How to: Shabby Chic Furniture




shabby chic furniture - i love orange and pink roses together

Note to Friends and Readers:  Anyone interested in my Painting Techniques Course for Interiors, Art and Furniture click the Image below.

Painting Techniques Course



Here in Italy I paint lots of Shabby Chic furniture pieces, here we mix it with modern furniture and also beautiful antiques.  The pieces that work best are the old solid furniture that have some nice detailing.  It is definitely in fashion to "fare chiara" make it light.  A big dark armoire really controls  the feel of a room.  If I paint it light it opens up the space and allows for more play with modern pieces, highlights what is put inside and just gives it new life.


sorry i forgot to get the true before shot


First I start by washing down and sanding (a bit) the piece to clean it up.


Then I paint it a pretty creamy color.

shabby chic already a big improvement


It usually needs about three coats of paint.  Let them dry completely in between coats and after, before sanding it.

i use a rough sand paper and the work goes fast


Then I sand the edges or moldings.  I put on 1 or 2 coats of water based clear coat.


shabby chic - here comes the fun part!


I like to add brown wax with a paint brush because it highlights the dark wood underneath.  Then I rub it in, not letting it get too much on the cream paint (or it looks yellow). If the furniture is not dark wood you can go so far as to stain the sanded off part, paint in the dark stain with a small brush.  I believe what makes the Shabby Chic look good is the dark wood underneath.  It adds a contrast.  The brown wax is painted on, then rubbed off, then I wait about 20 minutes and rub the wax vigorously with a piece of wool (cut up old sweater) to make it shine on the edges.

notice i didn't sand it too much,



Isn't it pretty.  I was happy with how it came out and the clients too!

do you like it?
A project like this might just help us survive January.  The hope of spring around the corner.  I'm dragging along here.  How are all you out there?  Slowly, slowly in Italy the days are getting a tiny bit longer.

Natalie

Link Party:
I'm linking to:
http://MissMustardSeed.com








14 comments:

  1. That's a beautiful piece! What paint did you use on the piece? I've tried Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint 'Linen' on a black rocking chair and it looked beautiful.

    Goedele, from Belgium

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Goedele your blog is so pretty! I suggest to my readers to go check it out. Goedele has the same love of the simple life that I have . For this Shabby Chic furniture I just used a cream colored acrylic paint (Sivac that we have here in Italy) in a satin finish, clear coat finish on top and then the brown wax in spots. Always all water based paints

      Delete
  2. Even if our old furniture can look new and beautiful if we just know how to handle and take care of them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is amazing. Great result. I will try it for my furniture. Thanks for the idea. Hospitality furniture

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a gorgeous makeover. I have a lovely thrifted armoire with beautiful carved detail and I cannot wait to shabbify it :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Buy and sell new and used modern, outdoor, office, bedroom and home furniture.
    Choose from a great selection of gently used furniture for every room in your home.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think it looks just great, I was told that when you paint the furniture you have to wax it all over otherwise the paint will get marked and slowly come off, but you haven't done that, so do i not need to do this

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey anonymous you can use a clear wax to protect the furniture or a polyurethane or any kind of clear coat finish that is water based. Here I used a polyurethan and I did 2 coats.
    cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Polyurethane will yellow over light colored paints. Also, its best to prep your pieces before painting. Wash, light sand, etc.

      Delete
  8. I've been looking for instructions to do this properly for a long time and am looking forward to doing bedside tables and a rocking chair so here I go!!! Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It is a pretty good post. This post contains useful information which helps us a lot. I visit your website often and share with my friends. cubicles in ft lauderdale

    ReplyDelete
  10. Do you have any preference on your sandpaper and grit number?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Katie,
    It dependeds on the type of wood of your furniture, but if you use 150 grit you should be good to go.
    Cheers,
    Natalie

    ReplyDelete