Matte Navy Candlesticks

My $4 pair of giant thrifted candlesticks got a makeover…or three.  The last one stuck!  This post is about more than just a thrift store makeover, it is about persevering when the first one, or two ideas, don’t work.  Retakes are a fact of life with DIY projects.

My first idea was to cover the candlesticks with sisal rope.  I wanted to give them texture.  This was in one word a…failure.  Wrapping things in rope can be beautiful, but in this case it just looked like a rope column.  The rope was too big and covered up all the detail on the candlesticks.  It would have worked better on a simpler, curvy silhouette.

Try two was jute twine.  I figured if the rope was too thick, maybe jute twine would give the texture I wanted without covering up all the detail.    This might have worked, but it quickly became too tedious for me.  With all the small curves and grooves it was just too much hot gluing for my liking.

I was momentarily tempted to give up on these candlesticks, but instead I ripped all the rope, twine, and hot glue off for round three.  This time I decided to keep it simple!

I painted the candlesticks.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Napoleonic Blue.  I am planning to use this paint on a furniture project, so I was excited to try the color on something smaller first.  I coated the candlesticks in three thin coats of chalk paint.

At first I was nervous about the color.  The blue was brighter than I expected, but thankfully it dried darker (the one on the right above is dry).  Since it was chalk paint, it also dried to a nice matte finish.  I originally planned to put a gloss coat on the candlesticks, but I fell in love with the matte look.  It’s different and nice.

These candlesticks will eventually find a home in the new basement family room. I plan to use the same blue on the media center.  The color is spot on with the knock-off Antrho curtains.

What do you think?  Do you like the matte look?

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