"I've got the blues" Ombre Dresser using blending and layering furniture painting tech

It's true. The owner of this dresser did have the "blues" when it came to this bedroom set, and I'll tell you why in a second, but first I want to tell you how and where to learn how to blend and layer paint like this on furniture. Isn't it just fabulous?

By the way, if you like this look you my also like my post on how to blend greys showcasing a china hutch that I painted in grey and turquoise.

How to get a Blended and Layered Painted Furniture Technique

So..when I started seeing this ombre blending and layering technique on painted furniture, I fell in love! It's all over Pinterest, and frankly I'm glad to see a bit of color coming back in style. Eager to try it, I read a few tutorials and took a class from a fellow furniture artist over at the Turquoise Iris. Although it looks a bit complicated, it really isn't. It just takes some time and patience.

To get this look, in summary, you use a wet sanding technique along with a basic blending technique using five to six complimentary colors of your choice. For this project, I stayed in the blue family and went from a light turquoise to a dark navy. I added a touch of coral using a scraper distressing technique. I then waxed the edges with a dark brown wax to give it added dimension. Finally, I sealed the whole thing with a matte sealer (on the top for extended use) and clear wax (over the rest of the pieces).

Given that this technique is best learned by watching and doing, I will be offering it as a part of my Up-cycling 101 course coming to you soon. If you would like to get more information or to get on the waiting list go here

The Amazing Story Behind These Pieces

Don't go anywhere just yet! The best is yet to come. I have yet to tell you the story behind this gorgeous piece, and that, my friends, is even more important than how I painted it.

You see a very special client named Leslie approached me to see if I would be willing to paint this bedroom set for her. She did not feel comfortable doing it herself because another furniture artist who also happens to be one of her best friends had already started painting it, but unfortunately never finished.

Her friend's name is Mari.

Mari is a woman after my own heart. She is a furniture artist, an up-cycler, painter, jeweler and the list goes on and on. She is way more accomplished in the arts than I am and her work shows it.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, the pieces never got finished. This is what they looked like when Leslie brought them to me.

Just like these pieces, bare and vulnerable, Leslie share the story with me about why her friend never finished painting them. You see, Mari and Leslie parted ways about a year ago, but it wasn't out of ill will or a broken friendship. It was much worse. Sadly, it was because Mari lost her courageous and long 10 year battle with breast cancer.

Can you see why Leslie had the blues? I hope I don't sound trite or disrespectful with this phase and title. I used it because Leslie was truly still grieving and couldn't bring herself to paint over what her best friend had started. I can only imagine her turmoil and pain.

That's why this project has been such a tremendous honor from me to complete. While I am filling some pretty big shoes, I feel like I was kinda chosen to do this job by Mari herself. I know that sounds weird, but I do. I truly think it was meant to be.

Adding Meaningful Details

So, after seeing this blended, ombre look, I spoke with Leslie about her favorite colors and found out she loved turquoise. Then I saw Mari's artwork and knew exactly what I wanted to do. Leslie was very brave and gave me full creative license to do what I thought would look best. I ran some ideas by her and then went to town.

Although I showed her some previews of the pieces as I was painting them, I wanted to save the best surprise for last. Given Mari's amazing legacy, I wanted to honor her memory in some way through this piece. To do so, I collected some pieces of her artwork from her Facebook page and made them into removable vinyl drawer liners.

Leslie also told me that one of Mari's favorite quotes near the end of her life was this:

"But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.

"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."

"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.

"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

While I'm not sure what this meant for her specifically, I do know that it was important so, I incorporated it into the middle drawer liner using her art as the background.

She also really liked tea, so I staged this piece with some coral colored depression glass that I just "happened" to find the day that I staged the pieces for photography. They had been all packed up in a plastic container that I completely forgotten about. When I stumbled upon it by "accident", I knew exactly what to do with them.

Well, I hope you like it, and more importantly, I hope Leslie and Mari do too. I truly hope it brings healing and many many good memories to her in the years to come.

To wrap up, do you have a piece of furniture that carries memories like this for you? I would love to hear about it either in the comments below or feel free to email me.

Blessings!

Heidi