The White Dresser

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.

Find some decorative key holes here.

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!

Early in the 20th century french provincial furniture became popular in America, and grew over the years as mass production during the 50's and 60's grew it to an all time high. French reproduction furniture was all the rage. Bedroom sets, living room sets and dining room sets were all styled in the french provincial looks, while at the same time the modern furniture was taking off as well. The white house during that time was decorated in french provincial pieces. Today this furniture is surfacing again at thrift stores, ebay, and local classifieds. It is extremely sought after as it goes hand in hand with chic, chippy, and English decors. In home decor magazines are glorifying antiques because they are hard to come by and rare to be seen. In particular, Veranda magazine is best known for featuring painted antiques worth thousands. One thing is true, french style will never go out of fashion. Other than Rococo furniture, it doesn't get as glamorous as that!

Antique White Chest French Country - Myra Hoefer

Antique White Painted Chest French Country - Myra Hoefer

French Furniture, White Slipcovered Couch, French Chairs Antique White Chest French Country - Myra Hoefer

Charles Faudree is known for his english decorating. If you enjoy these two pictures, you will enjoy his books.

Charles Faudree Interiors

Charles Faudree's Country French Living

Charles Faudree's French Country Signature

For more painted Furniture please visit my Painted Furniture Online Site

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.

Elegant Ribbed Ivory Furniture Slipcover Chair 633

Diamond Stretch Slipcover, Chair

Additional Slipcover for Maison Sofa - White

Ballard Designs - Baldwin Club Chair Slipcover - Ballard Essentials Fabrics - White Twill
Basket Creme Furniture Slipcover Sofa 604

Snowy White Faux Fur Rug

Bowron Single PELT RUG 24"x36" (Natural)

Bowron Octo Shape Pelt Rug
Bowron Double Pelt Gold Star Rug

Single Storage Dresser with Bun Legs White Finish

Pebble Beach Youth Matte White Finish Storage Chest

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.

The perfect example of a multitude of colors displayed while still creating the balance with black walls. Photo Credit Sid Mashburn From Brilliant Asylum Blog

In most instances a room is pulled together using like colors or using two or three colors that work together. So how do you pull off a look with a wide range of colors? First, like we mentioned, you need to have a room that is pretty neutral on its own, that being beige, black or white. Next you need to layer in objects that are well balanced. Choose objects that are the same size, or shape and combine them together.

A common example of this is grouping three paintings on the wall, all being the same size, but each having like colors or entirely different colors. They work together because they all have the common element of size. Another example of this is having a number of throw pillows, all the same size but different patterns.

The key to creating a colorful room is in the balance. Within the caios you need to create order out of the elements. And being that color is off limits, try to find the balance elsewhere by choosing all white furniture or like objects to ensure that design was well thought out instead of a mumble jumble of colors.

Hooker Furniture Seven Seas 42" Three Drawer French Chest 497-85-122

Seabrook Classics Cooper River Chest

Seabrook Classics Lowcountry Riverside Chest

Seabrook Classics Cottage 4 Drawer Chest

Seabrook Classics Cottage Chiffonnier French Chest

Seabrook Classics Cottage Nightstand

Seabrook Classics Creekside Cabinet

Seabrook Classics Drayton Hall Buffet

Seabrook Classics Edisto Chest

Seabrook Classics Four Drawer Chest

Seabrook Classics French Chest

Hueby Kelly Wearstler and Steve Crist

Domicilium Decoratus

Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style

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.

This stunning bathroom was designed by Craig Wright. Shades of white, silver and ivory play off each other to create a luxurious feel

Arched Ellipse Vessel Sink - Carrara White Marble

Ronbow Polished natural Carrar white rectangle marble vessel sink M4013-CW

DECOLAV 1620-M-CWH Round Natural Stone Vessel, White Marble

Bathroom Sink Under Mount Counter by Kohler - K-2602-MF in Satin Bronze

Paragon Mottled Gold Ornate Traditional Wall Mirror 8766

Paragon Black Ornate Traditional Wall Mirror 8851

McGill Design Group

2896-DBLT-64 Double Buckingham Bathroom Sink Vanity

32" Fiesta Bathroom sink vanity cabinet Model BA-2873BLT

36" Mirrired Bathroom Sink Vanity - Model # BWV-025/36 Ashley
60" Pastel white Double Sink vanity # 33127M Hungtington

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.

3M Pro-Pad PRPD-100 Sanding Sponge, 2.88 in x 4 in x .5 in, 54-Pack

Finishing Value Pack

52-6160 48PC FOAM BRUSH DISP DESC:12"X12"

7777 SP SATIN BLACK per 6 EA

Rust-oleum Corp/zinsser 1981-830 "Painter's Touch" Multi-Purpose Spray Paint 12 Oz. - White Primer (Pack of 6)

Pro Painter Tips:

- Once you have sanded your piece, you can soften your look by wiping over the distressed areas with your white paint. You can control how much of the distressing you want to show. Doing this you achieve a light white wash look in the areas you have distressed. I find this step really produces professional results that antique dealer show rooms often feature without looking home painted.

-French country furniture is often seen with black or red distressed paint. I have found early on in my painting experience, that you DO NOT want to prime your furniture piece before hand if you plan on using these colors. The problem is you end up seeing the primer once you begin distressing. Gripper primer does come in a gray for dark paint colors, but if you do prime your piece first, as it naturally ages and shows wear you end up seeing the primer instead of the natural wood. *Be sure to sand your piece down well, and then apply your paint. I have always suggested Rustoleum's Satin Oil Paints, because they are quite a bit durable than latex paints.

- When you are applying your paint, use a simple chip brush to apply the paint, and go over your your piece with a disposable foam brush to even out the paint. It produces the best results next to spraying your furniture. The last thing you want is to see is your painting marks. by doing this simple step, your piece will look professionally painted.

Wood Chip Brush -- 4 Inch

- White furniture that shows black distressing can look very sophisticated and elegant. I have found success using black oil paint (with no primer underneath it) and then a (flat) latex on top. If you do this, lightly sand your oil finish and use a flat paint, which you can later apply a water based polycrylic over your finished piece. Flat will eat up any dirt, so be sure to coat it with a water based polycrylic or untined glaze.

Oil as the bottom coat makes it quite a bit easier to sand, and it produces nicer results. If you do plan on doing this on a chair seat, be sure to use a latex over a latex, or be sure to sand your oil finish before adding your flat white paint. Oil naturally does not adhere to water based paint unless you sand. So be sure to sand in between coats.

Polycrylic Satin, Quart

- Bright white furniture is never a color you find in true antiques. Try an antique white or the heirloom white by American Accents. It is a creamy white, which would fit in with any period antiques.

Rust-Oleum American Accents, Satin, 1-Quart

- Try adding a brown glaze over your white piece of furniture for an extra antiquing step. Do not add glaze over a flat finish, because the white will eat up the brown pigment. Paint over your piece with a coat of glaze (un-tinted), which will protect your paint finish, and then add your glaze with a little bit of brown paint mixed together to finish your piece. The glaze un-tinted can be used instead of your polycrylic as a finishing coat as it dries clear.

- W26W00960-14 Best Look Faux Finish Glaze

Country Living Distressed White Cabinet

Country living shows this beautiful shabby kitchen with a variety of shabby chic ideas. This table is very distressed, which can be achieved using a metal brush. It could use a simple wash of white to tone down the abrasiveness of the wood. In my opinion the white furniture needs a coat of brown glaze so it doesn't look so stark, but then again many people would also disagree. This picture shows that there are many different levels of distressing that can be used.

Again, another distressed cabinet that shows quite a bit more of an aged look which can be achieved using a wire brush which allows you to pull off more of the paint.

Country Living also shows this stunning distressed antique dresser with antique pulls.

Southern Living features these beautiful signs that feature a variety of distressing. From the heavy distressing of the yellow garden sign, to the slight distressing of the blue and green signs, you can add in crackling paint and glaze to combine with distressing which produces beautiful looks.

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.

Shabby Chic Interiors--My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets, begins with Rachel's breathtaking Los Angeles residence. She features a mountain-top home in the Hollywood, and a beautiful Malibu beach cottage. She gives a peek into celebrity homes, including the house that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe. This book celebrates all that is wonderfully Shabby Chic.

"One of my pet peeves is too much matching, clutter, frills and people being too quick to complete the decorating process. The solution is to simplify. Be without, rather than making a wrong quick choice. Less is more."- Rachel Ashwell

Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things

The Shabby Chic Home

The Shabby Chic Gift of Giving

Shabby Chic Interiors: My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets

"I don't really follow trends as I stick to my palette of pale green, pale pink, pale blue, cream and ivories." Rachel Ashwell

The hundreds of lavish photographs in these books Rachel Ashwell's world of Shabby Chic. Rachel Ashwell, founder of the Shabby Chic home decor stores, for the first time provides her invaluable and much-sought-after advice on how to re-create Shabby Chic style in your own home. With engaging text and easy-to- follow instructions, Rachel details the Shabby Chic basics in a way that will put even the most apprehensive or novice decorators at ease. From flowers to fabrics to lighting, Rachel illuminates all of the elements essential to this unpretentious yet truly exquisite style

Shabby Chic

Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide

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.

Gerber Slipcover
Vintage Floral Decorative Pillow
Toile Blue Furniture Slipcover Ottoman 551
Pinzon Plumeria 30-by-40-Inch Stretched Canvas Print
Royal Albert Old Country Roses Chintz Tea-For-One
Chintz Cup and Saucers, Set of 4
Modern Chintz Set of 4 Canvas Prints
Sandra's Rose Bone China Chintz 8" Salad Plate

Gerson Small Glass Apothecary Jars with Lids, Set of 2
Apothecary Glass Jar - Medium
Elements-Glass Apothecary Jar
Terra Pastry Stand Set/3

This shaby round pedestal table is the perfect table for any nook, or dining room table. Here are some comparables for Denise's look:

Cottage Dining Table- White, Carolina Cottage Antique Ivory Gilda Round Side Table, Homestyles Antique White 42" Round Dining Table Antique White, Round Pedestal Antique Off-White Dining Table, Wildon Home 4241 Morrison Round Dining Table with Empire Base in Natural and White, Hooker Furniture 497-75-201 Bordeaux Round Leg 48" Dining Table in Two Tone Antique White Crackle and Warm Brown Finish, American Drew Camden-Light Round Table 920-701R

Half Moon Console Hall Table with Inlaid Beveled Top in Shell White Finish
,Chic and Shabby White Decorative Turrett Shaped Birdcage White Washed Finish, Simply Shabby Chic Pedestal Table - White, Set of 3 Distressed White Iron Cottage or Shabby Chic Decorative Boxes on a Tray, Round Accent End Table with Inlaid Beveled Top in Shell White Finish, Simply Shabby Chic™ Crystal Candlestick Table Lamp - Tall, Twin Size Poster Bed with Flora Pattern White Finish

Antique White Swivel Top Verona Stool- 30"
Porcelain Bowl Plate in White Finish - Cherry Blossom
36" Decorative Cottage-Style Fluted Planter with Distressed White Finish
Giftmark French Style Medalium Arm Chair
Old Hickory Tannery French Parlor Chair Taupe

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.

A)Very colorful looks, such as bright pinks, oranges, greens and blues.

Go for your favorite color, and then layer on opposite colors of the color wheel or complementry colors. The trick to color is layering in details or it can get a bit too much to stand in. Stick to a few colors and your room will look pulled together.

B) Pastels such as pinks, lilacs, and muted egg blues.

You can jam in a lot of pastels and it still would work together, but do stick with a handful of colors. This look is often pulled together with detailed ornate objects. Do a wall of diffent pastel china. They will all look differnt and you can work within your pallet to add interest.

C) Formal Swedish colors of grey, ivory, and greenish grey.

White furniture brings in the light, so don't be afraid of going dark on your walls. Play off the shades of grey in your curtains and accessories. Bring the light into your room by featuring silver. Do pops of color in a dark room on the walls. So combine a dark grey room with a colorful painting. Dark blue or green also works with swedish looks. French blues, and pale grey with hints of blue, sage greens, pale blues, dove greys, olive green and cream. Earth tones work well such as stone and gold.

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.............

Golden Oak Apothecary Chest, Asian Furniture & Décor - 26" Japanese Design Cabinet 16 Drawer Medicine Apothecary Chest, Unique Japanese Chinese Asian Style Furniture - 42" Black Asian 6 Drawer Medicine Chest Apothecary Cabinet Buffet Console

Amber Apothecary Reed Diffuser Bottle, Rectangular Reed Diffuser Bottle
Round Ball Reed Diffuser Bottle, Wave Reed Diffuser Bottle

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.

Williams Sonoma Home

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.

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.

The first step is ensuring that your dresser is sanded down. Pickling or white washing only works if the wood is sanded and bare.

Minwax produces two stains, one oil based and the other water based. The water base stain will dry much quicker than the oil based

Pickled Oak Minwax Wood Putty

Minwax 61860 Minwax White Wash Pickling Stain

Minwax Water-Based Wood Stain, White Oak

70042 QT PICKLED OAK WD STAIN - MINWAX CO INC

You can buy Glaze at any paint store. Most paint stores will tint the glaze with the paint color you are after. Ralph Lauren Glaze comes untinted, and the sales associate will tint it for you. Often times I buy it untinted, as I can use the glaze base with other paint for other projects. Glaze is pretty universal so long as it is untinted, you can buy pretty much any brand. If you take some basic white paint, (in flat) and you can brush on a mixture of glaze and paint. You can scrub the paint into the wood or brush it into the wood. Glaze gives you a "see through" look allowing the natural grain to show through. Again after the paint dries you may need to do several applications to get the color you are after.

Finally, to seal in all your hard work, use the product Polycrylic by Minwax, as it will not yellow your piece over time. I made the mistake of adding polyurthane to one of my tables and it looked horrible in the light. Polyurthane will also yellow over time, meaning it just darkens over time. I have found tremendous success with the polyurthane with my white pieces. I would highly suggest getting the satin, because most pickled pieces do not have a gloss finish, and antique swedish furniture is not glossy. As well, plain glaze works just as great. If you purchase your glaze without the tinting, you can use it in this last step.

Minwax Polycrylic Aerosol, Satin

Minwax Polycrylic, Satin 1/2 Pt

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.

Take a look at each of these outstanding decoupage ideas. The georgous wastebaskets pack a punch with style without looking like a home project. Try out a white dresser with red coral, or a green or gold bamboo print on a white dresser. Very simple looks that look dynamite without looking too busy.

Dana Gibson Bamboo Wastebaskets Red Coral Waste Paper Basket from Marye Kelley Thanks to Matters of Style Blog**

Although this dresser is not considered Trompe l'oeil, it is magnificent! Country Living photo editor Barbara Ovrutsky needed more storage space, and made over her parents' 1980s chest of drawers. Check out how she did it here

Trompe L'Oeil At Home: Faux Finishes And Fantasy Settings

The Art of Trompe Loeil Murals

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.