CHIC SHABBY FRENCH STYLE DISTRESSED OFF WHITE CHEST DRESSER,47''WIDE. From Marcia Treasures
Marcia Treasures sells a number of beautiful reproduction pieces with hand painted finishes and distressing. Consider buying some painted pieces to brighten up your home and to add some detail. Designing around antiques can be very rewarding as they offer interest and intrigue compared to our modern day furniture. The beauty of painted or limed wood is that it is very easy to match to existing furniture or future furniture for that matter. With many hardware stores able to match paint with their computer technology it is easy to add to furniture along the way and having everything work together seamlessly.
BEAUTIFUL DISTRESSED POPLAR PINE DEMILUNE WALL CONSOLE,53''WIDE From Marcia Treasures
CHIC SHABBY FRENCH STYLE DISTRESSED WHITE ELM WOOD CHEST DRESSER From Marcia Treasures
BEAUTIFUL FRENCH BIJOUX NESTING TABLES,SET OF 3! From Marcia Treasures
BLUE WHITE STRIPED FRENCH COUNTRY CABINET CHEST DRESSER DRAWERS From Exceptional Deals on ebay
This lovely blue striped chest is a perfect accessory in a room that needs a bit more color. The white chest brings light into your room, and at the same time adds a punch of color. Dress up this chest by adding some additional ormolu. The gracefully curved legs create a unique, antique appeal. Consider checking out Low Prices on ebay for exceptional deals.
ANTIQUE WHITE FRENCH COUNTRY CHEST DRESSER DRAWERS UK POST MARK From Exceptional Deals Ebay
TIGER FRENCH COUNTRY CABINET CHEST $349 VALUE From Low Prices Ebay
Have you ever stumbled across fine fold-able furniture, caned, or featuring incredible brass accenting hardware? Chances are you might have run across reproduction campaign furniture. Campaign furniture was originally designed for the British army in the late 1700’s to take with them on the battle front.
In 1707 the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed, where both Scottish and English armies merged together to create the British Army. The Seven Years' War was a major military conflict that involved all of the major European powers at that time, and lasted from 1756 until 1763. The war between Prussia and Great Britain were pitted against each other with a smaller coalition consisting of Austria, France, Spain, Russia, Sweden, and Saxony. The British were spread quite thin, fighting on many fronts. At around the same time, the war The French and Indian War between Great Britain and France was fought in North America from 1754 to 1763.
The series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries between the Netherlands and France left Britian the dominant colonial power in North America and India.
Concessions were made in 1763 which ended France's position as a major colonial power in the Americas. The French lost their claim to all land in North America east of the Mississippi River along with what is now Canada. Great Britain strengthened their position as the dominant colonial power in the eastern half of North America. Read more about the Seven Years war at Wikipedia. The map was found at Wikipedia as well.
Campaign furniture was used by the British army during the late 1700's through the early 1900's in military campaigns through Burma and India.
As a prideful symbol of glory of their newly claimed empire, the high ranking officers would set up tent life just as they would extravagantley decorate their homes.
They brought with them knock down furniture which could be easily transported by ship, which broke down to fit in tight spaces, and then could be brought with them on the battle front.
Campaign furniture was constructed with the intent of travel. The portable safari furniture was originally designed for the for use inside tents out on the range. Furniture was easily broken down into parts and packed up and transported to a new location and set up within a few minutes. British officers would often be accompanied by hundreds of horses, elephants and camels which would carry the elaborate tent decor.
Campaign pieces often have handles on the sides, recessed drawer handles, and flat surfaces so they are easily stacked like boxes for travel. Stacking chests were often made in 2 parts, which could fit into smaller spaces. Many of the chests were made quite well consisting of hand dove-tailed construction with solid wood drawer bottoms and sides reinforced by interior quarter round molding and hefty center struts. Chests were madewith brass-bound mountings on all corners and sides for beauty and strength.
Much of the British colonial furniture was made from teak, because if the woods durability in strength and its weather resistant qualities, and also because teak was widely available. British campaign antique reproductions can be seen in rosewood and leather. In the 60 and 70's modern companies reproduced some of the historical campaign furniture. Henredon for example made a line of chests with Asian influences called Artefacts which many people repaint to suit their decor.
This table can easily fit into a home decorated in campaign furniture. For 200 dollars, this chest could be painted in black, green, red, or white, and accented with shiny gold brass to give it that regent look.
Furniture detail has been tremendously popular through the centuries. Dressing up your dresser and chests is almost like wallpapering your bedroom; it can be incredibly personal and customized. Wood appliques have been used on fine furniture since the 17th and 18th centuries, and are still widely used today. Before the invention of plastic in the early and mid 20th century, the only substances that could be molded were clay and glass. Today there is a wide variety of decorative molds that can be made with plaster that can simulate intricate carvings of the 17th and 18th centuries for just pennies of what they would retail in stores.
French and Italian furniture historically have been known for their attention to intricate detail. At the beginning of the 17th century France greatly prospered and French furniture moved in a new direction. Life became more grand and luxurious and the demand for fine home furnishings became more widespread.
Louis XIII at the age of age of eight began his reign in 1601, and it was at this time when new and exciting forms of furniture started appearing. Both the grand and luxurious furniture became available and also furniture for everyday use became was more accessible.
Styles of ornament in the 17th century became varied, and more ornate with much scroll designs and shell carving. Typical motifs included birds, vases, bouquets, garlands, branches of leaves and fruits. Baroque style peaked popularity in the 18th century, and originated around the 16th century in some areas around Europe. The style was excessive and the ornaments were grand. Oak, walnut, chestnut, and ebony were frequently used for the majority of furniture, while the ornamental portions were fashioned out of the exotic woods such as rosewood, sandalwood, and tulipwood.
White Rcoco Ornate Console By Karen Golden Russell
Guilding was excessive and utterly beautiful! Everything was gilded or accented in marquetry with mounts and inlay of onyx, porphyry and lapis-lazuli. Rococo styles closely followed after and was associated with Louis XV's reign but started at the beginning of Louis XVI's reign between 1720 and 1730. Rococo styles were as grand as Baroque styles but less imposing in scale.
Rococo ceiling stucco at the Neues Schloss, Tettnang
Decorative accents otherwise known as ormolu were made out of brass and colored woods. Exquisitely carved decorative accents adorned furniture with great use of of motifs consisting of shell decoration, plant and flower motifs, C scrolls and S scrolls. Rococo styled rooms featured many decorative moldings from the ornate furniture. It didn't end there, small sculptures featured ormolu details, ornamental mirrors were adorned, and complementing architecture featured substantial reliefs. The decorative impressions were seen everywhere during this time. Furniture has never been made the same since this point in history.
Our suggestions for TOP QUALITY Brass Ormolu:
Ari's Luxury- features authentic classical furniture ormolu for your french and Italian furniture.
Today, you can buy quality brass ormolu from Ari's Luxury on ebay. Their selection is simply the best on the market for neoclassical decorative mounts and appliques. The decorative designs are made from quality metals, and feature very rich detail. If you can afford it, and are investing in a quality antique, I do suggest to buy brass accents from them. You will find at Ari's Luxury authentic designs which you cannot find in wood, plaster or clay molds. I would imagine Ari's Luxury has spent years building up their authentic collection of decorative Ormolu.
Wood appliques have one distinct advantage over the rest of the appliques. - They can be stained, as they are real wood. If you are after an authentic carved look, wood appliques could be what you are after. Today decorative wood appliques can be purchased and hammered on to furniture. These appliques can be stained and are mentto replicate carved wood for a fraction of the cost and talent. Plaster motifs can also be painted to replicate wood with faux wood painting, but it does take some skill to make paint look like realistic wood.
Here are some of my faux wood painting projects. You can paint faux wood too!
Plaster Molds have a benefit that they can be produced for a fraction of the cost and mass produced from your home for a wide variety of projects. A large wood relief can be purchased for 20 dollars, while a whole bag of plaster can be 9 dollars and could serve multiple projects. Working with plaster can be incredibly rewarding especially if you enjoy a wide variety of ornate decorative details. The draw back to using plaster on your drawers is plaster can be easily broken, compared to wood, or resin molds. If you have children who like to play, the plaster could be broken compared to wood appliques.
Our best suggestions for Plaster Molds:
Victoria Larsen- Has a very nice selection of hand picked architectural molds and stencils. Many of her stencils (such as her tree stencils) can be used with plaster to create a 3 d effect on your walls. She just features molds which could be used on cabinetry, drawer fronts, ceilings and walls. What I enjoy about her selection is her molds are typical designs which would be found in the 18th century homes.
Go Statue- Go Statue is highly recommended in my books. I have ordered a few of their molds, and I have been impressed with their service. They carry a variety of molds. The ones I have ordered are very durable and capable of producing thousands of molds without breaking. Their Tuscan molds are my favorite, and I have used them for a variety of projects.
Do it Yourself Chic - Sells ready made Furniture appliques. They carry a large selection of shabby chic large molds for drawer fronts and headboard frames. They have over 200 appliques to choose from.
Go Statue Embelishment Molds can be used for dresser drawer fronts and furniture. Some of their more delicate frieze or pediment molds can be used with polymer clay instead of plaster.
1. Mix according to the directions on the Plaster of Paris bag or box. Use a plastic bucket and pour your water into the container. (We recommend using a plastic bucket or margarine plastic container to mix in. As you are finished your project, after a day, the concrete or plaster will dry and can be easily removed from the edges making an easy clean up) For example 1 cup water and two cups of plaster. A metal whisk makes mixing relatively quicker than a regular mixing spoon. Don't mix up more than you need, as any extras just go to waste. NEVER, ever rinse compound down your kitchen sink It can harden in your pipes.
2. Spray your mold with a release agent. While some sites recommend cooking spray, it has turned out disastrous for me. I have found a light coat of Vaseline works well, although this may not work with concrete because I have never tried it. Mud Art suggests that diesel oil has worked the best and doesn't cause adverse reactions with the concrete. Mold release sprays are designed to help release the cured concrete from the mold and eliminate air bubbles and pockets. Thicker oils such as baby oil, mineral oil and some vegetable oils actually cause air to be trapped in the concrete more than usual, which I can confirm happens with plaster of Paris also. They tend to create small indents in the plaster which ruins the plaster mold.
3. Pour the plaster mixture in to the center of the mold. Once the mold is filled to the top, tap the edge of the mold to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Level out your mold with the edge of a knife, paint mixing stick, squeegee, or any any other flat edged item to level off the plaster which will allow you to have a smooth backing to place on your dresser front, or walls.
4. Let your plaster cure for 1 to 2 days. My general rule is to leave the mold to set for thirty hours. This will allow the smaller delicate details of the mold adequate time to set and harden, eliminating breakage by removing it early. If you intend to "hang" your plaster pieces on the wall instead of mounting them to the walls or dresser fronts, simply fashion a "U" wire hanger and insert it in to the back of the plaster while it is still wet.
5. Releasing the mold should be done with careful patience. Turn the mold over and lightly press around the mold until you feel a release. As you use your mold over and over, the mold over time will extract the pieces easier.
6. Again with careful hands, round any rough edges with your fingers. If the mold is quite hard, you can use a finger nail file for the edges.
Applying your Mold to Your Dresser or Walls:
1. Before beginning, be sure your mold is absolutely dry. With Plaster of Paris, it should almost be lightweight. Let your molds dry for several days before adhering them to the wall. If you don't let them dry, the existing water in the mold will make the mold too heavy for the wall. Take the extra time for it to dry so it can adhere correctly.
2. Joint compound does a wonderful job of gluing your plaster ornaments on to dressers and walls with ease. Simply trowel the compound on the back of the piece where you wish to mount it on the wall or drawer front. Hold the ornament in place for a few minutes. Larger pieces may need extra time. Clean up any compound that has spilled over the sides. You want to create a seamless flush look between the wall and the ornaments. I leave my pieces to dry over night.
3. After it has dried over night, use water and compound and fill in the areas that are exposed between the ornament and the wall. Smooth it as you go. The overall effect should look part of the wall, not a decorative piece just stuck to the wall. A little bit of water on your fingers will create a seamless look. This step creates a more "professional" and "finished" look.
4. Once the compound has dried and you are pleased with the overall look of the dresser drawer or wall, you will want to paint your ornament. Plaster will not take paint well. Mix together a solution of 1/2 white glue such as "Elmer's" mixed with 1/2 water to seal the porous plaster so that it will accept paint evenly and smoothly.
How to Make Polymer Clay Molds:
1. Always slightly dust your mold with Baby Powder. Next, gently tap out the remaining excess power before pushing the clay into the impression. If it does get stuck, try putting the mold with the clay in it into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes this will help it release. I tend to use a very fine crafting knife to gently lift the mold from the back. As you lay your finished molds on a cookie sheet, trim around the mold for greater detail. Again, I tend to use a craft knife with a very fine point to do my altering. Bake according to the clay manufactures directions.
As you take your molds out of the oven, they are ready to be hammered into place.
I have found that withsmaller details, Polymer Clay is the very best choice to decorate a dresser with. It doesn't shatter to pieces like plaster of parisdoes, and it allows me to hammer the pieces in place compared to plaster of Paris. Although it doesn't work so well with very large castings, it can be used for decorative edging, and making key holes. Simply gold or silver leaf these castings and it replicates brass decorative ormolu.
Reccomended Stores on Ebay for Polymer Clay Molds
Premo Sculpey Polymer Clay stays plyable until you bake it in the oven. It is available in a number of colors, but gold seems to be a good base if you plan on gold leafing your molds later on. Black is the other color I use most often. Buy it by the pound, for a better value than any stores can offer.
Crow's Nest Studio Specializes in polymer clay molds. I recommend their Embellishment molds, Insect Molds. Their molds would be dynamite for jewelry.
Beauty & Craft has a large selection of Polymer Clay molds. I especially love the animal molds which can be used for both Jewelry and dresser ormolu. The swallows bird would look spectacular gold leafed and hammered on to a dresser. The decorative molds are especially beautiful for small accents. The sea life molds are very pretty for a nautical dresser.
How to Use Concrete Molds
1. First you want to lubercate your mold before using it. Oil the mold lightly with concrete form oil or light machine oil before pouring the concrete. There should be a light film on the mold, but not pooling amounts of oil.
2. Next mix your dry concrete in a plastic bucket and add water a little at a time while mixing. Using a plastic bucket will allow any remaining concrete to be easily removed and cleaned after it has dried for a day. The concrete mix should be thick, not thin. Powdered colorant can be added after both water and concrete are mixed together. Liquid colorant should be added before adding your water into your concrete mix.
3. Tap the edge of the mold to bring to the surface any air bubbles trapped in the concrete or plaster. Tap the edge of the mold until no new bubbles appear on the surface.
4. Let your mold dry for about 24 to 36 hours. One good indication that your mold is cured is when you can no longer scratch the concrete or plaster with your thumbnail or a toothpick. Removing the plaster or concrete before it is dry, will result in it breaking in half. To many times I have ruined a mold because I was too excited to see what it looked like. A general guideline is to leave the wet concrete in the mold for thirty hours. This will help elimate the breakage of delicate parts as you extract the mold.
5. To release the mold, place a support board on top of the mold, and gently turn the mold over. While holding the mold, be very gentle to push down around the mold to extract it. Additional drying time is needed for the mold to fully dry. Plaster when dry should be relatively light to lift. Leave it dry for several more days before using.
Concrete is made of up sand + gravel + cement. Cement is the glue that holds the sand and gravel together. The gravel or aggregate as it is referred to is what provides the strength in concrete.
Mortermix is just sand and cement. If there is no gravel, your molds will have no strength. Morter mix is generally used just to "glue" things together like bricks and stone.
It is highly suggested that if you are wanting to make wall hangings or fence art, and so forth morter mix is great. If you want to actually walk on your stones do only use concrete mix.
A Mix Recipe without Gravel:
- 1 3/4 - 2 quarts of water
- 5 quarts of sand
- 2 1/2 quarts of portland cement
Recipe for Concrete Mix with Gravel:
- 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 quarts of water
- 2 quarts of portland cement
- 3 quarts of rock
- 4 quarts of sand
In a mixing bucket, mix all dry ingredients together. Next in a seperate bucket add 3/4 of your water slowly into the mix of dry ingredients. Continue to add the rest of your water until you reach a pancake batter consistency. You may not need to use all of your water
Sand, Vermiculite and Perlite are all variations that will achieve looks that simulate granite. Vermiculite give a somewhat sparkly look. The overall look can duplicate smooth concrete than aged
stone.
Recipe 1
- 1 quart of water
- 3 quarts of portland cement
- 3 quarts of peatmoss
- 3 quarts of medium or fine perlite
While we all would love to have a peacock blue painted dresser in our home, it can incredibly hard to mix in a brightly colored piece of furniture into a contemporary setting. Pink can be a very calming color but most people would find it difficult to accessorize with it in their bedroom if their home wasn't all decorated in French or shabby chic. While cream, and neutral beige and gray colors can be calming, color can add some spice and fun. Why not have both?If your home is quite formal, but you long for some color, consider adding an unexpected color inside of a cabinet. Closets and cabinet drawers may be the perfect space to add a touch of color without disturbing the natural flow of neutrals through out your home.
The Secret Cabinet Sold By Anthropologie
The picture above is the Secret Cabinet being sold by Anthropologie which features a beautiful yellow interior
Painting inside your dresser and cabinets.
1. Clean inside your cabinets.
It is guaranteed that the inside of your cabinets and drawers have a bit of loose dust. Vacuum the inside of your dresser drawers. When cleaning inside of your kitchen cabinets, be sure the surfaces are completely free of all grease, grime, and residue. With kitchen cabinets, and china cabinets, take the extra time and take off the cabinet doors.
2. Sanding
Sanding can be one of the most tedious parts of painting, but it is well worth the time and effort. It is certainly not the most enjoyable part of the process, but through out the years your work will pay off.
Dressers:
A good primer is all that is needed most of the time for the inside of drawers in chests and dressers. Never never never cut corners and use a sticky drawer liner. Over time these liners have ruined so many drawers and I personally have spent hours scratching inch by inch to get them out of vintage dressers. A better alternative is felt or velvet lining cut to size. The outside of a dresser and top of the dresser are areas that would need to be sanded before painting, though because most drawers are not painted and are of wood, a primer usually does the job quite well. Cover Stain primer sticks to almost any surface without scratching off. Test one drawer and if the paint peels off, it would be likely you need to sand before painting.
White Painted Cabinets -Photo Credit Pink Wallpaper
Kitchen Cabinets, and China Cabinets
With kitchen or china cabinets it is necessarily that a slight sand will make the surface more porous to accepting paint. Fine grit sandpaper - 150 or finer is recommended. A slightly sanded surface will allow the primer to bite and hold onto the cabinet surface and will greatly increase longevity of the paint job. With china and kitchen cabinets that take a fair bit of abuse each day, this step is absolutely necessary. Please do not skip this step. I painted an interior of a china cabinet with black flat oil paint thinking it would do the job of a primer, only to come to know after it was completed that it didn't stick at all. It was disheartening to scrape off the paint and start over again all because I didn't sand first.
3. Apply a primer.
Over the years, I have found oil based primers more effective, than water based primers. I don't take chances on my furniture anymore by using water based. I have tried Behr Paint and Primer which is great, but on some projects this brand has failed to stick. Cover stain Primer can be tined in a wide range of lighter colors, and is a tremendous time saver because it sticks to almost every surface. Often times, I use just the tinted primer, and a polycrylic satin sealant on most of my furniture. Cover stain also is excellent to sand, so if you want to take your shelves out to distress after the paint has dried, this paint is very easy to sand.
Primer forms a better bond with the surface than paint alone would. A primed surface means that it is less likely to chip and peel if it gets bumped with dishes or pots and pans. If your cabinets are already painted and you are re-painting them the same color, you can skip this step and go ahead and apply the paint.
If your cabinets are a natural wood grain, you must prime them first. The paint will not stick a varnished surface. Shellac based primers, and oil based carry a very strong odor and caution should be used. It is imperative that you do wear a mask and great caution should be used if you plan on using them with a pneumatic sprayer. It is absolutely necessary that you wear a mask and have a lot of ventilation because respiratory problems can develop even when using a mask with a pneumatic sprayer.
4. Painting the cabinets
After sanding and priming, your cabinet doors probably look terrible. The foundation for a nice coat of paint is ready, and a coat of paint will bring your kitchen transformation to life. A pneumatic sprayer is the best way to get a smooth and glossy finish, though again, heavy precaution should be used to with an oxygen ventilator, or multiple fans and a heavy duty breathing mask should be used.
If you choose to paint by hand you still can achieve a professional finish by using a high quality paint brush or foam paint brush which will even out your strokes. The key to achieving a professional finish with a brush is to use very thin coats. It can be very tempting to paint on very thick coats to get the job done quicker especially after the hours of priming and sanding. Thick coats will mean a uneven finish. The best and most durable paint jobs are built up by consecutive thin layers of paint.
Lightly apply your first coat and let it dry completely. If you really want to achieve a professional finish, take some 400 grit sandpaper and very lightly sand between coats. Ideally you are not trying to remove the paint, but instead preparing a smooth surface for the next coat. In most cases two coats of paint will cover well, but occasionally three may give better results.
It is best that you take your time at your transformation. I know too many times I have rushed through projects because I was tired and wanted it done, I have regretted because my work has turned out sloppy. Work at your transformation every day or every couple of days. If you feel rushed or tired, it is very likely that you will try to take shortcuts. After your cabinets are hung, or drawers are in place you will enjoy the bright, clean and renewed space that you've worked so hard to achieve will look dynamite!
A pale blue backdrop sets off the monochromatic scheme From Country Living
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.
FRENCH LOUIS PAINTED ANTIQUE BOMBE CHEST COMMODE ORMOLU From Antiqua Interiors
