Guest Post: A Domestic Life - Sunroom Makeover

Hi there! I’m Kelley from A Domestic Life. When Valesha asked if I would put together a guest post for Peachy Polish while she’s in Hawaii, I jumped at the chance! I’ve “known” Valesha for a few years now (we met on Instagram) and I just adore her - I’m so honored she thought of me to guest post.

This will be a little different that what you’re used to if you’re a regular reader. I do love me some great nail polish, but Valesha’s perfect cuticles put mine to shame - so I’m not going to show you pictures of my nails or talk about my favorite polishes (though if we’re keeping track - Saltwater Happy by Essie in the spring and Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI in the fall!). My blog documents my life with my boyfriend and our two dogs, our small house and the mostly DIY home improvements we make whenever possible. Here’s me with my mini dachshund Gracie, so you can put a face to the name.

Most recently, I made over what I call our “back room buffet.” Our house is only about 1200 square feet with a teeny tiny kitchen, and most of my kitchen storage (think pots, pans, tupperware, countertop appliances, etc.) is actually stored outside the kitchen itself, in our “back room.” It’s actually a big all-season sunroom right off the kitchen, and it has a built in buffet with cabinets that run the length of an entire wall. The room is always bright and full of light since it’s filled with big windows, but almost all the wood and wood trim was dark brown. Not awful, but it just didn’t match the sunny, natural vibe of the room. I decided over the winter that I wanted to start the makeover by painting the buffet white and re-staining the top for a farmhouse feel. Here’s what it looked like before I started the makeover process:

Good woodwork, but too dark for the space.

To freshen it up, I started by using an orbital palm sander to sand the stain off just the countertop, taking it right down to the bare wood (excuse the iPhone photo!)

After sanding, I mixed two dark wood stains to get a custom color and rubbed it on with an old rag - wiping away the excess liquid within minutes, then let it dry overnight. Countertop was already almost done!

On to the base, which would eventually become off white. Have you ever sanded something using a palm sander? It’s alright if you’re working on a small piece, but this motherlover is huge and worst of all, it’s built in to the wall - meaning I can’t just pop it outside to make sure sawdust doesn’t get everywhere (I know - most normal, smart people would wall off the workspace with plastic or something but consider me stupid). For these reasons and more, I knew I wanted to paint the base rather than sand and stain it, and I used Annie Sloan chalk paint, rather than sand, paint a base coat, use multiple coats of paint, and finally finish with poly. Too much work for me. Annie Sloan doesn’t require you to prep the surface of your piece hardly at all, so it’s great for lazy girls like me looking for a big payoff.

For more on Annie Sloan, how to use it, and what I use to finish a newly made over piece, check out my blog posts here and here. In this case, I used the soft wax to finish the paint job, Miss Mustard Seed Hemp Oil to finish the wood countertop, and the paint color is a mixture of 3 parts Annie Sloan Old White plus 1 part Annie Sloan Pure White. I distressed the paint a little after it was dry, before I waxed - to bring out the old stain a tiny bit and add to the rustic farmhouse feel. I prefer a distressed look because I like imperfections - they feel real and give a piece a lived-in feel. You don’t have to distress when you use Annie Sloan, but a light sand helps it feel smoother to the touch.

Ready for the reveal?

I reused the existing hinges and just scrubbed them free of any grime or debris, then spray painted them matte black. I bought new knobs from Home Depot for about $2 each, and I love the way the sun catches the glass when it streams in the windows now.

I always have plants and flowers in every room - the forsythia is from my yard, the roses are from the grocery store and the potted plants are all propagated from cuttings that my mom or aunt gave me. I think they give life to a room, so I always try to have some greens somewhere in my immediate vicinity.

I just have to decide now if I want to paint the crown molding and window trim white. What do you think? I’ve gotten favorable opinions for both leaving it dark and painting it white and I’m torn at the moment. The wall needs a new coat of paint but I’m procrastinating until I can decide if I want to paint the trim.

Regardless, I’m really excited with how the project came out - I think it really brightens up the space. I love DIY stuff because it somehow is more enjoyable to me to live amongst projects I completed with my own two hands (despite how much I complain or how aggravated I get while I’m doing them). I hope you like the finished project as much as I do! If you want to see more of our home, check out my blog or Instagram, and for more pictures of our dogs, Millie and Gracie, check out their Instagram! Thanks for reading!