Furniture overhaul

Although gardening is a relatively new found interest of mine, interior design and decorating has always been a passion. I recently found evidence of my 7 year old self being distracted on a week long school trip by the interior decoration of various different places, rather than the history lesson that was intended to be the focus. I remember at an even younger age, cutting out pictures of furniture from the Argos catalogue and glueing them to paper, creating my very own 'mood boards'! (Not that I knew that they were even mood boards at the time). Needless to say, it's quite an obsession now that I am nearly 30!

I recently acquired this little table; salvaged by my Mum from the local dump. It needed a little TLC, but I'm rather pleased with it now.

The colours were inspired by this picture of the Jardin De Majorelle in Marrakech, somewhere I will be visiting in April.

I also revamped a set of drawers while I was at it, using the same paint colours, and finding that they really complimented my satchel (this was a happy surprise; not planned!)

The paint colours are Dulux "Delhi Bazaar 3" (The bright yellow) and 'Azure Fusion 1", in eggshell finish, in their range for interior wood. I sanded down the top of the drawers and the table, but ran out of sandpaper and didn't bother with the rest. I find that perfection is not something I am after, and unless you plan on selling your creations to someone else, this is my top tip; it doesn't need to be perfect! 

Here are my other tips:

1. Why waste paint and energy on parts you'll never see!? I didn't paint the inside of the drawers, or the underside of some of the table, because no-one will ever see this! Lazy yes, but if these projects took me hours, I wouldn't even bother starting them!

2. Use a big brush. It might sound obvious, but it will halve the time the project takes, and the finish is smoother. Use long strokes in the same direction for a smooth finish.

3. Look at the piece from many different angles. You'll be surprised the bits you can miss!

4. Pick up loads of free newspapers from the supermarket; those free local advertisers by the door. Spread these thickly around the floor and you won't need to worry if things drip.

5. Imagine where you'll put the piece before you paint it. Choose your colours based on its future surroundings and something that inspires you. Pinterest is a fabulous place for inspiration. 

6. Go to the tip or dump for your chance to pick up free furniture that you can paint and re-use. Freecycle is also good to pick up pieces that may need a little TLC for free.

7. Wait for the paint to dry to the touch before adding any additional coats of paint. It's tempting to rush it, but the finish just isn't as good.

8. Choose some good music and use this time to relax and enjoy being creative. It feels good!

9. Allocate enough time to complete the whole project, or a number of them, to avoid excessive cleaning up each time. If you're like me, if it's not finished the first time around, I'm a lot less likely to finish it at all.

I'm lazy, impatient and impulsive. If I can do it, anyone can.