Nightstand Makeover in Magnolia Home Cabinet and Trim Paint

I don’t know if you all have access to Magnolia Home’s paint lines, but if you do, it’s worth the trip to at least see all of the gorgeous paint colors that Joanna has compiled.  Her eye for color is second to none, and I walk out with lots of samples any time I have the opportunity.  I just can’t help myself.  So, when my friend Peggy scored some nightstands at our local Restoration Hardware Outlet that needed a little TLC, I figured it was a great opportunity to try one of Joanna’s beautiful hues.  This time, I opted to try her Magnolia Home Cabinet and Trim Paint.

I looked to her beautiful Pottery Barn bedding for color inspiration, and it’s as though the Magnolia Home paint colors were made to go with it.  So many beautiful options!

The walls in their master bedroom were painted Revere Pewter, so I didn’t want to go too neutral with the nightstands.  I wanted some contrast in there so that they stood out a bit.  I have to admit, I love the indigo shades, but given that we have pop of navy going on in there already, I opted to go with a darker shade of gray – Teak Cups.

Painting furniture hadn’t been on our radar initially, as we had been scouring the internet looking for side table that were the proper size and scale.  However, neither of us anticipated what a task this would be, nor how pricey a side table could be.  It was a bit discouraging to look at pieces that we liked, only to find that one of them was about as much (or in some cases, more), than the full sized dresser we got for the room.  That’s what sent me to the Restoration Hardware Outlet, where I spotted this beat up nightstand that needed some love, but was the perfect size, shape and price.

You can see that the top was a scuffed up mess, but that was fine by us, because it meant that we got it for a steal.  Now, the only issue was to find a matching piece so that we had a set.  Lucky for us, you can get your name on a list if you’re looking for a particular item at the outlet, and a couple weeks later, we had a partner for this nightstand.  It was a different finish, but again, since we’re painting, it didn’t matter.

I prepped both nightstands – cleaned, filled, primed, sanded – and then painted them.  Note to self (and others) – if you find minor imperfections in the top, with only a coat of paint and a top coat left to do, leave it alone.  I say this because I fussed with the top of this piece, which resulted in me doing two coats of paint, then two coats of primer, then two more coats of paint, and then a clear coat.  Save yourself a headache and leave well enough alone.

That said, they turned out gorgeous.  I used the Milesi Poly 2k clear coat on them, which gives it a velvety smooth furniture finish.   

It will be even prettier once all of the accessorizing is done.  These pretty lamps had me at hello.

Speaking of accessorizing, we finally found the perfect bench for the end of the bed.  Another Pottery Barn find that ties things together beautifully.  I think we are on to a cool trend because I spotted it in the store, and Peggy went to order it online, only to find that it was backordered until November.  I guess we’re just trendsetters, right? 😉  She ended up going to the store and buying the one they had on the floor.  Hey, you do what you have to do, right?

We’re going to move on to Phase Two of this makeover – artwork, lighting, window treatments, etc… But I think it’s come a long way!  Remember where it started?  You can look back at the progress of this room here and here.

I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with the Magnolia Home Cabinet and Trim paint.  The colors are gorgeous (of course), but the paint seems to be well done too.  It’s a bit thick, so I had to thin it in order to spray it (and you might want to thin it a bit even if you’re brushing and rolling it), but it covers well and looks to be durable too.  I just get a little hyper-paranoid when it comes to furniture, and always clear coat them to be safe.

I also used her chalk paint on this furniture piece, and found it to be a good product too.  It just depends on the style and look that you want.

Have you seen any of Joanna’s paint colors or tried out any of her paint products?

Jenny