We just flew back from Boston (and yes, our arms are tired — classic travel joke), and while we posted our freshly painted bathroom earlier today, we didn’t want to leave you with only one update. Between flights and layovers we put together this Reader Redesign in the airport to share a clever furniture rescue. Instead of a full room makeover, this quick project demonstrates a creative approach to staining that transforms a rescued buffet into a piece of art.
Hi guys! I love drawing with charcoal, and I decided that I was going to try the same techniques, only using stain on wood, instead of charcoal on paper. It came out so well, we just had to share it with you!
Beth and Nick rescued this old buffet from a burn pile, repaired the burn damage and a structural issue, then prepped, primed, and painted the body. For the top, Beth improvised a charcoal-like drawing technique using wood stain. She lightly sketched flower petals in pencil on the surface and used Minwax Ebony to shade them, working from the center of each petal outward to create depth and contrast.
Rather than saturating the entire petal, Beth stopped the stain short of the outer edge to leave the tip lighter. Using a dry cloth and fingertip, she wiped and blended the stain to form a gradual transition from dark to light — a shading technique very similar to charcoal drawing. She repeated this process across the petals, moving outward from the flower center until the design felt balanced and cohesive.
“I’m so proud of how it turned out. Hope you love it!” – Beth & Nick
This makeover is a great example of how a simple tool — a can of stain and a cloth — can become an artistic medium when combined with drawing skills and careful blending. If you’re hesitant about a painted base on a piece, consider staining the front and sides and using this shading technique just on the top surface instead. The result keeps the painted charm while adding a focal, hand-drawn element.
Here are a few practical tips inspired by this project if you want to try a similar technique:
- Plan your composition lightly in pencil so you can adjust proportions before committing to stain.
- Work in small sections and move outward from your focal point, blending the stain with a dry cloth or your finger to create soft transitions.
- Test your stain and blending method on a scrap of the same wood or a hidden area first to understand how the pigment behaves.
- Use painter’s tape if you want crisp shapes or geometric patterns like stripes or triangles; remove the tape carefully once the stain has set to get clean edges.
- After the stain fully dries, protect your design with an appropriate clear topcoat to seal and preserve the finish.
We love how this idea translates charcoal drawing techniques into wood staining, and it opens up many possibilities — imagine tiled triangles, subtle stripes, or even layered floral patterns. If you want more photos or step-by-step details about Beth and Nick’s process, check out Beth and Nick’s blog (sawdustandembryos.com) for the full breakdown and additional project context. And if you’ve experimented with stain in a creative way, we’d love to hear how your project turned out and what techniques you found useful.