This post is all about a kitchen island makeover.  This kitchen belongs to one of my clients.  When I first visit a client for the initial consultation, we talk about their wants and needs for their home.  After I listen and take notes on their thoughts, I will share some of my own.

I gently asked my client if they have ever given consideration to painting their island.  Why?  This kitchen is luxurious and high-end, but the island just blended right into the wood floor.  It is a huge island with detailed woodwork, so I was careful suggesting painting it.  Sometimes, it really bothers clients to paint over beautiful wood.  I totally understand why!

Not to mention, what if I am wrong?  What if it doesn’t look as good as I have pictured in my mind?  But, the more I looked at the island, the more I realized, painting it would really make it stand out!

Kitchen Island Makeover

Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

My life has been changed ever since chalk paint hit the scene!  I hate sanding.  I hate using paint stripping products.  BUT, I love to paint!  So, above is what the island corbels looked like with two coats of black chalk paint.

Now it is time to give the look of a distressed, time-worn piece of furniture.

I used a sanding block to sand off the chalk paint.  I could have used a sander, and it would have been easier on my hands, shoulders and neck, but it is easy to sand too much of the paint off.  When you distress a piece of furniture, you want to take off paint where is would naturally rub off during time.  Distress all the edges and outer corners that would get bumped and scratched with normal wear and tear.

Here you can see the areas where I sanded down to the wood.  On the larger areas, I tried to sand spots in different areas, while not overdoing it.

Here is the base of the island before I began sanding the edges.

I used Annie Sloan soft dark wax.  It is amazing!  I began applying it in circular motions.  The black paint came alive!  And the places where I sanded down to the wood, became darker and more pronounced.

This project turned out great, and my client was super happy!  The bar stools came from Overstock.com.  I loved them!  The burlap seats and upholstered tack edges completed the entire look!