These nightstands have a been a labor of love. You may remember seeing them in the before and progress stage. You can read all about the trouble I went to trying to refinish the poorly stained wood, but these pieces just were not taking the stain well. Six months later, they are finally done.
After some color inspiration from my friend Christina of Phoenix Restoration I settled on the bold option of Klein Blue. Christina and I did a paint swap with some General Finishes milk paint colors we had and I swapped for this blue. It’s definitely bold, but I also think the color screams mid century. It also matched my shoes which I found quite amusing.
So after all the prep work I had done to stain these puppies, painting them was a breeze 🙂 They were sanded down to raw wood so the paint went on so well and they have a super smooth finish! It took 3 coats to get full coverage, and once the paint cured for a few days I sealed them with General Finishes poly in satin. 2 coats was enough for an even and durable finish (love their poly, you should try it!). One a side note, while I was applying the first coat of poly (at 12:30am, I’m a late night worker, what can I say!), our dog started getting sick after eating some non-pet safe slug bait, so my mom and I had a fun late night emergency trip to the vet which resulted in staying up until 4am! That’s what I think of, when I think of these nightstands! ha!
I kept the original hardware on these because it’s awesome, fits the style of the pieces and would be incredibly hard to change. I painted the handles the same blue and shined up the previously gold-ish chipping finish so now it’s a nickel color. Like I do with campaign hardware, I used Bar Keeper’s Friend and the scrubby side of a sponge to shine these up metal parts of the hardware. It took a while and my hands were cramping up, but it was worth it! If they didn’t clean up well I would have painted them, but I think this is a better option that painting. The color appears incredibly bright blue in these photos, but I assure you, it’s not this bright in person, but a deeper blue 🙂
I love what you did with the nightstands! That blue is such a fun color! And I'm glad to hear your dog is okay! Bless his heart!
I'm in love with these night stands! Super smart look'n! Your dog was very blessed ~ ours died from eating slug bait (the warning on the box was written very small).
I love bold colors on mid-century pieces. That blue is bold and beautiful!
I think Christina is rubbing off on both of us. I'm working on two Drexel sideboards in the same Klein Blue. Great job, as usual, Reeves!
Beautiful job, Reeves! I'm due for a trip to pick up some more General Finishes paint. Will have to check out this color!
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What an amazing colour! Gorgeous!
Gorgeous! Amazing color choice!!!!
Hey Reeves. I'm a sucker for anything cobalt, so I love those! Very cute tables. I finally jumped on the band wagon and got GF in Lampblack. Haven't tried it yet. What is this color name? it's identical to "Ultramarine Blue" from Real Milk Paint Co. You have to try that one. The actual color is what your photo looks like above! have you ever used the GF wipe on Urethane? It's oil based. I love that one because it's a wipe on and leaves no marks. Even on long pieces
they are so beautiful Reeves, I adore the bright punch of colour. And i love your blog header, not sure if it's new or i just hadn't noticed it before. cheers Fiona
These are absolutely stunning! Way to go bold with color!
These are absolutely gorgeous!
I first saw these on Apartment Therapy and I'm so happy you included more photos on your blog! I really wanted to see a close up of that fabulous hardware, so thanks for that! Terrific blue color you've chosen. I feel your pain on having to go to Plan B after all that work….but it was worth it!
Zandra (www.littleyellowcouch.com)
Hi Reeves! I have a similar piece but unfortunately has a pretty beat up veneer on the top – do you have any suggestions? I don't think I can save the top, so do I just sand it enough to paint it? Thanks for your time – love the way these turned out!
They are spectacular! I love, love, love the handles.
Hello, would you mind sharing the paint color? I've been looking for a blue like this. Thanks!
Really beautiful, they turned out spectacular.
It's in the post, but it's GF's Klein Blue