Shabby Chic; Volume III

shirlgirl2004

Stormchaos I personally don't like the rubbed down look but if you do, go for it. I think what's more important is that you like it and you make a look that you are happy with. Is is in? I don't know or care if I like it I do it if I don't like it I keep schtum!

CraftyDeb

HMO loving the makovers your desk looks absolutely fantastic

hmo

tiff wrote: »

I would paint it then sand the edges lightly to make it distressed. I wanted to do that to my dresser but DH wouldnt let me, he cant see the point in painting it and then messing it up!

men they dont get it do they

hmo

Seakay wrote: »

Stormchaos - A lot of people paint table legs and cupboard faces in a pale shade and then stain and varnish the unpainted top. Distressing is still "in" for those that like it but shabby chic generally covers a much broader area than the original imitation of a run down French chatau.

On old style generally and on this thread in particular we tend to answer any question asked without criticism and expect the answers to be received without offence.

Bebs - click on hmo's name and then on her homepage to see her blog - it's very good!

thanks i am glad you like it

hmo

CraftyDeb wrote: »

HMO loving the makovers your desk looks absolutely fantastic

thak you yes i love it too just had a look at your blog it great, i made a bag last year from the dog fabric you have on your chair.

CraftyDeb

hmo wrote: »

thak you yes i love it too just had a look at your blog it great, i made a bag last year from the dog fabric you have on your chair.

Thanks bet the bag looks great. I very don't seem to update my blog much as I never get round to makeovers these days

Kaz2904

I'm not that keen on the distressed look but I know some people have done it. I think they paint it with a darker colour as an undercoat (ie grey, blue or green) and then put their lighter colour on the top. Once it's all dry, they sand the edges a little to reveal some of the underneath colour. I'm not sure if they tend to varnish over it after all that but I would imagine that if you were wanting something distressed, you wouldn't varnish it so it can then become more distressed with every day use (IYSWIM?).

witchwoopiggy

just a quick question, if you varnish over the white paint does it stop the discolouration, ie like woodwork tends to fade and go yuck cream over time especailly if you smoke, would hate to do a project then it go yuck discoloured white, thank you for all help ladys

Seakay

Smoking will cause yellowing because of the nicotine deposited - it will wash off especially with something like amonia or sugar soap in the water to cut the oiliness. Varnish will protect the paint when you clean, though, and I find it easier to use varnish over emulsion than gloss paint, plus you can choose a non shiney varnish if you want to.
Varnish will preserve the colour of the paint as long as it is not a varnish that yellows. Acrylic varnishes will not yellow but oil based varnishes will.

Bibbitybob

stormchaos wrote: »

Hi, another lurker
I love the shabby chic style but it seems now to have become just old stuff painted perfect white, is the distressed look not 'in' any more ?

To me, the general theme of this 'shabby chic' thread is about making a pretty home on a budget, but that's probably because painting furniture has been a necessity for me (no money to buy new) rather than doing it because it's the latest trend in Ideal Home. On top of this, I think it's about injecting a bit of your own personality and creativity into your space, so I think that annie-c's response to your question was perfectly valid; it's your house, you can choose to paint your furniture sky blue ginger if you wish and it shouldn't matter whether it's 'in' or not.

That said, from the tone of your original post (forgive me if I'm reading it wrong), I get the impression that you are looking for a trend rather than simply a home made home. If that is the case then I would suggest looking at websites such as Laura Ashley or reading magazines to see what the current fashions are.

Personally, I like the odd piece of distressed furniture. I don't tend to paint a colour underneath, I either sand back to the original wood after I've painted it (think about areas it would naturally get worn and distress there - ie. edges, keyholes) or I apply a glaze and wipe it off again. Painting a colour underneath does work well though, and would look fantastic with a bright 'pop' of colour showing through in places. None of my furniture is 'perfect white' (although I think that looks great, it's not for me with an OH who likes to spill coffee everywhere!!) - I tend to use F&B paints in muted creams, greys and pastel colours against a plain wall. I think the key for me is just having a play - you can always re-paint something if you don't like it once you're done!