Hello and welcome! We are Stuart and Iris – the husband and wife team behind Three Coats of Charm. When we’re not chasing around our three young kids, you can usually find us sanding, priming or painting our next furniture project! We certainly never imagined two decades ago, when we were smitten teenagers, that one day we’d find a passion for reviving tired and worn vintage furniture together.
It all began when we started looking for a piece of furniture for our front hallway. Our third child had just started full time daycare so we didn’t have a lot to spend. We scoured local stores and online retailers but couldn’t find anything that felt right for the price we wanted to pay. Then we stumbled across a beautiful old dresser on an online sale site. It was the perfect size and full of character. But it had clearly already lived a long life and we wanted something a little more modern. We’d heard so much about the wonders of chalk paint, we thought, like most things we do, we’d just jump in! We learned as we went and LOVED the finished product. What do you think?
That was all it took. One small, sweet dresser and we got the bug. From the hunt for the right piece, to the planning and design, to the sanding and finishing and the final accessorizing – we love the whole process! We don’t claim to be experts but we’ve learned a lot along the way.
When we started to sell some pieces we were often contacted and asked if we’d share our techniques. Our first reaction was – oh no, we couldn’t possibly tell other people what to do! But after thinking about it, we decided if we share our mistakes as well as our successes, others might be encouraged to give it a try and keep at it, even if the results don’t always turn out quite as expected.
We hope Three Coats of Charm will be a place we can share with you our projects, do-it-yourself tips and tricks and exchange thoughts and ideas to inspire each other. We also want to hear from you! If you have questions, comments or ideas you want to share – please don’t hesitate to do so. We are truly thankful for every single person who takes the time to read about our passion for reviving tired and worn furniture pieces. And if you’re thinking of trying your hand at refinishing, just go for it! We’d love for you to drop us a line and let us know how it went.
