White Painted French Furniture

Wisteria now sells a stunning French chest painted white and beautifully designed to resemble the styles found in 18th-century France. The chest has vertually no distressing, giving it a very fresh look for your home.  The ornate medallion carving and trim are all done by hand, as well as the paint and distressing applications. This chest features mango wood construction which will last for generations.  Wisteria has this chest priced at $1,099.00

How To Get This Look For Your Home:

1.  Start With The Right Styled Furniture-  You cannot get the French look in your house without French furnishings.  Shop online at websites like ebay, amazon,1st dibs and look for specialty retailers such as Wisteria and Restoration Hardware.  Look in your local classifieds such as craigslist.  Vintage French furniture is very common, and has the right bones, and often times just needs a bit of lipstick.  Buy vintage furniture and upgrade and trade out some of your lower quality pieces with genuine antiques as you go along.

2.  Painted Hardware -Wisteria has painted the hardware on this chest.  The look is fresh and new.  Often times finding the right hardware can be a battle on it’s own.  Consider keeping an eye on ebay for French hardware.  Esty has become another place to look for inexpensive French hardware.  Hold out for getting the just right match for a special piece.  Shiny brass is common, as well as a bronze for rustic Provincial furniture.  In the past I have cheated and bought an oil rubbed bronze metallic paint which transformed my furniture quite nicely.  If you do decide to take this route, consider priming your hardware with an automotive primer first.  I have found this primer sticks to metal the best.

3.  Pick The Right White.   I just finished a summer of re-painting some of my older furniture in our home white.  Picking the right white can really make your pieces look expensive than the rustic old cabbage and roses white that was popular in the 80’s.

Choose a color that is has a sight gray hue to it.   Pick color families from beige, blue and green.  The colors will have just a slight hue and makes a difference than a basic primer white.  Brighter whites and glossy finishes work really well on modern Hollywood regency furniture and empire furnishings, but not so much on rustic countryside looks.   White is very rich, the hue just has to be right for Provence styled furniture.  When white furniture is put into a white room, the furniture itself should look richer than the wall color.  A gray hue will give you the just right pop of white in any setting.

French Armoire From Old Plank

Louis XV Style Painted Sideboard Seller Berkshire Home& Antiques

Tufted French Louis XV Painted Parlor Chair- Charming Louis XV french parlor chair, painted in a belgian white with beautiful aged patina and exquisite rose and ribbon carvings. Newly upholstered in an organic muslin with tufted seat.

French Provincial Painted Buffet- Handcarved painted buffet in tones of blues and grays. Rectangular top with molded edge and rounded corners. A pair of paneled doors with trailing foliate scroll over a shaped apron. One full inside shelf and one narrow shelf

French Painted and Parcel Gilt Commode- A french painted and parcel gilt commode featuring two upper drawers and two full width middle and bottom drawer. Brass pulls and hardware.

French Antique Louis XV Hand Painted Chest Seller Jean Marc Fray

French 19th Century Painted Bombe Commode, 

French 19th Century Painted Bombe Commode – his French Bombe commode has a wonderful shaped faux marble top, very abstract with wonderful coloring and patina. Solid brass pierced ormolu are on all corners, splayed feet, drawer pulls and escutcheon plates and plinth. This exceptional three drawer commode has a soft feel with painted lined detailing around the drawers and shaped side panels. Faux marble top is outstanding!

29 Of The Best Rustic Iron Hardware For Your Provence Chests

There has been more of a public draw towards rustic natural wood furniture without the heavy lacquer or polyurethane finishes. Many people are gravitating towards the unfinished furniture with all natural stains that look worn, rustic and embody a and antique old appearance.

If you like this look above, you may really enjoy bleached pine furniture.

The dresser above is featured on Decompras Elmueble is made of natural oak and tends to embrace the elaborate stylings of Provence furniture.  Instead of the prominent gilt hardware featured on classic French furniture, Provence style gravitates towards the rustic iron which works nicely on this piece.

A. Classic Hardware Drop Pull-Oil Rubbed Bronze $13.50

B.Classic Hardware Drop Pull Oil Rubbed Bronze $16.43

C.Bosetti Marella Louis XV Brass Handle Pull,Antique Brass Distressed $8.50

For More Brass Styled Hardware see this post…..

Classic French Provence Choices:

1.Classic Hardware Knob Oil Rubbed Bronze $6.27

2.Classic Hardware Drop Pull Natural Rust $25

3.Classic Hardware Drop Pull Distressed Antique Brass $14.50

4.Classic Hardware Pull French Antique Gold $10.71

5.Classic Hardware Drop Pull Antique Brass $14.71

6.Classic Hardware Pull French Antique Gold $15.26

7.Classic Hardware Ring Pull French Antique Gold $9.74

8.Classic Hardware Drop Pull French Antique Gold $17

9.Liberty Hardware Pull Kentworth $22.93

10.Liberty Hardware Pull Kentworth $22.93

Rustoleum produces an amazing spray paint that takes on the very looks of all the high end Oil Rubbed Bronze hardware. Ebay has some of the best selection of french hardware lots, and if you find a lot that you love why not spray the hardware to look like the high end oil rubbed bronze french hardware?

If you like the look of the old rubbed bronze hardware, and have a dresser with good looking hardware that you want to update, consider purchasing the Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze. I have had great success with it through the years. It particularly looks great with rustic barn colors, natural woods, black and really primitive colors. I think you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Here are some of the projects I have used it with in the past:

Dresser 1 – Striped Colonial With Sprayed Hardware

Hutch 2– Painted Black Hutch with Sprayed Hardware

Colonial Dresser– Painted Black Sprayed Hardware

Dresser With Sprayed Hardware– Look how I sanded around the brass hardware after the Oil Rubbed spray paint has dried, to reveal more of the shape of the hardware.

Additional Rustic Hardware For Countryside French Homes:

1. Cast Iron Large Gate Door Pull Set Of 6 $30

2.Bosetti Marella Classic Series Ring Pull, 1.97-Inch Diameter, Old Iron or Brass $7.

3.Bosetti Marella 1800 Circa Brass Round Knob, Oil Rubbed Bronze $7

4.Bosetti Marella Louis XVI Brass Drop Pull Oil Rubbed Bronze $10

5.Classic Hardware Appliance Pull Antique Brass $147

6.Classic Hardware Knob Natural Rust $10

7.Classic Hardware Card Holder Distressed Antique Brass $6.38

8.Classic Hardware Knob Natural Rust $16

9.Classic Hardware Hinge Natural Rust $13.50

10.Classic Hardware Card Holder Oil Rubbed Bronze $4.33

Classic Rustic Ring & Bin Pulls:

1.Classic Hardware Bin Pull Distressed Antique Brass $12

2.Classic Hardware Ring Pull Distressed Antique Brass 10.82

3.Classic Hardware Card Holder Distressed Antique Brass $7.68

4.Classic Hardware Bin Pull Distressed Antique Brass $5.30

5.Classic Hardware Ring Pull Distressed Antique Brass $4.76

6.Classic Hardware Knob/Plate Distressed Antique Brass $9.

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Distressing Painted French Provincial Furniture

The best way to practice distressing techniques is on an old piece of furniture that is either a thrift store find, or something you don’t mind donating if the end result is not what you expected. Don’t begin your experiment with pieces that are valuable or antique furniture passed down in your family until you have tried this technique and are confident in the results.

Distressing adds a lot of interest and detail on painted furniture. It is the one technique that will improve a painted finish guaranteed! Over the years of selling white furniture, I have had more men love distressing than women. Distressing can look primitive, rustic and even masculine.

Your painted furniture should either have one coat or multiple coats of paint in the same color with bare wood under the paint. When distressing the piece of furniture, you should see the top color and the wood.

For a layered effect, use a neutral color as your base coat such as gray or black. When you distress the furniture, black will also show along side the natural wood color and your top coat paint color.

The worst thing you can do with distressing is have a white primer under a color. If your top color is white, then, it works just fine. Although you don’t want a red dresser with white paint peeking through.

The way to get around this is to fully sand your furniture before painting so you will have one coat of paint and your natural wood color which shows through distressing.

1. Distressing can be very simple. The first way of distressing is with sandpaper. Start by sanding it with fine sandpaper in the direction of the wood grain. This will greatly improve the look of your finished piece. Sand in the areas which would get banged up over time. The edges of the chest, the feet, the areas around the handle. You want your distressing to look as natural as possible. Use a hand sander, or a foam sander for great results.

2. Heavy distressing involves more than just sandpaper. Metal chains whipped on to a wood chest can depressions to the piece. Be careful that your distressing is random, and not obvious such as a screw driver, or a hammer. Chains work quite well for heavy distressing because the indents will be random than purposeful.

A. Now you want to emphasize the marks you made. You can either use a wood stain in walnut, or brown glazing. Either of these two colors will give the impression of dirt. Both techniques are simply done by painting on a coat of glaze or stain, and wiping it off quickly. Be sure not to use flat white paint with either two approches, as both the glaze and stain will permanently stain the white.

Antique Walnut Polyshade in Satin, or Pecan Polyshade in Satin are great stains to use over white or a color. Apply it with a brush and paint thinner, and wipe it off with a rag.

Be sure to wear throw away Vinyl gloves through this process, as it will save the time getting the chemicals off your skin once you are finished. Vinyl gloves stay on your hands easier than latex and can be used many times before throwing them away through out your painting projects

Simply paint on the stain or the glaze, and within a couple minutes after it sets and dries, wipe the stain off the piece which should leave just enough stain to collect in the holes to emphasize the distressed wood. Often times after glazing I like to add a polycrylic sealant to the furniture. With stain no sealant is necessarily. Enjoy your new antique looking white furniture!

This beautiful bathroom vanity is constructed in a size that is perfect for small bathrooms and is suited perfectly for any French Provence country decor. It has a durable resin top, one faux drawer, one door with one adjustable shelf inside, and a sliding back for easy plumbing connections. It is featured in a striking off white Bordeaux finish with rub through and antique finished fixtures with a biscuit ceramic sink. The Bordeaux collection also includes dining room furniture.

Floor to top of faucet: 41H Floor to top of backsplash: 39H Floor to top of counter: 35H Hardwood Solids with Red Birch Veneers; Resin; Ceramic; Metal

Bishop Coffee Table is shown in Antique White finish on base and Signature Stain top. This solid wood table has one drawer with antiqued drawer pulls.

LOUIS XV CONSOLE;Vintage Cygne Blanc finish on six drawer console with drawers finished in Heritage Stain. Antiqued hardware.

The Provence cabinet boasts hand carved detail and beaded trim for storage with feminine flair. Its antiqued mirrors and Vintage Cygne Blanc finish lend a nostalgic appeal.

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Painted Blue French Provence Furniture

Louis XV Hand Painted Fruitwood Armchair early 1900’s Petite Louis XV style hand painted armchair, newly reupholstered in a linen blend. Beautiful hand carved details over entire frame. Beautiful original paint ivory and blue From Jean-Marc Fray French Antiques

Blue can be one of the most calming colors to pick to paint your furniture.  A great bonus of picking blue is it works with raw distressed pickled woods, as well as silver very well.  Consider the galvanized buckets that you can paint for your outside garden.  The colors work seamlessly together.

This door is painted in a classic blue giving this home a very distinct French appearance.

Look how lovely this kitchen looks painted in a blue.  The painted appearance looks as though it has been distressed and glazed with brown to give it an antique look.

This vintage French Provincial dresser has been painted in a Robyn’s egg blue and brushed with gold.

This French Provincial Dresser was given a more modern look simply by choosing a brighter color blue.

Look how wonderful a muted blue can appear on a piece of furniture.  This chair automatically looks antique with this shade of blue.

Here we have a fantastic French Provincial buffet painted in blue, and antiqued with crackling paint.

This piece shows you how great blue can look with white detailing.

French Louis XV style painted bureau table with two drawers. Foxglove Antiques $4,200

18th Century French Provencale Louis XV Painted Fauteuil with A Rush Seat.  The chair has an upholstered back and cushion.  Circa 1748 Wirthmore Antiques $4,200

Louis XV Painted Console Table with A Faux Marble Top Wirthmore Antiques $5,495

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When To Prime Furniture, When To Sand: My Restoration Learning Lessons

Lacquered French Desk From Ralph Lauren

Priming and Distressing Mistakes are the number one thing I see most people mess up when they paint french provincial furniture.  (I have made my share of mistakes in the past, and eventually came to learn the tricks of the trade. Mine was by trial and error, perhaps you can learn from my painting mistakes.) Black has become tremendously popular because it simply looks fantastic as the years go by.  You can never go wrong with classic colors such as cream, black and gray.  Here are a couple tips to keep in mind when painting black furniture. 

DO NOT use white primer under black paint.  I see this mistake A LOT.

Do not use white primer under red paint, or any other darker paint color used as a top coat.

White primer is certainly fine under lighter colors such as yellow or cream, and lighter blues, but not under dark paint colors.

When you see this happen, or you did it yourself, you either faced two situations……….

1.  You only had a choice of only primers from your local hardware store.  There are really two primers on the market.  White, and tinted white, which is really Gray.

Painting walls and painting furniture require two totally different approaches.

For walls, it is recommended that you prime, especially if you have shiny walls, or oil walls, as latex paint will not stick to the finish.

 

Do You See The White From Distressing?

When I first started painting I loved black.  My phases went from loving mahogany to black, and now to gray, and I have painted everything in between.  Furniture doesn’t necessary need a primer if you are willing to work hard sanding the piece of furniture before you decide to paint.

In some ways, this is better than adding a primer, especially when you are adding color, because it gives you room to distress the piece of furniture, which gives a piece of furniture more depth to show through.

2.  When you see dressers which are darker in color, or black with white showing through, it might because the dresser was white to begin with.  Perhaps the dresser was a vintage dresser with the typical white and gold finish.  Henry Link Furniture, Thomasville, and Dixie especially have heavy white paint which is often oven baked on.  Striping this paint off is especially hard, so many people just opt to paint over it.  They then go to distress it, and the sand down to the original white finish.

There are two ways around this…… 

Mayfair Table By Ralph Lauren

1.  Simply Don’t distress your furniture if you have the original white manufacture paint under the top coat.  Consider going for a high gloss Regency look, which often doesn’t feature distressing, but looks like glass.  This can look especially nice on serpentine french provincial dressers.

2.  Start off with a base coat.   With black top coats, red works well as a bottom color.  You see many oriental chests that feature black chests which are distressed showing a red base color.

I tend to work with oils, and prefer my base coats to be in oil as it sticks better.  I also prefer my base coats to be as flat as possible, but finding oil paint in flat is next to impossible.  If you end up getting an oil paint in a satin, after it dries, you can simply just sand it.  Be sure it is dry.  I have tried out many oil brands, and they are all different.  One brand, I waited almost a week for it to dry which is just ridiculous.  Granted, it was during the rainy season.  Sanding down your first coat of oil paint in a satin finish just requires a fine piece of sandpaper.  Be sure to work with oil afterwards, because most paint simply will not adhere to satin oil paint.  Everything naturally adheres to flat paint, so I tend to use flat oil paint in my priming coat.

When you go to distress your furniture, be careful to distress your furniture with care, because you only want to sand down to the red coat, not the white coat.

Popular Primers On The Market:

 

Excellent WALL Primer

Behr came out with a Paint and Primer mixed together.  My mom just finished painting her home, which they hadn’t done for several years and she was SOOOOOOO excited about the new color, but much of her excitement was that the paint didn’t smell.  She phoned me up one night and was so excited over the color,…..”OH You have to try out a company called Behr…. not Bear, but spelled Behr,….. they have a primer mixed in with the paint”  She didn’t know that I have been painting with this paint for some time.  Perhaps she remembered using paint with terrible fumes.  May be I have been painting so long that I don’t notice it, but she said she painted her bedroom that night, and was able to sleep in it just a few hours later.  She was so happy with this brand.  It is really great.  I remember the first time I tried the new paint and primer, I used a dark navy and it covered the wall very very well.  I was just as happy as her.  SO, if you want to use brighter colors, or even black, use the paint and primer, but just sand down your furniture first.  For hard baked melamine finishes typically seen on vintage french provincial, use a light brown oil paint in flat, so when you distress your furniture, it is a base color that looks much like wood.

WALL Primer

For the longest time, my favorite primer was Gripper as it is a fantastic primer, but I no longer use it on my furniture, but it is really good on the walls.  I first used it to seal a floor that was being painted white in an apartment building. It held up on apartment floors that dozens of people would walk on daily.

Kilz is another very popular primer.  Many people think it is one of the best primers out on the market. If you do use this brand, consider the spray paint primer…..Kilz Original Primer Spray Paint. The oil primer is especially thick and very hard to manipulateso I wouldn’t recommend it.  I have not tried their water-based version, so please don’t discount this brand all together.

I didn’t fully appreciate a great primer until I stumbled upon a fabulous primer that I cannot live without. Today I use it for all my painted furniture, and it has rejuvenated my passion for painting. Every primer is a bit different, and I am so thankful to have come across it.  My biggest secret is Cover Stain which can be found at most Hardware stores.  You also can order it through Amazon.  It is called Cover Stain By Zinsser and I use the oil paint that is tint-table. When ever I use this paint, I get it tinted the color I am wanting.  It only works with relatively light colors.  I tend to mix it in with other oil paints to get the overall color darker, because it is an oil base.  High Hide Odorless Oil Primer without Sanding – Odorless Primer

Overall Best FURNITURE Primer

*The most surprising thing is that their oil-based primer is thin rather than thick, and it goes on like butter. Considering it is an oil paint, that is rather shocking. This paint seems to have so many features that I just cannot live without now.

*As it dries, the paint strokes often even out.  I tend to use foam brushes after painting with a paint brush.  It is interesting to know this paint evens itself out compared to other oil paints which shows every brush stroke.

*In addition, the paint dries rather quickly. It can be dry within 3 hours, which you can apply another coat. By the next day you can sand, and it sands especially easy after 2 days compared to any other brand.

*This oil paint has teeth! It grips to almost anything without being scratched.

*Also, it is one of the ONLY oil paints that dries to a matte finish. I often add two coats of the primer, then I seal it with a Polycrylic water-based sealer, and then I add Johnson Paste Wax. It produces a perfect Swedish finish. This OIL paint can be tinted most light colors which makes it a dream to work with. It has rejuvenated my passion for painting and I couldn’t be more excited to paint furniture right now.

 
Your Safety and Health

HERE is some caution.  Please take this piece of advice seriously.  You need to wear a protective paint respirator when using oil paints.  This paint contains crystalline silica.  I always wear a respirator when dealing with oil based paints.  This paint contains crystalline silica, which when inhaled causes lung disease such as silicosis and possibly cancer. To avoid breathing in silica, wear a respirator approved for protection against crystalline silica dust.  I almost developed asthma because I sprayed this primer out of a paint sprayer.  Since then, I have thrown away my paint sprayer, only to go back to hand painting.  When you cannot breath, it is not worth it.  Use a respirator when dealing with these toxic paints.

 

If you have success with organic paints, please so email me, and I can post your success stories…..

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How To Create Patina On Furniture

This lovely french Provincial Dresser features a detailed layered paint finish not typically seen on vintage furniture.  This chest has what looks to be a blue paint, accented with gold around the drawer frames.

Sold by Karina Gentinetta, an antique dealer in New York, this provincial dresser sure hits it out of the ballpark.

The distressing seen on the wood, and wear over time gives it that antique appearance.  As you look closely at some of the photos, the chest does have some dirt which might be just normal use over time.  It certainly adds to the overall time-worn appearance. 

When painting blue,  many people go wrong by just painting the dresser a shade of blue, and calling it a day.  Going the extra mile by adding the gold accenting can really push a vintage french provincial dresser from something typical to a dresser that looks to have antique worth and value.

Achieving the antique blue finishes are easier than you think.  Often times in the past I have used brighter pastel colors with a darker glaze.  The tip here is pastel paint.  Brighter colors wouldn’t normally be seen in the 18th century, and no matter how much dark glaze you might use over modern day brighter paint colors, the finish never turns out right.  Pastels are typical colors that were associated with Marie Antoinette  and commonly seen on Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture.  Sticking with antique color palettes will give your furniture an authentic appearance.

Glaze is a combination of binder and pigment.  Binder is simply the glue that holds together the paint) Glaze can give a translucent look to a piece of furniture when it is applied over the furniture paint.

In the past I have used simply paint alone, but to be honest it doesn’t do a great job.  You really have to be skilled to pull off the look working with paint alone without glaze.  It can frustrate you in the end.  With the method of working with paint alone as a wash, you have to work quickly with a bucket of water and a cotton washcloth beside you.  I paint it on, leave it for a few minutes and wipe it off, and pull the paint around on the surface as it begins to be watered down.  It takes a little bit more skill working with regular paint, but the overall effect can be much the same as a glaze.

There are many ways to use Glaze.  Ralph Lauren some time ago advertised his glazing techniques at Home Improvement centers as as a way of transforming modern day patterned or tole wallpaper.  Glaze can be mixed with any color.  Lauren advertised a series of colored glazes and showed through  by simply rolling on a layer of glaze it could transform wallpaper.

 

Ralph Lauren Wallpaper Glazing- Faux Finishes

 

Painting on glaze and allowing it to dry works terrific with wall finishes, because it builds up a translucent finish that paint alone cannot achieve.   With furniture I find glaze works really well by simply painting on the glaze, and after a few minutes working the paint off with a damp cloth gives it the authentic look of dirt building up in the corners over time.

With my green paints, I usually add a dark olive green glaze over top, which is then rubbed off giving it the look that it is old and worn and slightly blue than  green.

As you look closely with this french provincial chest by  Karina Gentinetta, you can see marks on this chest which gives it an old worn look.

Get some ideas of your own of how to create natural wear by using typical things around your house like the slapping the back of an old shoe with a black sole on the chest or something else that might leave a mark without indenting the chest.

The trick is to create marks that appear sporadic and subtle, and not giving any clue to what tool you used.

 

French Provincial Dresser Sold by Karina Gentinetta
French Provincial Dresser Sold by Karina Gentinetta

I cannot remember where I got these pictures, but they have been sitting in a folder of mine forever, because the paint finish is so beautiful!   As you can see this antique chair was painted with a pastel blue, and then finished off with a lighter gray toned blue in the details of the frame.  From my opinion, I would go about re-creating this look by starting out with a pastel blue base paint.  After it dries, you could use an olive glaze to leave a slight appearance of dirt and patina over time.

Painted French Finishes – Author Unknown
Cyan Duchess Chest By Belle Escape

Check out the layers of paint and glaze on this chest by Belle Escape

French Provincial Slipper Chairs are tremendously popular because most people  feel as though they take up less room than the typical armchair. They are perfect in a living room, office or bedroom as accent chairs.

Todd Alexander Romano sold this lovely Louis XV Style Carved and Painted Slipper chair with a lovely colorful print, showing us how incredibly attractive a vintage re-upholstered chair can look.

Chairs started being developed with upholstery around the mid 1650’s chairs. By the mid 1750’s designers started incorporating beauty and design rather than just chairs that served the basic function only.

During the 18th century, before furniture production began, chairs were being made with even more curves than ever in history.  The French had a great effect on the development and evolution of the chair as they truly were were the first ones to develop a lightweight and comfortable chair.

French designers were the first to develop chairs with incredibly ornate frames, while at the same time being comfortable to sit in.

The process of making one chair required an incredible amount of skill and talent.  Before the process of mass production the process of making a french chair was extensive and the materials that were required were considerable.

The Louis XV chair required more wood because the chairs frame was curved and was often made out of ONE piece of wood.

Chairs during this time has bow shaped backs and curved legs making the whole process quite involved.  The french were one of the first ones to come out with a whole line of upholstered chairs, including arm chairs, wing chairs, slipper chairs,  lounge chairs and sleeping chairs.

French chairs are still some of the most fascinating chairs to look at and still some of the most prestigious furniture a person can own.  I don’t think we will ever get tired of the French chair.

Louis XV Walnut Duchesse 1750, From Marinni Live Journal Russia