-Before-

The convenient but worn-down cupboard in my studio’s kitchen has been an ugly corner for a while but is now transformed. The outside of this cupboard was a mix of light grey paint and dusty green wallpaper, the inside was in a lovely but equally careworn aquamarine. The doorknobs were the most boring standard white knobs you’ll find in just any old house here.

The cupboard itself is made of rather rough and chunky wood. It’s strong and decent but it’s put together without any love for a refined finish or eye for details. I kept it though, as I think it’s better to sand a bit more and paint it again than throw out perfectly fine wood. (Most of the furniture in my studio are 2nd hand finds. Some before images: here)

For the inside, I chose a color very similar to the original one, only just a tad greener since I couldn’t find an exact match. The outside got a few layers of subtle grey in a semi-gloss finish to reflect a bit of light through the little hall.

The door knobs were switched to these in hammered metal. The curious surface adds an interesting detail to a discreet restyling.

The view from my kitchen window on a day with ‘duveltjeskermis‘ (a funny Flemish word to describe the weather when the sun shines while it’s raining). Day by day warm yellow and oranges are taking over from the greens and it’s wonderful to watch. Just outside of this frame, there is a single apple tree from which I picked a few kilos of apples for apple sauce earlier this week.

As I was waiting for the paint to dry, I had some time to finish another project: the Jesmonite coasters. As I wrote in an earlier blog about Jesmonite experiments, there is a lot of sanding involved to bring out the terrazzo effect. Below, you can see the before and (almost) after. The round coaster is what they look like straight from the mold.