The Still Life Cabinet
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My Thirteen Project #003
For this project I wanted to create something with a bit more of an old world, rustic vibe than a pristine piece of newly upcycled furniture.
The starting point was Still Life by MINT by Michelle, a beautiful decoupage paper featuring oranges, flowers and blue and white pottery against a dark background. I love these Dutch Still Lifes and I felt the piece was perfect for embracing the imperfections and hand painted look of an old oil painting.
Preparing for the Decoupage Paper
After cleaning and sanding I painted the 2 door fronts in MINT Grip. This is the perfect base for decoupage papers. The white, even base coat will help the colours to pop. You can of course use a different colour paint or even black if you want a more muted look.
I then cut the decoupage paper in half and applied it to the 2 doors. You can read more about this in my guide How to Decoupage Furniture with MINT by Michelle Papers.
Embracing The Imperfections
It's important to remember that anything done by hand doesn't need to be perfect. We are not machines!
The decoupage paper had some small creases in it once I'd finished but I decided they were ok to stay!
Sealing the Decoupage Paper
Once everything was completely dry, I sealed the MINT paper with a couple of coats of Polyvine varnish.
This created a protective layer over the paper before I moved on to the next stage.
That's particularly important here because I wanted to use wax over the image. Sealing the paper first gave me a protected surface to work over rather than applying the wax directly to the paper.
Painting with Annie Sloan Athenian Black
For the rest of the cabinet, I chose Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Athenian Black.
The black worked beautifully with the background of the Still Life paper, but it was also the finish of the paint that was perfect for this project.
Looking at the artwork, I imagined how the original still life might have looked as an oil painting.
It wouldn't have been completely flat and perfectly smooth. You'd expect to see evidence of the artist's brush, texture and movement across the surface.
So I decided to carry that idea through to the furniture.
Rather than smoothing out every brush stroke in the Chalk Paint, I allowed some of that texture to remain. I wanted the painted body of the cabinet to complement the artwork rather than looking like a completely separate, modern painted surface surrounding it.
This is one of the things I really like about Chalk Paint. The way you apply it can completely change the character of the finished piece.
If you've ever watched any of Annie Sloan's tutorials and the way she applies her paint, that's exactly what I did. When I went on Annie Sloan's stockist training she told me 'Be Loose' and here I was loose!
Why I Used Black Wax Instead of Clear Wax
Once the Athenian Black was dry, I finished the cabinet with Annie Sloan Black Chalk Paint Wax rather than Clear Wax.
The Black Wax deepened the Athenian Black and gave me the rich, dark finish I wanted for the cabinet.
I then used the Black Wax across the sealed decoupage paper. Instead of hiding those little creases and imperfections I'd been left with when applying the paper, the wax caught in them and emphasised them.
And I loved it.
It gave the image a little more age and character. Sometimes an imperfection doesn't actually need fixing. It just needs to look intentional!
The Finished Still Life Cabinet
This project is a good example of using different paints for different finishes. Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint is perfect for that hand painted, rustic vibe.
And also, work with those imperfections!
On this piece I used:
🖤Mint by Michelle STILL LIFE Decoupage Paper
🖤Mint Grip Primer
🖤Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in ATHENIAN BLACK
🖤Annie Sloan Wax
🖤Polyvine Varnish
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.