A Cedar Chest, Vintage Quilt and Love Affair with Bergere

Aug 30, 2019 | Hemp Oil, Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint | 3 comments

lane cedar chest painted in bergere by miss mustard seed’s milk paint

When I saw this vintage Lane cedar chest for sale at Homestead Studios, I had to have it.

Lane cedar chest, Bergere, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Hemp Oil, Eight Hundred Furniture, Jenn Baker

I loved everything about the piece – the shape, the details, the cleanliness – they all drew me in. And it’s not often that I find a cedar chest in the depression-era style. It didn’t take me long to give it a Miss Mustard Seed style makeover using one of my favorite colors, Bergere!

bergere-collage

my love affair with bergere milk paint

There are a handful of colors that would use all.the.time. if I could. Bergere by Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint is one of them. This smokey blue gray is so dreamy, in my opinion. It looks so pretty with ALL of the finishes in the MMS Milk Paint line and I legitimately have a hard time not defaulting to it with most of my pieces.

Here are some pieces that I’ve painted in this shade. Click the caption beneath each image to read the corresponding blog post.

settee, chippendale, eight hundred furniture, bergere, miss mustard seed's milk paint, french scroll trim, sweet annie acres
Antique Chippendale Settee in Bergere
Bergere, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Nightstand, Hemp Oil, Eight Hundred Furniture, antique nightstands
Pair of repurposed nightstands in Bergere

Can you see how my photography has improved since that washstand? It’s amazing what a long shutter speed and a bigger lens does!

why i love miss mustard seed’s milk paint

Not only do I love the color Bergere, I really love Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint on a vintage or antique piece of furniture. First, there are NO brushstrokes when you use it. Seriously! This paint soaks in and behaves more like a stain than a paint product. It’s not thick in its consistency, so brushstrokes are non-existent.

Trim work on cedar chest painted in Bergere Milk Paint

Second, Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint distresses very easily. It’s not difficult to use a piece of sandpaper to rub away the edges and high points to draw the eye to them.

Trim on bottom of cedar chest painted in Bergere Milk Paint

Third, Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint preserves the natural texture and character of your piece while giving you amazing color at the same time. Take this close up shot of my Lane cedar chest for example.

Close up of texture on Bergere milk painted cedar chest

See all of that yummy gatoring on the piece? Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint didn’t cover that up! All of that authentic age is still there, but it’s been refreshed with a gorgeous shade of blue! This is by far my most favorite characteristic of this powdered paint product.

my favorite features on the cedar chest

Now that I’ve gushed over why I love MMS Milk Paint so much, let’s switch gears. It’s time to gush about the beautiful features of this Lane cedar chest.

First, it’s a Lane. This is a classic well-recognized brand that instantly says “class” and “quality”. The original labels and branding are still stamped inside the chest.

Lane cedar chest logo

The cedar still has its lovely original scent inside because the piece has been tested for aroma and tightness.

Pressure treated for aroma tightness cedar chest

And you can’t beat the contrast between the warm wood tones of cedar and the smokey blue of Bergere!

Lane cedar chest with top open

a vintage quilt

To stage this piece, I wanted to feature a quilt because that’s what you typically store in a cedar chest. But no matter how I fiddled with an antique quilt I purchased from Morgantown Market, I couldn’t get it to look right. I draped it across the front, folded it up, bunched it and scrunched it to no end. As I opened it up to refold it for the 100th time, I had an idea. Why not hang the quilt behind the cedar chest?!

Vintage cedar chest painted in Bergere by Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint with vintage quilt behind it

The mix of colors worked perfectly together! And this vintage quilt is soooo adorable! I loved it the minute I saw it, much like the cedar chest.

Beautiful quilt square

You can see where it was gently mended at some point in the past.

Mending on quilt

Because the quilt had such a rustic, antique, vintage feel, I opted to pair it with other props to suit its age. I grabbed a wooden crate, ironstone milk pitcher, butter pats and enamel bucket from my stash and arranged them until I liked the look.

Lane cedar chest, Bergere, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Hemp Oil, Eight Hundred Furniture, Jenn Baker

This cedar chest is sweet from head to toe. Just look at these chunky feet!

Foot on cedar chest painted in Bergere

available at morgantown market

This gorgeous piece is currently in my booth at Morgantown Market. I needed to bring in a new piece because my Perfect Gray Spinet Desk sold a few days ago!

Spinet desk in perfect gray milk paint by general finishes

It’s available for $265 plus tax and measures 4 feet long, 19 inches deep and 20.5 inches tall. Grab it before it’s gone because I’m already getting nibbles on it!

Lane cedar chest, Bergere, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint, Hemp Oil, Eight Hundred Furniture, Jenn Baker

Welcome to my happy place!
I'm Jenn Baker - Milk Paint lover, photographer, blogger, and QVC Guest Host. Click below to learn more about me and my creative business.  LEARN MORE ABOUT JENN

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