Empire Meets Contemporary.
Martha Leone
This dresser is a cousin to the other empire dresser in furniture style and design. The design concept was the same for both: Wrap the classic lines of a mid 19th century dresser with contemporary elements. It's an attempt to strike a balance between shape, texture (the wood), and line. Months ago I sketched a dresser that was wrapped in bold black lines. The design finally found its way out of my sketchbook and onto a piece of furniture. By the way, that's a Stendig calendar on the wall.
A glimpse into the mind's eye As artists (yes, you are if you paint furniture), we are inspired by many things. Color, texture, and line - which are a few of the elements of design - play an important part of my graphic design work and furniture design. I keep a sketchbook to catch all of my ideas. Here's where the idea started:
Before & After and How I Did It 1. Stripped the upper portion of the dresser using a new product, Smart Strip from Sherwin Williams. 2. Cleaned that area according to the directions on the container. 3. Primed the lower portion with a Benjamin Moore oil-based primer. 4. Painted the lower portion using Benjamin Moore Advance paint in semi-gloss. 5. After taping off the areas that were to be left as raw wood, I painted the upper portion using a homemade chalk paint, soft white in color.
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