The Siren Chest of Drawers

My Thirteen Project #001

When I spotted this six-drawer chest at the auction, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

Looking at it, it was just another plain brown chest of drawers. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing particularly exciting either. Luckily, I spend far too much time looking at furniture and imagining what it could become. I had been searching for a very plain piece for a while!

I'd had my eye on the Mint by Michelle "Siren" decoupage paper since it was released. She's dark, dramatic and beautifully moody, and I knew she'd be perfect for this piece. I didn't want to simply stick a decoupage paper onto a chest of drawers - I wanted the whole piece to feel like it had been designed around her.

The shape of this chest made it the perfect candidate. The drawers are lovely and flat, which meant I could let the artwork flow across the front without mouldings or details breaking up the design.

The finished piece has a real smoky, moody feel. And Siren - I love her!

Products Used

• Mint by Michelle Decoupage Paper – Siren

• Fusion Mineral Paint Coal Black and Little Lamb

• Fusion Stain and Finish Oil in Cappuccino 

• Mint Mineral Paint in Riverbank Green

• Polyvine Wax Finish Varnish in Satin

• New black and silver handles

You can shop the products used on this piece here.

Preparing the Chest

As with every furniture makeover, preparation is the most important step.

The chest was thoroughly cleaned, sanded and prepared ready for paint. I used a white base coat where the decoupage paper was going. 

The original handles had definitely seen better days and, after years of rust, several snapped as I tried to remove them. They'd clearly decided their working days were over, so a new set of handles made it onto the shopping list!

Creating the Finish

I wanted the Siren paper to be the star of the show, so every decision was made to complement it. Firstly I applied the paper working in small sections to get it smooth and sealed with Polyvine Wax Finish Varnish in Satin. 

Rather than painting everything black, I decided to keep the original wood on the top and the top drawer. I stripped the old finish off and stained the oak wood with Cappuccino Stain and Finish Oil to deepen the colour and create a rich, smoky finish. Cappuccino works beautifully alongside the darker tones of the paper.

For the body of the chest, I mixed my own black by adding just a touch of green until it matched the deepest colours within the artwork. Sometimes the colour in your head doesn't exist in a tin, so you have to make it yourself. And who knew that blacks vary so much!

The Siren paper wasn't quite wide enough to cover the full width of the drawers. Typical! I  I blended the edges into the painted background using a mix of colours to create a soft ombré effect. I kept working away with the paint and blending it until i was happy with the result. The artwork now fades naturally into the paint rather than ending with a hard line, and I actually think it looks better than my original plan which was to cover the edges with a raised stencil. I think this would have taken some of the focus away from Siren.

To finish the piece, I replaced the broken handles with ornate black and silver ones that complement the artwork without stealing the attention.

The Finished Piece

This is one of those pieces that changes depending on the light.

In bright daylight you notice the wood tones, the ombré blending and all the beautiful details within the Siren artwork. As the light fades, the piece becomes moodier and more dramatic, with the artwork almost disappearing into the dark background.

It's exactly the look I'd hoped to achieve.

One of the things I love most about decoupage papers is that they can completely change the personality of a piece of furniture and there are many designs available in the MINT range. This chest started life as a ordinary brown set of drawers that was super plain and flat, but with the right design and a little imagination it's become a real statement piece.

Shop the Look

If you'd like to recreate this look yourself, you'll need:

• Mint by Michelle Decoupage Paper – Siren

• Fusion Mineral Paint Coal Black and Little Lamb

• Fusion Stain and Finish Oil in Cappuccino 

• Mint Mineral Paint in Riverbank Green

• Polyvine Wax Finish Varnish in Satin

• New black and silver handles (optional)

You can shop the products used on this piece here.

I'd love to see your own version if you decide to have a go. If you create something inspired by this project, tag @thirteen_furniture on Instagram and use #MyThirteenProject so I can see what you've been up to.