Before and After: A Furniture Makeover with Amy Howard at Home

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This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Amy Howard at Home and Ace Hardware.

Today I’m excited to show you a DIY furniture makeover that I did in collaboration with Amy Howard at Home and Ace Hardware. A while back I attended a really fun DIY workshop with Ace and Amy, where we learned more about her passion for furniture restoration and the amazing transformations you can create with her products. Using her One Step Paint I made over a little storage piece that I have in my bathroom, and I love how it turned out!

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At the event Amy (who by the way, is so nice!) told us all about her product range and the different ways you can get super creative salvaging and making over old pieces. The line (available at Ace) encompasses a wide range of products that are a DIYer’s dream! Chalk paint, lacquer, waxes, gold leaf, antique mirror solution…the list goes on.

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One of the things I was most impressed with regarding Amy’s paint was how many different surfaces you can use them on. She has paint formulations that will work on virtually anything, from fabric, to leather, to metal, glass, Formica, concrete, even lampshades!

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I loved the antique mirror effect Amy created on this side table – it looks so authentic and reminds me of the bathroom mirrors at my favorite restaurant in the city, ABC Kitchen. She also used her paint to make over this thrift store lamp (tutorial here). As she pointed out to us, lamps are a perfect thing to look for in thrift shops because they’ll be really affordable, and all you need to focus on is if you like the shape, since the color can be made over easily with a little DIY magic!

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Here’s a kitchen that Amy made over completely using her products! How cool is that? I love that she made some of the shelving open and painted the inside.

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Now onto my project. I decided to make over this little piece I have in my bathroom. It’s basically the only surface in the room so I keep my tissue box on top of it, and the bottom two shelves I use to store toilet paper (I only have one closet in my apartment so there’s nowhere else to really keep it). The piece just happens to fit perfectly into the tiny space available, but it had definitely seen better days. The paint was chipped and discolored in various spots so it was the perfect thing to make over!

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This was basically all I needed for the project – paint and a brush! The great thing about Amy’s One Step Paint and what really makes it perfect for a newbie DIYer such as myself is that (as the name suggests) it’s one step – no sanding, stripping, priming, nothing. Just clean the piece off and paint away! So easy.

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I chose Luxe Grey and I love how it turned out on the piece. There’s no natural light in my bathroom so it’s a little hard to see, but in person it’s a medium-light gray, and I like how it makes the white accessories on top pop. It even make the toilet paper look good! Some things I love about this paint: it’s made in the US, it doesn’t contain methanol or any other dodgy ingredients, and it dries super fast (perfect for impatient me!). The One Step is a chalk-based paint, so it has a rich, velvety matte finish, and since it’s One Step, it doesn’t even need to be sealed (though you certainly could if you want to give it a shiner finish).

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The cool thing for me about Amy’s products is that they’re great for both the experienced DIYer and the novice (hand raised) alike – really versatile, and really easy to use.

I’ve said this a million times, but making over vintage furniture is such a great way to give your home a unique, lived-in look, save money, and (something else Amy emphasized) actually help the Earth – tons of furniture is thrown out every day and it’s such a waste. If you want to see Amy’s products in action and get inspired to tackle some DIY projects of your own, be sure to check out the Amy Howard at Home Youtube channel!

photography by Jacqueline Clair

Leave a Comment

  1. Elana wrote:

    Looks great!

    Published 12.5.16 · Reply
    • York Avenue wrote:

      Thanks Elana!

      Published 12.6.16 · Reply
  2. Claudia wrote:

    Help! I have always hated my kitchen but can’t afford a reno at this time. I’m thinking of painting the backsplash or painting the island or both. Help?!? (Can I send a pic?)

    Published 3.23.20 · Reply