Michelle's Design Works

New look for a kitchen island

Many kitchens have an island that’s a bit boring. This is one I recently worked on that received a makeover to add some visual punch. It started out as a basic light maple wood, just like the rest of the cabinetry. Some molding was added to frame it out.

Then I painted the area inside the frames a dark taupe. Base cabinet color is a warm black. I prefer a warm, brownish black to a black black. Does that make sense? A final glaze of walnut stain glaze was brushed on and wiped off to add more dimension. All of the framed areas received a tip of antique gold.

Now the island cabinet really stands out as a piece of furniture in the room!

Marvelous Monograms

I’m always drawn to monograms on just about anything. Maybe it’s the graphic designer in me. I think they make a nice statement in any room and add a personal touch. What a great gift idea too!

Here’s a few pieces that I’ve recently painted, incorporating monograms.

This 12 x 12 canvas is hot off the press, and was painted as a birthday gift for a dear friend. It has a honey linen strie background, warm brown damask stencil, and doodle-style frame to highlight the monogram.

I’ve made several color versions of these tongue-in-groove boards. This is the walnut glazed one with ivory plaque, warm brown damask stencil and black monogram

Here’s another version of the same tongue-in-groove in distressed ivory with a taupe plague, and ivory fleur-de-lis. It’s just waiting for a home so I can add a black monogram

And here’s one last version in a cherry finish.

Any of the styles can be customized for any decor. Mix and match colors combos, stencil styles, etc. If you are interested in purchasing one of these, please contact me and we can talk about all of the options.

Ivory side table with a twist

Here’s a cute little side table that I picked up at a yard sale. It’s been hanging out in my garage, waiting for some inspiration to hit so it could get a makeover.

I hemmed and hawed. Maybe I should just paint it black. How about staining it a darker color? Finally, with some inspiration from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I found the unique twist I was looking for. . .

The cute little side table received a few coats of ivory paint. . .

some distressing and walnut glaze. . .

and a sweet number stenciled on top. And before you ask, No. 274 doesn’t have any special meaning (to me, at least). I just liked the shape of those numbers. Silly, I know! But it turned out really cute, and believe me, if I had a spot for it, this table would totally be staying at my house.

 

Lucky for you though, it’s for sale and looking for a happy home. Cost is $85. Contact me if you’re interested, or if you have a piece of furniture that is looking for some tlc.

Life is Good

Sometimes it is good to be reminded that we have a good life. Gotta’ love a positive message! Wouldn’t this multi-media canvas art would be great to hang where you see it every day?

It is a one-of-a-kind piece in a golden tan, black and ivory with a distressed ivory frame. Size (including frame) is 15 1/2 x 18 1/2. Cost is $35.

Contact me if you’re interested in purchasing it, and we can have it hanging in your home in no time!

Edited - this piece is now sold. If you are interested in a similar style, please contact me.

Any hope for ugly shiny brass light fixtures?

How many of us have a shiny brass light fixture in our homes that we don’t hate the shape of, but don’t love the color? You know what I’m talking about. It’s one of those things that we know dates our home, but we don’t want to face the prospect of finding a new replacement in an updated finish. Often times the shape is just fine, it’s just the shiny color that is outdated.

Here’s a perfect example:

I have painted quite a few of these types of fixtures in the past ten years.

You can’t see it too well in this photo, but this particular fixture had a honkin’ huge ball on the bottom. The client asked if I could take it off or find some type of finial to replace it. Not being able to find any replacement parts, I went ahead and painted the ball with the rest of the light just in case she didn’t like the shape when the ball was removed.

The entire fixture was primed and painted an oil-rubbed bronze color with antique gold highlights. Just changing the color made the ball so much less noticeable. It looks brand new now for much less than a new fixture would be.

I even did the larger chandelier for the 2-story foyer.

So, if you have a chandelier or fixture that needs an update, give me a call. There is hope for that ugly, shiny brass fixture!

Unique and cute for a girl's room

Painting in children’s rooms is one of my favorite jobs. I love talking with the kids, getting their ideas (which can be quite funny sometimes) coming up with unique designs that they can grow with and seeing their excited faces when they see their rooms for the first time.

To me, coming up with something that they will still love as they grow up is important. It can be a challenge, but most parents don’t want to spend lots of money on room decor only to have to redo it in a year or two when the child’s taste changes. How many kids are really going to still like the same cartoon character a year down the road?

Maggie’s room is a perfect example of a design that she’ll be able to grow in to.

She already had pretty bedding with a colorful quilt-block look. Using the same colors as the bedding, I painted multi-sized circles in a floating border around the room. Each circle has a different pattern and color combo.

Here’s a close-up of a few of the circles.

It was fun being creative with the designs.

Because the designs are only loosely based on the bedding, and the colors varied, it will be easy change out the bedding to coordinate with the room as Maggie gets older. And, the best part is that Maggie’s mother said she squealed when she saw her new room for the first time. That’s a great endorsement!

Bloom & Grow – original art on canvas

  

Wouldn’t these look lovely in a nursery or child’s room?

I had so much fun working on these two companion pieces. They are very different from the rest of my work, with a whimsical and sketchy feel. The canvasses are both 12x12’s, gallery wrapped and ready to hang in your favorite spot. The flowers and leaves are made from actual pages, torn from book and song books. They have been carefully applied and layered on the canvas. The pieces of art are $25 ea. Contact me if you are interested. Thanks!

Have a great day!

Glamorous silver foil desk makeover

Another project checked off my summer “to do” list. I love it when I get some of my own work completed!

This is on old desk that I purchased from an antique mall years ago. Originally, I had painted it a pretty shade of periwinkle blue to go in my youngest daughter’s room. The vines were painted freehand around the outer edges of the top of the desk and the middle drawer.

It really was pretty, but the desk was going to be moved to my oldest daughter’s room, and the sweet blue just wasn’t going to work with her eggplant-colored walls.

So, the desk got a makeover from sweet . . . to glam . . .

What do you think??! It was first painted with metallic silver aquabond and then I covered everything except the top with silver foil. It was a bit tedious, but the new look was totally worth the work. The top is stained with my secret mix of stain and seal. Add some glass knobs and voila! we’re good.

Do you have a piece of furniture stashed away in your home, garage or basement that needs a makeover? Contact me and let’s talk about the possibilities of making your furniture glamorous too.

I love happy clients!

This email from a client I worked for last week just made my day. I came in to paint in her second grade daughter's room while they were on vacation.

If you could have only heard Maggie's squeals of excitement when she saw her room for the first time.  Needless to say she loves it.  Of course, now Audrey and Jared are on us about when their rooms are going to get done.  Anyway, it looks great

Now I just need to run back over to their house to get a picture of what I painted so I can show you too. Ugh! I hate when I forget the camera.

Around the house – summer decor

My kids think I’m crazy because of the way I like to move my accessories and decorate around the house for the seasons. Please tell me that I’m not the only one who walks from room to room with a vase, tray, decorative box or candle trying to find the perfect perch for each item. You like to do that too? Whew, thanks! Now I know I’m not the only one.

Anyway, I thought I’d share just a few pics of some of my summer decorating. Old books, shells collected on vacations to the beach and the color turquoise were my favorite inspirations.

I was lucky enough to find that large shell in the background during a stop at St. Vincent DePaul’s thrift shop.

The pretty turquoise jar was from St. Vincent DePaul too. I’ve really enjoyed adding the pop of color to my mostly neutral furnishings and decor.

And here’s one of my newest paintings on canvas in turquoise and red:

Lucky for you, if you love turquoise too, this painting is for sale! It’s a 12x12 gallery-wrapped canvas with brown undertones in a strie finish, raised red damask pattern on a field of aged turquoise. All of my work is one-of-a-kind and very reasonably priced. This piece is only $20. Contact me if you are interested.

Have a great day!

Michelle