Deep Navy Buffet – a True Royal
The first item I brought into my newly purchased home some five years ago was a statue of the Buddha. As many first-time home buyers, I had a long way to go to furnish and transform my home into a cozy nest on a budget. Even my mattress did not come for another week. This is why making this deep navy buffet was a true treat and, in true Kansas City fashion – a Royal! But it took a bit of time to get there.
Three years in I had made decent progress. To my surprise, I had also developed a need for organization – a very new concept for me. At the same time, my collection of large and rarely used kitchen gadgets was growing and needed a permanent home. This prompted me to speed up my search for a buffet to store all this machinery.
From the time I closed on my home, I was infatuated with this light blue cabinet. But, at a $500+ sticker price and a lot more of the house to furnish, there was no way I was going to pay retail for it. And then, one day, it popped up in my Facebook Marketplace feed in all its light blue glory.
I recognized the modern lines and circle relief and it was more than half of the retail price. I contacted the seller and started arranging a time to pick it up. And then – CRICKETS! But this is the buffet I had been waiting and wanting for!!!!! I couldn’t just let it get away that easily. After a couple of check-ins, the seller finally responded saying she was to busy to show and she was removing the listing.
You know that moment in the movies, when something bad is about to happen? The scene goes into slo-mo with the actor(s) screaming “NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” to make the moment more dramatic? That was me as my dreams of that piece gracing my kitchen nook going up in smoke.
I’ll be honest, the experience left me feeling a little salty. Who does that?
UGH!…Back to square one…
Over the next couple of months, I saw what now seems like a million pieces of furniture. Sadly, a lot of them had a huge “BUT” attached to it. I knew I wanted a modern piece. The top of the buffet needed to be in line with the sides. I didn’t want the top “overhang” like you see in classic buffets.
It had to be at least 30″ tall, taller if possible. And could not be wider than 5 and a half feet. Most importantly, it needed to be deep enough to fit a blooming collection of appliances that will never make a cook out of me. I was finding a lot of antique pieces with Queen Anne legs or great looking pieces that were too small or just some other reason that disqualified them. A lot of them gorgeous, just not fitting my vision.
The few cabinets I did like were a little pricey. Then I saw MY buffet on craigslist and was trying to talk myself into parting with $200. I am definitely thrifty, but I also try not to spend too much on an item that I will still have to either fix or re-purpose or paint.
This sideboard had all the features I wanted – modern design, plenty of storage, “Goldilocks” dimensions and it was in almost new condition. And just as I was getting ready to reach out to the seller, I saw that they lowered the price to $150.
SOLD!
This buffet was of much higher quality than I had initially thought- made out of solid wood and very heavy. It is still available for purchase online for over $700!
I loved its lines right away. However, the warm look of wood did not match my style and I knew I needed to paint it. I tested a couple colors.
Sherwin Williams’ “In the Navy” paint won the beauty contest, which I used to make my own chalk paint for this deeply rich and royal finish. And the process is super easy. However, there are a few important steps to make the application successful.
First step – clean the buffet!
Wipe any surface that will be painted with a damp cloth to remove any oils, dust or smudges. Then, add in a mild cleaner if there are spots that are grimy or oily, and you can use whatever you have on hand that is not too abrasive.
Second step – sand surfaces
I generally use 150 grit sandpaper blocks or finer, because I am just trying to rough up that top layer of varnish to help the paint stick better. But, you could get away without sanding at all, I just don’t recommend it. This is also why I don’t use an electric sander when applying chalk paint. It is just not necessary. But if you really want all of the old stain off, go for it.
Once the sideboard is sanded, I do another run with a damp cloth to pick up any shavings and dust.
Third step (optional) – priming
This step truly is optional, and I actually did not use it on my buffet, as chalk paint, after being properly finished, truly stands up to the test of time even when not primed.
However, if I were using a primer on a piece that is in rough shape, I would go with something like Rust-Oleum 272479 Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Plus Spray Primer.
Fourth step – time to mix that deep navy royal blue
Next, I made my own chalk paint, which I have been doing for years with a lot of success. You can really make chalk paint out of any paint, as long as it’s flat/matte and latex.The chalk paint recipe I use is very simple. All you need is:
- 1/3 cup of plaster of Paris and I use 2kg Plaster of Paris Wall Patch Compound
- 2-3 tablespoons of water
- 2 cups of paint of your choice
Here’s a little trick – I combine plaster with water and mix well until it turns into paste. Then I pour it in 2 cups of paint. I will add more water as I go, because plaster of Paris will make paint dry really fast. Double or triple recipe if you are working on a bigger surface.
Then I use a 2″ brush to paint in the direction of the grain and then go perpendicular to it. 2 layers are usually enough, but if you need to touch up after that – it’s ok. Each application takes only about 20 minutes to dry! Make sure you do some light sanding between layers and wiping dust off before applying more paint.
I started by painting doors and drawers and liked the way the original wood framed the blue. For a moment, I contemplated not painting the whole sideboard.
Then I realized that it resembled a rustic two-tone trend, which paired with modern lines, just looked, well … weird. This meant that the original plan to paint the whole thing one color was a go.
Step five – protective coat
You want to make sure your project is sealed and will last until you are ready to repaint in the very distant future. Wax is the sealer most often used with chalk paint, but this buffet was to be placed next to a sliding door that gets a lot of sun in the muggy summers in the midwest and I opted for a more traditional sealer. I just didn’t want to risk any melt spots.
I leave paint to cure for a day or so. It may be unnecessary, but I don’t like to rush the process. My go-to sealer is General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat, 1 Quart, Satin. It’s durable, doesn’t yellow and goes on smooth. I love applying it with a sponge brush, but a regular bristle brush will do just fine. 2-3 coats will do the job. Don’t forget to lightly sand between coats and wiping dust off.
Hardware
Unsure about the original wooden drawer pulls, I looked for simple gold or polished brass ones online, with no choices that really appealed to me. Convinced that the wooden ones wouldn’t work, there was no harm in experimenting with them and spray painting them gold with some Krylon Metallic Gold Spray Paint. Seems like they changed the can though.
Surprisingly, this looked really good. Instead of getting thin metal pulls, I got sturdy and thick wooden pulls. Once painted gold they gave this buffet the elegance and class. This means that all I needed was a couple of layers of Polycrylic and this baby was done!
Finished Deep Navy Buffet – a True Royal
The end result is gorgeous and I cannot believe that I get to see and enjoy this awesome navy buffet every day. That light blue credenza I lamented over at the beginning of this post is long gone from my memory. What’s more, I have never been this glad that a purchase fell through. As it usually happens in life, things tend to work themselves out in the best possible way.
More impressively, this deep navy buffet has gone from contemporary with a touch of rustic piece with warm and masculine lines to a sophisticated and modern storage solution. A true royal! All this with a simple update in paint. This beautiful focal point in my nook will soon house a coffee station. With other decor additions it will serve to add more texture and warmth to the space.
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