Furniture

Painted Detail on My Kitchen Island

Last weekend was perfect. Mother’s Day was lovely – Michael and the girls surprised me with a necklace I’ve been eying for a while and a gorgeous bunch of peonies. The arrangement was so pretty that I thought it was a good excuse to break out the camera and take some ‘after shots’ of my…

Last weekend was perfect. Mother’s Day was lovely – Michael and the girls surprised me with a necklace I’ve been eying for a while and a gorgeous bunch of peonies.

The arrangement was so pretty that I thought it was a good excuse to break out the camera and take some ‘after shots’ of my kitchen island that I’ve been meaning to share with you.

This old dresser was one of the very first things Michael and I bought as a married couple. We got it for almost nothing at a thrift store in Arizona. It’s been about 20 different colors over the years and the hardware’s changed a half dozen times. The top hutch piece was some I picked up a few years later at the Crate and Barrel outlet.

When we moved into our new apartment, I knew I wanted to add an island to our kitchen to provide more counter space and to separate the cooking/prep area from the dining, but I didn’t think I wanted to use this dresser. I mean, look at the back of the thing. It was in bad shape. This is right after we moved in last September.

Call me sentimental (or cheap), but I thought I’d at least give the dresser a run as a possible island, so I pulled off the old back.

I got a piece of very inexpensive chipboard cut to size at Home Depot, and stapled and nailed it in place. Then I primed and painted the whole thing in BEHR’s Night Shade (it looks navy in the picture, but it actually has a lot of green in it).

The new paint helped the situation a lot. I knew I wanted to add moulding or something though to make the flat back more exciting. It’s one of the first things you see from our front door, so it was important for the detail to be sort of punchy and fun. I liked this paint treatment from House and Home and thought it would be a cinch to do something similar:

After doing a little sketch and planning out my measurements, I taped off all the straight lines.

Then I put down a base coat of the same Night Shade paint to seal the tape and prevent most of the paint bleeding.

Then on went the white paint for the detail.

I like to pull my tape off immediately, while the paint’s still wet. You can see the lines still bled a little, but it was an easy fix with a detail brush.

To make curves in the corners, I just used a round glass as a template and then filled in the lines with the detail brush.

At first I was worried that the white and navy felt too nautical, but I love the relief the white paint provides against all the navy and black in the kitchen, and it also ties in the floors and the marble on the island.

I’m also really happy with how the navy works with the black cabinets. I love mixing black and blues.

And pink just looks good with anything.

Leave A Comment
Join the Conversation

110 thoughts on “Painted Detail on My Kitchen Island”

  2. This is GORGEOUS…love it! I've always shied away from painting stripes because I worry about bleeding. Your technique with laying down a base coat of the original color is genius. Off to scout out potential striping projects now… :)

    Reply

  3. Unbelievable Jenny!! Your detailing on the island is awesome and the mix of blue and blue with the oriental rug on the floor is beautiful!! Love it all!!

    Reply

  26. Fantastic! I found your blog a couple of weeks ago and read through all your archives – I love how you don't hestitate to paint anything!! And the tip about laying down a base coat of the background color to help avoid bleeding is awesome. Also, it helps to know that even the pros have to deal with bleeding, it makes me feel like less of a painter's tape failure. Thanks for all the wonderful inspiration! =D

    Reply

  28. You are one clever lady. One of my favorite combinations is pink and cobalt and white, so pretty. Your dresser turned out great!! Kathysue

    Reply

  33. Beautiful. Did you have the marble on top added for the island or was it an earlier addition when used as a dresser? Looks great.

    Reply

  39. Cafenohut – I used Behr's Premium Plus (paint+primer) in Night Shade. I almost always use Behr paints and Benjamin Moore colors, but I really liked this night shade color from Behr.

    Alexis – the last version of the dresser and hutch was painted in Martha's Bedford Gray. It's a great color that she uses a lot in her own homes. Works great with browns and blacks.

    Thanks for the very sweet comments! I'll post about the marble top tomorrow. It's a fun story.

    xoxoxo

    Reply

  40. You are a miracle worker!!!! I think I speak for a lot of us when I say, we would love more details! What type of paint, brush, prep work, drying time between coats, everything. I can tell you that when I paint furniture it doesn't look like that… you have some serious talent! It is a joy to watch you.

    Reply

  43. Jenny,

    Once again you have proven that you do not have to spend a ton of money to create something beautiful. I love how you continually repurpose furniture in different rooms, and just change the color. I also love that you create things, be it furniture, art, or just techniques that are accessable to everyone. You are talented beyond belief, and your willingness to share makes you all the more special.

    P.S Love the peonies!

    Reply

  44. You are an inspiration. I always knew you were super creative- but I had no idea you were famous! I want to be just like you when I grow up and I've already found ideas on this blog I plan to steal. I'm reminded of when it seemed like I came home from school to a "new house" every day because my mom was always redecorating something. I loved it, and now that I'm out of school for the summer I can see myself doing it. Jason wont know what hit him! :)
    Love ya,
    your favorite cousin- Linnea

    Reply

  45. jenny- AWESOME! can you tell me where you got the runner in the kitchen? i am searching for something similiar for a hallway!

    Reply

  46. Love, love the island. I do have a question, though. How do you do all these projects with three little girls? I have a 2 and 3-year-old and I am trying to figure out how you get it all done. Any secrets?

    Reply

  47. Jenny,
    WHY has no one snatched you up for a show yet?? Every time I log on your ideas are always so fresh and your color is stunning!!! You're a great talent.

    Reply

  48. Wow! I love this piece and am so inspired by your re-purposing of an old dresser. Simply perfect. And what better topper than a bushel of peonies, my absolute favorite. I keep staring at my peony bush wishing the bounty to bloom. Soon!

    You might try this on your next striping project: http://frogtape.com/

    It works awesome for clean, crisp lines every time.

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful project.
    best –
    d @ plum
    http://www.plumlife.typepad.com/

    Reply
Quick Links
Explore the Blog
Shop Around
© Jenny Komenda. All Rights Reserved.
Site by