DIY Projects For Home Decorating: A Blue French Provincial Dresser

The one piece of furniture in our home that gets the most attention and comments has to be the blue French Provincial dresser in our kitchen/breakfast room. It was recently part of our feature in the French magazine Shabby Style. It made me smile when they described it as a “Louis XV commode”. It just proves that you can add french style to your home without spending hundreds, or even thousands of dollars to get it.

We found the french provincial dresser at an estate sale and it was the perfect size at 72" long, and it was also the perfect price at $79.00. It had lots of drawers for storage, so it was going to work perfectly for a buffet in our kitchen/breakfast room.

a blue french provincial dresser, chalk paint, painted furniture

After sitting in our garage for eight months while we finished our kitchen renovation, here is what she looks like after we added layers and layers of paint, giving her the "Louis XV commode" look that we were wanting!

It is the one piece of furniture that always gets decorated with the different seasons and holidays.

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint, beginning with a base coat of Aubusson Blue, and then layered colors of Provence, Duck Egg, French Linen, and Paris Gray.

I layered the colors, using washes and dry brushing techniques to add shadows and highlights, then distressed with a slightly damp wash cloth, and finishing with clear and dark wax, creating a finish with depth.