty clothes for dress up play could be quickly emptied and offer additional fun for a hideaway. You may have saved a life or two!
My grandkids call their stuffed animals "stuffies" which I think is a good thing because not all are animals and some that are supposed to be do not really look like animals. Sonia's collection on her bed reminds me of my little grandson's bed -- so many that it's hard to find him amid all the bedtime buddies.
So true! Sonia has some things like...a stuffed blueberry muffin. And a stuffed bacteria plushie.
@Kristen, BFF left me her blueberry pie pillow, because I liked it so much. I was going to buy my daughter a ravioli pillow (also with smiling face) for christmas but the dumb company canceled my order. My son has a stuffed Cthulhu from back in the day, too.
A blueberry pie pillow is 100% something Sonia would own.
I bet Sonia knows about this brand but there are really a few cute things. https://www.kidrobot.com/collections/yummy-world?page=1
That’s how I got started following you, I was looking for a how-to-paint furniture post, and I landed on your page! And as I read more, I decided you were my cup of tea. I’m much older, and my kids were all grown, but painting furniture is not age sensitive. Your blanket chest came out beautifully. I’m a retired nurse, so I am eagerly following your journey through nursing school! You will be a wonderful nurse, this I know. I went to nursing school right out of high school, and I never regretted my decision. But I think the life experience, the birthing, schooling and raising four children, the ups and downs of marriage, separation, etc, are all important to understanding people better and how to meet them where they are. You were so smart to get all the pre requisite courses done ahead, now you can fully immerse yourself in the nursing part. Be well, Kristen.
I'm so glad you've stuck around!
And yes, I think my life experience is going to help me with my nursing...it's gonna give me a leg up in the soft skills department.
I went back to college to get my BA when my boys were in junior high and high school, and I have just a quick suggestion for you, now that you're back in school. Despite the demands of studying, try to have a few other things on your list: (1) At least one dinner as a family every week (which was difficult because I had evening classes Monday thru Thursday). I aimed for Friday and Saturday, either cooking at home or out. (2) Have at least one creative project on tap for those minutes you have time to keep your hands busy without overloading your brain. (3) Have at least one non-required book to read -- maybe for a few minutes before bed or with coffee in the morning (to keep your brain alive without demanding memorization and note taking). (4) Try to set aside an hour or two to share some form of entertainment with family or friends, which will give both your hands and mind a rest, but will be very good for your heart! (My boys and I had a James Bond marathon one night a week!) At any rate, I was obsessed with getting straight A's, so I really appreciated getting this advice from another "mature" mom, who was in her mid-forties (!!! mature !!!) like I was. I was on the Dean's list and my kids hadn't forgotten what I looked like!
These are good tips; thank you!
@Kristen, I LOVE to complete projects, cross them off the list, clear up the detritus, and enjoy organized spaciousness. . . apparently you do too.
Is Sonia with Aunt Kathy? I fell in love with her house on the Meet A Reader, the little bit that showed in the exterior photo.
You are a wonderful furniture rehabber(is that a word)? You've brought many smiles to my life thru the years. I'm 72 and want to be like you when I grow up!!!
@Kathy, yes, rehabber is a word.
Aww, I am so glad my posts sent some joy your way!
I like living vicariously through your painting posts, Kristen. Sadly, I am a sloppy painter (like way worse than the pink/white painter). I tried to improve my skills years ago to very little avail, so I just accepted that I'm not much of a painter. But happily, my husband is an excellent painter.
The chest looks amazing. Sonia is a lucky girl!
I don't know if I'd do a good job of trying to keep clean lines between pink and white paint either! I always paint my stuff just one color....so much easier.
Yes, you'd probably love my aunt's house! Sonia's still in the family home with her dad; she didn't want to leave that house.
Beautiful job on the chest for Sonia!
I agree with you that it looks classy. One of these days, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a book wherein you’ve published all your tips on buying second- hand and your gorgeous step-by- step rehab projects. You’re one of the most creative and skilled people I know… and need I say, frugal!! Your girls are blessed to have you for their mom.
Aww, you are so kind. Thank you for your encouragement!
You do an amazing job!! Rehabbing furniture!! I love vintage/repurposed pieces!! It takes a little time but you can make things look so nice. I hope your posts encourage people to put in the effort to give things new life!
It turned out great, just as all your furniture does.
I want to paint an espresso bookcase white but I don't have a paint sprayer and am concerned about getting into every nook and cranny of the interior. If you have any suggestions I'd be grateful to hear them.
Chiquita ever her helpful self, I see. 🙂 I was recently down on the floor painting baseboards and my cat came up and greeted me with her little black nose covered in white paint. I then had to chase her around the house to try to wipe off the paint.
So, I don't have a paint sprayer either! I use a microfiber roller, plus a very small paintbrush, not a lot bigger than a watercolor brush. That's so helpful for things like bookcases, which have a million interior edges and corners.
It looks beautiful! Thank you for your painting posts. When I bought a bookshelf on nextdoor last year and found it needed a bit of a freshen up, I used your paint recommendations! It made it so stress-free to pick up all the supplies.
It looks great! I have zero experience with refinishing furniture, but I get a lot of vicarious pleasure and satisfaction out of your projects!
And Crouton is such a great name!
Wow, that was an incredible transformation! It looked kind of ugly before and now it is so lovely and classic. You have a gift for bringing furniture back to life!