Taunton and South Somerset Living Oct - Nov 2021

DIY PROJECT:
UPCYCLE
We all know the importance of reusing
and recycling, and this ethos extends to
our furniture. We’ve all been knee-deep
in a flat pack assembly project, when in
reality, we could be looking at updating
furniture we already have, with a few
simple steps.
If you’ve ever felt daunted by a project
like this, don’t! It’s one of the simplest
DIYs and you can feel happy in the
knowledge that you’ve saved something
from landfill and created a beautiful piece
for your home. Here’s how to get started.
1. CHOOSE YOUR PAINT. In this
project, Annie Sloan’s Athenian
Black Chalk Paint was used. The
beauty of paints like this is they
don’t require much prep - no need
to sand, just give your piece a good
clean with sugar soap. If you opt
for a different paint, just check the
instructions on the label - some
might require a priming coat.
2. REMOVE OLD HARDWARE/
KNOBS. Unscrew existing knobs -
you can either paint or spray paint
these or replace with new ones.
We chose these incredible Rococo
Drawer Handles from Dowsing &
Reynolds in a raw brass finish. Their
concave shape and fabulous
texture made this piece feel
modern again. If your knew
handles have different fixings
to the old ones, you may need
to use wood filler to patch the hole,
allow to dry and then sand before
painting.
3. BEGIN TO PAINT. Remove the
drawers and paint each section,
making sure to coat the edges of
drawers as these will be seen. This
piece only needed one coat as the
paint was so thick.
4. FINISH. We finished by buffing
clear Annie Sloan wax into the dry
piece for extra longevity. Wax gives
a dull lustre, but you might prefer a
clear varnish.
5. FIX NEW HARDWARE. Once dry,
attach your knobs or pulls.
The beauty of projects like this are that
you can repaint as soon as you need to
give your space a refresh, or add new
hardware to suit the room.
You can give a room a
whole new look, without an
Allen Key in sight!
Paint: anniesloan.com
Handles:
dowsingandreynolds.com
A T H E N I A N
BLACK BY
ANNIE SLOAN
THESE
HANDLES ARE SO
BEAUTIFULLY MADE
AND REALLY ELEVATE
THE PIECE. THEY WOULD
BE A STYLISH ADDITION
TO KITCHEN OR
BATHROOM
CABINETRY
TOO
UPCYCLE TIPS:
• If you don’t have furniture like this already, you can always look out
for pieces in charity shops, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree.
• Adding new hardware to existing furniture creates an amazing
instant update - you can use filler for old holes if your new knobs
or pulls are a different shape to the previous ones.
• If you have drawers which are stubborn to open, try rubbing the
tracking and the underside of the drawer with the edge of a tea
light - this should help to reduce the friction.
38 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk