Armoire in Old Ivory with Lion Heads

I finished the last big piece from the Sea Captain’s haul! For new readers, I scored a set of beat-up teak furniture on Craigslist and the seller said it had been brought back from Bali by a sea captain and left in his coastal house when he sold it because the pieces were too big to move. See how I updated the mantlepiece HERE, turned the chest of drawers into a bathroom vanity HERE, and converted the giant armoire into a bedroom doorway HERE.

The last piece was a smaller armoire that used to sit on top of what is now the bathroom vanity. It was pretty dusty from sitting in my parents’ woodshed for the better part of three years. Note all the leaves and gravel in the drawer slots.

I used almost an entire bottle of cleanser, but I got off all the dirt and grime so that I could fix it up.

A little bonus was a box of Mason Cash mixing bowls and cake tins that I found inside. I’d been looking all over for them since I moved in!

I was told that stacking this armoire on the vanity made it too tall for the ceiling of the captain’s cottage, so he had cut off the very top bit of decoration. But it had been saved, and I was able to reattach it. I built up the missing bit from where it was sawed with All Purpose Wood Filler, then glued it in place with TiteBond Wood Glue, after which I filled in again with the wood filler.

I gave the entire outside and the inside of the doors a coat of Heirloom Traditions All-In-One Paint in Crete, an olive green. I wanted to get a base coat on, and to see how much a coat took, so I’d know if I had enough to do two coats of my chosen color on top. I left the carved lion heads unpainted because they were in good shape and I liked the contrast.

I was able to get two full coats of All-In-One’s Tuscan Wheat (which unfortunately has been discontinued) on the outside, the drawers, and the inside of the doors. This is a really beautiful, muted gold with a touch of gray to it. In the lighting in my great room, it takes on the color of very old ivory. Gorgeous!

I sanded back some edges to give it an aged look, and to let bits of the original wood peek through.

I used RustOleum Chalked Aged Glaze at full strength to highlight the carvings. It rests in the low spots and gives more age and dimension to the piece.

I love all the carved details on this piece, especially the lions.

The doors wouldn’t open if it was flat on the ground, so I added a set of furniture feet, which I stained dark to match the lions. I used a combination of several leftover stains to get the right color.

Because I’d been painting on a pallet to keep the armoire off the ground, my Dad simply scooped it up with the tractor and took it to my house. This is how we deliver furniture in the country!

I have a large metal swan that looks perfect on top, and the color blends right in with my curtains.

Now I have a place to keep my TV out of sight. It doesn’t really go with the cottage decor, but now its hidden from view when not in use. The drawers hold my favorite DVDs (because we can’t stream with our slow country internet).