A Nautical Shelf (Before & After)

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”
– Anonymous

As many of you know, I love all things beach.  Both my boys have nautical rooms.  You’ve seen some photos of Conor’s room already and John’s is done in red, blue and ticking stripe.  I have a few more things to paint in his room and then I’ll be doing a big reveal.

So when a friend showed me a book shelf she wanted spiffed up and said she wanted something nautical, I had the perfect picture in my mind.

Here is how it came out:

Nautical Book Shelf (After)

She really loved John’s union flag bureau and I thought this same color combination would work great in her boys’ bedroom, which has a nautical theme.

You may want to see the before picture.  She picked this treasure up at a yard sale and it has sat in the garage for several years.  Here is what it looked like before:

Before

There were knots shining through everywhere and it needed a good clean:

Before I even started to paint, I washed the whole piece down.  I first washed it with mineral spirits then denatured alcohol and rinsed with warm water.  Once it was dry, I took Zinsser Bulls Eye Odorless Primer and spot primed all the knots.

The whole piece got several coats of ASCP in Old White.

Then I did several coats of Emperor’s Silk on the two sides of the book shelf.  Beautiful Napoleonic Blue for the oar and detailing at the top.  I simply love that navy blue.  So beautiful.

Gorgeous Napoleonic Blue

Two coats of clear wax and then buffed for a high gloss.  Oh, and I stenciled a lighthouse on the oar.  It just needed something.

Lighthouse Stencil by Martha Stewart

Here is the finished book shelf:

After

From the side:

After

Oh, and I forgot to show you a really fun feature.  The wooden door opens and it becomes a desk!

Nautical Bookshelf (After)

Isn’t that cool?  I can’t wait to hear what her boys thought of their new ocean inspired piece of furniture.  So happy to help revive this, especially with a nautical twist.