a makeover first: oyster chests

this week, i completed a furniture makeover that was a first - a set of antique oyster chests. my client inherited these beautiful, unique tables, but was never quite happy with the blue color in her home. they were painted a while back (we couldn't tell if the paint was original to the tables, but i'm guessing no!), and the highly distressed country blue color didn't fit the rest of her home. she decided to simplify them quite a bit, but "keep" the gold detailing that was painted on so long ago. (aka, i just re-painted the areas that were gold before, and painted the rest of it a creamy off-white {benjamin moores "sparkling wine"})

here they are before (sorry i didn't get a photo of them actually sitting the right way. as you can see, the top part is separate from the bottom):

now, as you guys know, my camera is fairly new, and apparently i still haven't QUITE figured it out. hence, my large photos of these are blurry! sorry, guys. here are some "zoomed" in ones where you can see the detailing:

i like that they are updated, but that we still sort of kept an antique feel, with the gold detailing. they feel "fancy" and new, but still neutral enough to blend in with many house palettes, and hopefully she'll be able to use them for many, many years to come!

those little lines were tedious! she will be replacing the antique brass knobs with crystal glass ones.