Leftover slats and a trashed nightstand = Functional Art

Remember this old louvered door I blogged about?

 I removed the slats and put in chicken wire, 

and then painted in a distressed technique.

 I saved all the slats and today, I figured a way to use them.

I picked up this little nightstand in the alley the other day, 

so here goes...

 I decided to use the slats to make a little picket fence back…

I started by simply nailing slats to the back on either end.

Then I staggered the height as I continued

to add the slats.

 Here's the back. 

I used a couple slats horizontally to stabilize the vertical slats.

 Next, I used my jigsaw to cut a scrap of thick plywood into a triangular shape and

positioned it on the back top of the table, 

then nailed through the back slats into this piece.

(I'm making this up as I go folks…

I have no idea what I'm doing…)

 Then I decided a hook of some sort might be nice, 

and I remembered this cast iron hook with two birds i bought awhile back.

 It fits perfectly above the tip of the triangle.

I screwed it in.

 Next, I changed out the porcelain knob for a little bird knob.

 And here's where we are.

And now, let the painting begin.

 After sanding,

I started by painting some splotches of 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Louis Blue.

 Next, I added a deep teal…

Just a splotch here and there…

I want plenty of white to remain.

 Then I added two more turquoise colors…

I painted the drawer front in white, 

and the drawer insides with Louis Blue.

 The last paint step is dry brushing some brown paint 

on the nightstand to integrate the brown that shows through in the slats.

 After the paint dried, I sanded a bit, 

and started brushing on a little stain

in a weathered wood finish...

Adding, and then wiping off.

I think it's rather sweet.  

Is it art or is it furniture?

It's FUNCTIONAL art.

And it's for sale.

$135