Ombre style

Sometimes we outgrow the look of an item of furniture before we outgrow the need for it. A compact chest of drawers is always a handy thing to have but over time they can start to look a bit battered or dated. Fortunately, cabinets can just as easily be transformed with a little paint and imagination.

To give a basic chest of drawers added drama try a simple ombre paint effect. Ombre is a French word meaning shaded – and an ombre effect blends one colour to another, using tints and shades to move from light to dark. It’s an on trend look that can be applied to everything from cake icing to hair tints – and upcycling!

You need

• Medium grade sandpaper
• Medium-sized paintbrushes
• Resene testpots in a range of tones
• Resene Lustacryl waterborne enamel
• Resene Aquaclear waterborne urethane varnish
• Extra knobs (optional)
• Soft cloth

Getting started

Start by choosing a colour range or hue (in this case blue/green). Use the Resene colour charts to select various complementary tints (lighter) and shades (darker) within your chosen hue. Another trick is to use the Resene system of paint colours that can be lightened by a half, quarter or eighth.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Remove drawers, unscrew handles and give all paintable surfaces a light sanding. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

2. Paint each drawer front with a different testpot. If drawers are various sizes be sure to paint them in the correct order! Avoid painting the drawer runners as this can cause them to jam. Allow to dry and apply a second coat.

3. Paint the outside surfaces of the cabinet in Resene Lustacryl waterborne enamel. Allow to dry.

4. For a hardwearing finish, apply a top coat to all painted surfaces using Resene Aquaclear waterborne urethane varnish. If necessary, also apply a coat of varnish to the insides of the drawers. Allow to dry.

5. Re-attach drawer handles. You can add a quirky detail to your cabinet by mixing in a few different handles.

6. Reassemble drawers.

Colours used

• Resene Half Fossil
• Resene Half Thorndon Cream for the cabinet body
• Resene Carefree
• Resene Unwind
• Resene Kumutoto
• Resene Hope
• Resene Whirlwind

Words and styling Sarah Heeringa. Photography Amanda Reelick. 2017

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