Buffet Jr. and a New Paint

My summer is officially over.  I go back to work tomorrow, though I've spent most of my summer working so it's a bitter-sweet day.  Before I get consumed with the back-to-school activities, I wanted to get this post written.  I finished this buffet a few weeks ago, and it sits waiting patiently in my garage for an opening in the shop.
I know I won't have time in the next few weeks to shop or paint, so I've got a few pieces in the garage ready to go.

I found this buffet at a flea market during one of my summer travels.  I loved the lines and the unusual size.

So I piled it in the car and brought it home.  I started by stripping and refinishing the top.

Then I noticed a funky odor.  Oh my!  This baby had been in a smoker's home.  

I let it air out for a couple of days.  No change.  So I did some research and went to the Internet.  Several websites suggested washing it with vinegar and water, and letting it air dry.  I did that three times, and it was better.  But the odor was still present.  Evidently the odor settles into the topcoat, not the wood itself, so by stripping the top, I had taken care of the top surface.  The remaining odor could be "locked in" by painting.  

Good!  That was exactly my plan!

So I gave the whole thing two coats of Annie Sloan's Old White.

It was so pretty against the new dark top!

I'd found a new brand of chalk paint while on my summer travels and decided to break it out on this piece.  It is Amy Howard's One Step paint.  And I must say, I love it!

It's thinner than most chalk paints and goes on very easily.  Two coats covered well.  It can be applied without sanding or priming.  Perhaps the best thing is that unless you want to use dark wax, you don't have to apply a clear wax! 

So I gave the inside two coats of Cartouche Green, which is really more of a blue.

I even painted the inside of the drawers!

And I didn't have to wax them!

Giddy-up!

I distressed the white, and applied a coat of clear wax and dark wax  (to the white only) to accent the details.

It was the perfect contrast to the blue!

Rather nice, don't you think?

And the best part is there is NO odor!

Hallelujah!