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Decorative Ormolu

Admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:51:42 +0000

Key holes or otherwise known as escutcheons can be the perfect way of dressing up a white dresser. Escutheons were popular and served a function at one time when locks accompanied most chests and dressers. Today they are hardly seen except on antiques. Today you can find brass stampings off of the internet at most hardware internet sites for a dollar or less. You may also try the older vintage hardware stores, as they may carry stock of the vintage ornate hardware. I have found the fancier antique brass escutcheons can be found from salvage sellers off of ebay. They often sell lots (or sets of groups) of keyholes that you can hammer on to each drawer, which would otherwise be impossible to find. If you keep your eyes on ebay you can find some of the nicer french Louis escutcheons, or Victorian sets that once belonged to stately chests. Ormolu and decorative key holes is the number one way of revamping that ordinary chest to something with outstanding distinction. (Read More.....)

French White Dressers

Admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:08:06 +0000

French furniture accompanies shabby chic style as the two go hand in hand. True french furniture often is hand painted and well made. Different antiques either feature the wood bare and polished, while others have outstanding hand painted patina finishes. If you are anything like me, you get bored with modern clean lines that don't have much to capture your attention. Louis XV furniture is the most curvy of all the french period antiques. Demi Lune cabinets and bombe Chests are some of the best french furniture in the chests styles. These particular chests can be very expensive and hard to located. With ebay, you can find a reasonable price if you have the patience, the only challenge is usually figuring out shipping arrangements. You would be surprised what sells on ebay. I once saw an entire bombe bedroom set for $300. You certainly cannot beat that! (Read More.....)

Shabby Upholstery

Admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:01:12 +0000

Upholstered furniture is a staple in any shabby chic room. A variety of fabrics that work together is one of the easiest way of pulling a room together for a professional look. Shabby decor often features white or very subtly colored fabrics. With slipcovers now available, you don't have to be an expert seamstress to update your furniture. Slipcovers can be the perfect solution as they are inexpensive to purchase, and it gives you the freedom to change your look with0ut investing in new furniture. Fabric slipcovers also can be easily removed for cleaning as white can get dirty with playful children. Shabby chic fabrics are usually cotton or linen and are usually featured in white or pastel colors. When patterns are used, they are floral patterns or lush romantic toile prints seen in English country or cottage style design. (Read More.....)

Colorful Shabby Interiors

Admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:07:30 +0000

White furniture can be the perfect bare bones your room needs to allow you to introduce color into your decor. If you are drawn to color, consider your furniture as your anchor which allows the possibility of color without going overboard. Many people who enjoy color often go wrong when they decorate, adding too many layers of color, such as colorful furniture, and then adding on top of that colorful walls, and colorful accessories. Once you do layer in your colorful accessories, the white walls, and furniture give your eyes a break from all the colorful eye -candies in your room. We give you some hot tips in pulling off this look. (Read More.....)

White Bathroom Vanities

Admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:36:00 +0000

Spacious bathrooms and fine cabinetry has been one of the ongoing trends in many home decor magazines. Who often has thousands of dollars to install floor to ceiling cabinetry in a common sized bathroom? One simple update that anyone can do to make their bathroom just as nice as the rest of the house is to install a new vanity. The luxury of customized furniture in the bathroom can make the bathroom feel like an additional room instead of a space often neglected. Modern vanities are taking on the concepts of bedroom chests and dressers and today's customer has the variety of modern and antique styles. (Read More.....)

Distressed White Dresser

Admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:50:27 +0000

Distressing is one way of achieving an antique look without searching around for the perfectly aged piece of white furniture. White distressed dressers can be easily achieved by a few simple steps. First sanding your piece lightly, which allows the paint to bond better to your piece of furniture. Next, prime your piece with a white primer. I always recommend Gripper Primer, because it is very easy to work with than other name brands. Next, apply your top coat of paint, and use a hand sander to sand away the areas you wish to antique. (Read More.....)

Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic

Admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Ashwell’s accessories can be found in the homes of stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Madonna and Oprah Winfrey, but she didn't start out so big. As a child she was used to being dragged out of bed early in the morning to go flea market shopping with her parents on weekends. Her mother restored and sold antique dolls, and her father was an antique book dealer, so those years of antique shopping developed within her a keen sense of what quality was and the details to look for that made objects valuable. Ashwell went on to writing several books on treasure hunting and how to buy and resell and repair flea-market finds. For more than 14 years she has followed her love of shabby chic elements such as romantic florals, white linen, white furniture, and outstanding antiques which she has developed into a brand that annually brings in more than $10m. She has also created a line for Target, in which she supplies her accessories to hundreds of stores around the world. She now has five more stores,and over 125 employees. Her stores are currently in Chicago, San Francisco, Malibu, Newport Beach and New York. (Read More.....)

Denise Richard’s Shabby Home

Admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:00:32 +0000

Denise Richards is a well known Hollywood star, and has gained a reputation of being the girl next door. Cameras capture her very down to earth persona, and really reveal how much of a nice woman she really is. She appeared on Dancing with the Starts and had her own reality show called Denise Richards, It's Complicated. Her reality show gave America a peek into her everyday life, and her home which is decorated in exceptional shabby chic taste. Her wallpaper really stuck out in some of the rooms that were featured, along with some of the exceptional furniture. Here are some of the photos of her home. (Read More.....)

Shabby Chic Colors

Admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:27:32 +0000

One of the biggest questions people have when choosing white furniture is they often do not know what direction to turn towards when decorating because a because the whole spectrum of colors are available to them. Everything goes with white~ Are you a person that leans towards to bright colors, or are you a person who enjoys color, but just the softer side of it? Or are you a person who has more formal taste and enjoys the spectrum of whites? There are three main groups of shabby decorating. First there are fun bright colors that are often associated with beach and cottage decorating. Ralph Lauren has a collection called Island Brights that captures the colors found in summer flowers. The Second groups of shabby style is the colors Martha Stewart often uses which are the pastels, teals, light muted colors that flow together. Third are the spectrum of whites, such as the swedish greys and formal side of shabby. Check out some of the paint colors you could dare to pair with your white furniture. (Read More.....)

Painted Apothecary Chests

Admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:55:22 +0000

Apothecary Chests were originally used by medical professionals who dispensed medicine to physicians, surgeons and patients. We now call them pharmacists. These chests are made up of small drawers to accomodate medicine. Today it would be ideal for the collector at heart. Check out some of the vintage finds............. (Read More.....)

Antique Bamboo Dressers

Admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:19:28 +0000

One of the biggest trends right now is Hollywood Regency style. Fueling the rage is Elle Decor Magazine. Each month, there glossy pictures inspires people to go after the looks made famous by Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler and originally Dorothy Draper. The Hollywood Regency look is all about glitz, glamour and prestige. Popular in the 50's and 60's, this look is making a come back. If you are looking for a trendy modern look, with a bit more than a plain design, a bamboo dresser may be what you are looking for. Thomasville, Henry Link and Dixie made bamboo dressers that are seen recycled on ebay and used furniture stores as baby boomers get rid of their children's furniture. Today Restoration Hardware is repeating this same style for much more. Take advantage of this vintage look that can be found on ebay for much less. The Hollywood regency look can be both very colorful, or very glamorous with black, white, silver and gold. If are drawn to the more colorful looks of Regency Styles, follow the color wheel rules and your room will look well put together. You can easily paint your dresser a bright green, yellow or any color for that matter because anything goes. In the pictures below, I painted my bamboo dresser white and finished it off with gold leaf accents. To break up a brightly painted dresser, highlight the bamboo in either silver or gold, and coordinate the hardware. Likewise for a very glamourous look paint your bamboo chest, black or white, and accent your room with white faux fur, silver pots, and sculptures. (Read More.....)

White Directoire Dressers

Admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:26:40 +0000

The style fits into the neoclassical periods of style (1795-99), and is known for is distinct use of neoclassical architectural forms, and clean lines. The furniture styles often feature minimal carving compared to previous french styles. Wood grained veneers were carried over, and painted or waxed wood became popular as well as decorative painting. Furniture became more angular and severe compared to the previous curved styles. Elongated and simple clear lines became the style. Directoire also had very sparse detail compared to Louis XV furniture. Ornamentation that was present was often based on ancient Roman objects recovered from Pompeii volcano excavations. Directoire furniture was the last phase of the Louis XVI style. (Read More.....)

White Washing Furniture

Admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:54:04 +0000

Pickling or white washing finishes are a popular alternative to a solid white dresser. You can white wash your dresser a number of ways. The first way is staining your dresser white. Minwax makes two beautiful white stains that are water based which makes it quite easy to produce the white washed dresser. You may need to apply several coats after each coat is dry to achieve the look you are after. The stain is already mixed, and it is just a matter of painting on the stain. Another way of pickling your dresser is by creating your own stain. The easiest way is to add glaze, which allows you better control of your paint than simply adding water to your latex paint which is like painting with liquid milk (which I wouldn't suggest). Both will give you the white washed look you are after. If you do decide to mix the glaze yourself with the white paint, be sure to add more glaze than paint. The best thing about working with latex paint and glaze, is if you you added too much paint, you can simply wipe it off. (Read More.....)

Trompe l’oeil White Dresser

Admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:31:04 +0000

This is a rare 18th century French painted "trompe l'oeile" commode. What is trompe l'oeil you may ask? Trompe l'oeil is French for 'trick the eye". It is an an art technique involving very realistic painting or imagery that serves a purpose to create an optical illusion of something three dimensional, instead of actually being a two-dimensional painting. In the 18th century, faux painting was extremely popular. Faux marble walls were in demand, and they didn't stop at the walls, furniture was painted as well. You can get these stunning designs from wallpaper books at your local paint store. (Read More.....)

18th Century White Dresser

Admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:26:02 +0000

This stunning dresser is an 18th century commode. According to Dixon Lane Antiques, (who is selling this stunning piece) the commode was painted in the early 20th century. They do not know the origins of this dresser, but they do know that the dresser is dated approximately around 1800. The commode does have some restorations done as most dressers do at this age. The commode has neoclassical hardware, and is painted beautifully. Obviously it has a naturally aged patina, and the charm of wear and tear. If you were to attempt to paint a similar design, be sure to add a touch of brown glaze to your dresser after it is painted white to simulate the aged look of this dresser. Be sure to add extra glaze and less brown paint, as you do not want it looking dirty. If you wanted to add the floral details, you can attempt this several ways. First, if you are good at free hand painting, this would be the ideal way of painting a dresser that would have the finish of Dixon Lanes 18th century commode. If you are not good at free had, consider hiring an artist to come in and finish the details. There are plenty of artists at local colleges who are willing to be paid a fair amount for their time and talent for some pictures to put into their portfolio. The second way you can add details, without having much artistic talent is to rent an overhead projector, and trace the pattern you wish to transfer. Then, it would be a matter of filling in the design with water or oil based paints. Third, you can rent art books from your local library, pick out the design you wish to feature on your dresser, and color photocopy the designs and later cut and paste them on to your dresser. If you do decide to go this route, be sure to use a glue stick not liquid glue and also seal the dresser with water based sealant such as Minwax's water based polycrylic, not polyurethane. (Read More.....)