The Jacobean style of this buffet is one of my favorite furniture styles! I love the big bulky legs and bun feet paired with the oversized dimensions of the furniture itself...... offering the perfect canvas for creativity!
I've had this buffet in my stash for months! I finally pulled it forward and made the decision to begin the creative process. Sometimes I like to create WITH my online family.... and this was one of those times. I asked my social media friends to choose colors for the overall body..... and with their interest and help.... we landed on Collard Greens and Aubergine..... two colors I rarely use!!! I do love the two paired together...... AND I love a good challenge...... so I got busy!
I painted the entire body in Collard Greens.... which is truly the color of cooked collard greens! It is a very earthy and natural green that I find quite soothing to work with. I then used the deepest of purple..... Aubergine..... to paint the fabulous legs and curvy support braces.
The overall color pairing was so very earthy..... with an almost fertile vibe...... and I instantly envisioned a blooming spring garden within the front panels. I have yet to paint an abstract floral such as what I was seeing in my head..... and I found the challenge to be quite exhilarating! I pulled together my paint pallet...... greens, blues, pinks, yellows and whites....... and just began layering! I began with shades of blue and green first. I wanted to lay down a garden bed for the blooms to nestle into. You can see in the photo below my full blue/green palette (Aubergine, Collard Greens, Antebellum Blue, Peacock..... and in the Tree Frog Green jar is actually a 50/50 blend of Tree Frog Green and Antebellum Blue).
I then began to work in my pink tones..... using Soft Pink, Peony, and a custom blend of Cobalt Blue(30%) and Peony (70%) to get this amazing violet.
Now to begin adding the blooms. The beauty of abstract painting is you don't really have to know HOW top paint an object.... you can just sort of paint to SUGGEST something! And that is exactly what I did here. You can see below how I began to layer one color at a time starting with Pure Ocean Blue.
Next was pinks..... and you can see in this photo I used both the brush and my finger to smudge my Peony pink "blossoms".
After painting on smaller blossoms with a very light pink paint (Soft Pink)..... I brought another layer of Peony (darker pink) using a small palette knife just to add visual interest and more texture.
It was now time to add greenery with a bit of "newness" to it...... so I brought in bits of pure bright green (Tree Frog Green).
It is important to make sure your paintings consist of not just your image.... but highlights and lowlights as well. This gives it dimension and really brings it to life. I added bits of yellow and even white.... in tiny amounts...... which really brings energy into the garden.
I usually end with highlights.... but this time I saved shadowing and depth for last. I brought in Coffee Bean.... the darkest of browns..... to the very base of the garden across all three panels. This was my favorite part of this whole project! It gave it MOOD! I am really enjoying the shadows lately!!!
I honestly could not be happier about my Enchanting Spring Garden!!! It is dreamy! I love the way it has little, to no, definition yet it is still very clear as to what it is!!! I can almost smell the blooms and I imagine fireflies and fairies living there! It makes me think of early morning when the gardens still cast shadows yet the sun is glistening on the dew! I have a feeling there will be more garden surprises in my future!
I'm a texture girl! I need texture in my life...... and being able to SEE as well as FEEL just works for me! And, this garden with all of its glorious layers..... has so much texture!!!
Ok..... can we talk about the TOP of this gorgeous buffet???? My social media fam shouted harlequin and I listened!!!! Painting this design by hand is not for sissies...... and I"m one tough cookie..... so I completed ANOTHER harlequin challenge!!! There are SIXTY NINE...... YES SIXTY NINE of those suckers..... and I enjoyed painting every single one! My YouTube video of this process.... really explains how I do this...... so I won't go into that..... but, let's just enjoy the view!
AND THEN....... I sanded them down! Yep.... after all that hard work..... I hit them REALLY hard with the electric sander!!! I wanted them to look aged! I didn't want the future owner of this piece to be worried with scuffing and scratching of the perfectly painted top! So I distressed..... and after NOT having distressed in so long.... it felt really good! Just look at those worn through harlequin shapes! I REALLY love this look! It's so authentic!!!
I added a few more fun black and white patterns just for whimsical fun and to keep the piece from being taken too seriously! LOL! I added the little stripe to the center back rail. You can see here how I used tape to make the stripes, painted the stripes, and removed the tape to reveal the stripes..... and then, I distressed those too!!!
I also caved to my crazy brain and got down on the floor to hand draw and hand paint those tiny little checks on the legs! But honestly..... the tiny detail is what makes the biggest difference!! It's so worth the extra energy and eye-sight! LOL!
I added a WoodUBend mold to the center back rail focal point! I used all the colors from the garden to paint it.... and then embellished it with gold gilding wax. It really helped to bring some of the lighter colors from the garden..... UP! It's amazing what such a simple and small addition can do for a huge piece! I love WoodUBend and I really enjoy working it into my projects!
And for the VERY last (but not LEAST) application..... GILDING WAX in GOLD!!!!! Give me all the gold all the time!!! I used the gilding wax like paint.... with a small craft brush..... and painted those big bun feet!! I added it to the frames to accentuate the artwork on the doors! I used it to brighten up the original hardware!
And that's it folks!!!! I am so in love with this piece! I hope you love it as much as I do! AND...... she's available!!!! Shoot me an email if you can imagine this lovely Enchanting Spring Garden in your home!
I love her from every single angle! I honestly had imagined this piece in PINK or BLACK........ so I am SOOOOOO thankful I listened to my viewers and gave this gorgeous pairing of purple and green another go round!
Don't forget..... I have a full tutorial available on YouTube showing exactly how I achieved this entire finish if you are feeling inspired to try it for yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--eNDPg8aR8
I hope this Enchanting Garden buffet lives many more years experiencing dinner parties and family birthdays and holidays full of cheer.... holding all the treasured family china that make gatherings of friends and families so special!
Products used:
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https://www.traceysfancy.com/leopard-patina-grunge-buffet/
https://www.traceysfancy.com/harlequin-bombay-chest/
https://www.traceysfancy.com/gold-leaf-harlequin-buffet/
