A few months ago, I had to let go of some furniture that had been in our family for decades. I posted the pieces online and waited to see if anyone was interested.
Photo by Karen Johnson
Karen Johnson finds well-made older furniture and artfully modernizes them.Among the items were the mid-century modern bedroom set I grew up with and two dressers that had been passed down to my mother from her San Francisco grandmother.
I thought it might be hard to say goodbye to these pieces but actually it was rather nice.
My bedroom set went to a smart young architect in Novato who loves the mid-century aesthetic and my mom’s dressers went to two interesting women.
One runs a boutique hotel in the East Bay and likes to decorate her home with old furniture — just the way it is — while the second, Karen Johnson, likes to gives old pieces a fresh look and then sell them.
Johnson owns Kismet, a San Francisco retail space within Noe Valley’s When Modern Was, a store that she describes as a “Paris flea market of unique housewares, furniture, jewelry and home décor.”
At Kismet, Johnson sells furniture — finds from estate sales, flea markets and online ads — that she makes fashionable once again using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and graphics, such as old San Francisco maps and blueprints, or large scale imagery such as botanicals, animals or portraits.
“San Francisco is a rich hunting ground,” says Johnson, referring to furniture treasures. “On the last day of each month (presumably because of tenants moving out of homes), the streets of San Francisco bloom with abandoned chifforobes, a wardrobe piece with drawers and a section for hanging clothes.
“A lot of my friends stalk garage sales for my next project,” she says. “It’s kind of a game.”
A former graphic designer, she discovered her talent for furniture facelifts about eight years ago when she brought an old radio cabinet she had found at a flea market to a chalk painting class.
“I was so charmed by the transformation that I quickly became addicted to thrift stores and to upcycling,” she says. “With no room for more furniture in my home, I started selling my work on Craigslist, and my hobby soon became a business.”
Five years ago, she moved her business to Kismet and also soon became an official Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist. Recently, her shop, her work and the city of San Francisco was featured in a six-page spread of Sloan’s Colourist bookazine. Sloan’s “stockists are handpicked for their individual style and Annie only works with independent brick-and-mortar businesses,” Johnson says. “She has stockists in 50 countries around the world, and takes the time to know many of us and our shops.”
Her chalk paint is easy and fun to use, Johnson says. “It is low VOC and you generally do not need to do any sanding or priming, and it washes up easily with water.”
The paint comes in more than 50 colors and can be used on outdoor furniture and many other surfaces beyond furniture, including fabric, metal, tiles, floors and walls. “People even paint couches,” Johnson says.
Photo by Karen Johnson
Karen Johnson uses Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to update old furniture and offers DIY classes.It’s so easy that you just have to “pop open a tin and get started,” she says. “In most cases, all you need to do is give the piece a good cleaning to make sure there are no surface oils like furniture polish. Really, it is so easy.”
For those who want some confidence, she suggests visiting AnnieSloan.com for inspiration, videos and tips to get started or come see her at the shop. “I love working out ideas with customers.” Johnson offers monthly “Chalk Paint 101” classes at Kismet.
She even taught Rooster, the horse she used to ride in Muir Beach, to paint.
“Rooster was a very bright student and talented artist,” she says. “He learned in about three short sessions how to paint using clicker training, which is food reward-based, so he thought it was great fun.”
He painted nightstands one year, but found the furniture angles challenging and preferred painting abstract canvases using child-safe paints.
Over the years, she says, he sold about 20 paintings to help raise money for the barn’s annual fundraiser.
These days, Johnson continues to work her magic on a wide range of styles but only on those pieces that really “speak” to her, favoring older wood furniture with legs, dovetailed drawers and carved details.
“While I love what chalk paint can do for a piece, I don’t like to paint over beautiful wood or mid-century modern pieces,” she says. “I try to paint in a way that highlights beautiful woodwork if it’s still in good repair.”
After the furniture is painted, she often applies a bold image from her collection of graphics, wrapping paper, decoupage papers or old posters using decoupage glue and layers of sealant and wax. She might also add new hardware, too.
“New bling is a quick and easy way to make your furniture stand out or look more modern,” she says.
Photo by Karen Johnson
Karen Johnson often uses large-scale unusual imagery to make furniture statement pieces.The art of modernizing well-made furniture from the last century and helping it survive into the 21st century makes Johnson happy.
“I feel it is my superpower in rescuing unappreciated furniture,” she says. “It is a gratifying feeling to save a solid piece of carpentry from a sad demise. Older furniture is always better made. So yes, a superpower in a can of paint.”
• Kismet is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sundays and Mondays at 4037 24th St., between Noe and Castro streets, in San Francisco. For more information, call 415-970-9030 or go to kismetSF.com.
The next “Chalk Paint 101” clasis from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The cost is $95, which includes tips on all materials, tips on upcycling and refreshments. Reservations are required.
Show off
If you have a beautiful or interesting Marin garden or a newly designed Marin home, I’d love to know about it.
Please send an email describing either one (or both), what you love most about it, and a photograph or two. I will post the very best ones in upcoming columns. Your name will be published and you must be over 18 years old and a Marin resident.
PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.
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Kismet owner gives well-made furniture artful makeovers - Marin Independent Journal
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