A loved piece at home
Give a dresser, cabinet, side table, or storage piece a new role without losing the reason you kept it.
Custom commissions
Furniture painting
with a point of view.
Bring a favorite piece, a room in progress, or a half-formed idea. Sondra creates hand-painted vintage furniture with the depth, color, and character that make a room feel collected rather than decorated.
Start a conversation on Etsy
Not a quick cover-up
Let the piece keep
its best history.
A good painted finish does not flatten a piece into something anonymous. It notices the curve of a drawer, the weight of old hardware, the warmth of a bit of wood showing through, and the places where age has already done something interesting. Sondra begins there, then builds a finish that gives the furniture a new purpose without asking it to forget where it came from.
That can mean a quiet wash that lets the construction lead, or a bolder composition with rich color, painted detail, decoupage, molding, and a hand-finished patina. The common thread is restraint. Every decision is made around the piece and the room it will live in, rather than forcing a formula onto furniture that deserves a more personal answer.
Condition matters, too. Small nicks, softened edges, and time-darkened hardware can be part of a piece's appeal. Loose joints, lifting veneer, damaged drawers, and unstable feet need attention before color enters the picture. The work starts by separating the marks that add character from the problems that would compromise how the furniture looks and functions in daily life.
How it comes together
From a piece with
potential to one
with presence.
- 1. Start with the story.Share photos of the furniture, the room, colors you are drawn to, and anything that needs to work especially hard. A cherished family piece, an awkward but well-made cabinet, or a specific empty corner can all be a useful starting point.
- 2. Decide what stays.Sondra considers the scale, construction, surface, hardware, and details that give the furniture its character. Loose joints, lifting veneer, and other issues that affect the result are addressed before a finish is built.
- 3. Shape the finish.Color, visible wood, paint layers, glaze, decorative paper, appliques, interior detail, and hardware are discussed in relation to your home. You do not need to arrive with a perfect plan. You do need a sense of what you want the room to feel like.
- 4. Bring it to life.Sondra works through the agreed direction with regular communication, then arranges insured delivery or local pickup when the piece is ready for its next chapter.
The difference is in the layers
Made to look like it belongs.
Furniture painting services can mean many things. Sometimes the right answer is a durable, washable finish for a dresser or table that sees daily use. Sometimes the room needs the drama of a dark cabinet, a softened interior, or a painted detail that picks up the faded red in a rug or the blue in an old landscape.
For pieces that call for more texture, Sondra may use gesso, milk paint, chalk paint, antiquing glaze, or a beeswax and carnauba wax finish. She can bring decoupage into a design as a real focal point, framing it with molding, applied detail, or hand-painted layers so it feels part of the furniture rather than something simply attached to it.
Original hardware is considered before it is replaced. A clean brass escutcheon, worn keyhole, or unusual pull may be exactly what grounds a new finish. When a piece needs something more, hardware and decorative details can become the jewelry that gives it its final point of view.
The goal is not factory perfection. A hand-finished piece can hold subtle variation, painterly texture, and a patina that lets the work feel human. It should still be cared for and built for the life it needs to lead, whether that means an everyday dresser, a dining-room sideboard, or the one object that makes an otherwise orderly room feel unmistakably yours.
A good fit for
Pieces worth
seeing again.
A room in progress
Use a custom piece to anchor a color story, solve a storage need, or add the singular note a finished room has been missing.
A vintage find with promise
Start with a sourced foundation when the shape is right but the surface needs a new life and a stronger point of view.
A gift with a future
Turn a well-made older piece into something personal enough to mark a home, a milestone, or a family story.
What clients notice
Collaboration is part
of the finish.
“From start to finish, the process felt truly collaborative. My cabinet is a true piece of art.”
Tracey, Etsy customer
“We talked frequently throughout the process so she could design the cabinet to be just what I wanted. I couldn’t be happier with it!”
Diane Hill Flynn, Facebook recommendation
Ready when you are
Bring the piece.
Bring the possibility.
Send Sondra a few photographs, your dimensions, and anything you already know about the room or finish. If you are still finding the words for it, that is fine too. A good custom piece often begins with the feeling you want to come home to.
Message Sondra on EtsyRead delivery details →Common questions
Before you begin
Can Sondra paint furniture I already own?
Yes. A custom commission can begin with a beloved piece you already have, or with a vintage foundation Sondra helps source. Photos, dimensions, and a little context about the room are the best place to begin.
What kinds of furniture painting services does Sondra offer?
Sondra specializes in artistic custom finishes for vintage furniture, including dressers, cabinets, sideboards, tables, and smaller storage pieces. Her work may include layered paint, glaze, hand-painted detail, decoupage, appliques, hardware, or a considered combination of those elements.
Will a painted finish hide everything about an old piece?
Not when it is handled thoughtfully. Sondra looks for the details worth preserving, such as lovely proportions, hardware, carved edges, visible grain, and signs of age that give a piece its character. Repairs are addressed where they affect the finished result.
How long does a custom furniture painting project take?
Timing depends on the piece and the direction of the finish. More common furniture can take about 3 to 4 months to source and finish, while especially specific large pieces can take 5 to 6 months or longer.
Can a finished piece be delivered?
Yes. Furniture is delivered fully insured within the contiguous United States. Local pickup is available in East Moline, Illinois. Delivery details and timing are confirmed around the individual piece.