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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The cedar still has its lovely original scent inside because the piece has been tested for aroma and tightness.
And you can’t beat the contrast between the warm wood tones of cedar and the smokey blue of Bergere!
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?!
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.
You can see where it was gently mended at some point in the past.
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.
This cedar chest is sweet from head to toe. Just look at these chunky feet!
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!
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!
