"Knight"stand

I found this little guy while hitting the community garage sale last week and thought he needed to be mine.  I keep calling it him cause I think the hardware makes it look a little regal.  It was a serious steal and I figured I could do something to it.  It just had some scuffs and scratches so when I did all that sanding last week, this guy was in the assembly line.  It sanded nicely and then I got stuck. 

I was painting several things at once and felt like there was a lot of blue going on.  I thought maybe white?  Then I pulled out my hoarded supply of paints again and decided I would make a "custom" color for it.  So I mixed my Sherwin Williams Reliable White with a little bit of Vaslpar's Water Fountain.  It looked great going on, but dried differently than I anticipated and kind of looked like a baby nursery color.  Which isn't a bad thing at all if it were a custom piece for a baby nursery, but not what I was really going for.  Plus it clearly was going to take a few coats at the least.

Then I thought, ooh I have this great blue I used to paint stripes in both of my boys rooms.  Enter Valspar's Deep Space....

I liked this color a whole better, has some depth to.  But still looking a little nursery to me.  So I let it sit for a day or 2.  Plus that 3rd coat of paint needed a little extra dry time, which was a great reason to pause and do some research.  My version of research is scouring Pinterest pictures until I get inspired.  There were lots of versions of French Blue side tables and desks.  Check out this awesome desk my friend Alison over at The Modern Cottage Company did.  Hers is two-toned, with awesome wood drawers, but the color was what I was aiming for.  So pulling out the sander yet again, hoping to get some of that darker blue toned down, I went to work.  It looked so much better, but was still missing something.  Ooh, mahogany stain!  That's it!!  So carefully wiping on and wiping off the stain was the next step.  To keep myself sane, I let it sit for another day.  And when I went into my "workshop" it looked even better than I remembered so I grabbed the wax before I could change my mind.  One coat later and voila!!

This is my version of all those pieces I was coveting and I think it turned out AMAZING!!  I have been on an original hardware kick, not sure if it's the spendthrift in me, or just an appreciation for it.  But the original hardware went back on, and I still think "He's" pretty regal.  You'll have to come down to the shop this weekend and take him home.  But before you do become a follower and see what else I can come up with!

Look at those curves, and just the right amount of distressing and antiqued details!  LOVE!