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5 Ways to Update French Provincial Furniture

Painted Finishes on Vintage French Provincial Furniture Using An Overhead Projector – By Meranda S.

While French Provincial furniture is beautiful to look at just by itself, it can also become dingy and old looking over time. There are ways to make it more modern and artistic though. Here are a few ideas for ways to update your French Provincial furniture into a more modern style:

1. Update the Hardware –  Paint the original hardware.  Look to see how this French dresser painted in a cremy white has the original handles which are updated in a brushed bronze.  If you end up painting your dresser black, consider painting the pulls black and distress them to show the beautiful metal in the ornate parts of the handle.  This technique works with any paint color.  To make the pulls stand out a bit, consider adding a brown glaze to the painted pulls or a dark brown wax to show off the details a bit more.

2. Go Pastel – Painting your furniture in pastel colors is a great way to keep the authentic feeling while still updating the look. Distress the paint finish with a hand sander.  Even brighter paint colors look antiqued with a bit of brown glaze.  Paint on the brown glaze and wipe it off.  Consider painting with an eggshell finish as your basecoat, which gives the glaze something to grip on to.  The glaze technique leaves residue giving you an aged appearance.  If a paint finish doesn’t look right, add some glaze and you will love the finished look.  Glaze makes everything look nicer, and is the trick many professionals use for brighter paint finishes.

3. Black, White or Red – If you want a really modern look, you can paint your furniture bold black ,white or red. Consider going glossy for a very rich French look. Rust-Oleum has a wonderful oil based line called “Enamels Spray” that produces a rich glossy lacquered appearance that doesn’t need any priming. Consider only using this brand in the warmer weathered months.

4. Bright Colors – Fun colors can bring new life to your furniture. Neon pink, bold blue, bright yellow and glossy green make it stand out and also give a great juxtaposition to the classic style of the furniture itself.

5. Cushion Crazy –If you have chairs whose cushions are looking a bit rangy, don’t reupholster them with the same old boring stuff.

Example of Tip 1- Look how the hardware is painted blue, and slightly distressed? 

6. Patterns – Add bold stripes of color to boring furniture and liven them up. You can change the whole look of a piece with just a few stripes. Use tape to make sure your paint comes out crisp and clean

7. Frames – If you have a French Provincial mirror or picture frame, do not toss it away. Make it into a centerpiece by framing something unusual like a wreath of flowers or a chalkboard. It will stand out and make your home a talking point.

These are just a few ideas on how you can update your French Provincial furniture. There are so many opportunities to make the most of this beautiful style. Just take a few minutes to think about what you could do with it!

Author Bio: Paul and his wife Julie both spend quite a bit of time coming up with ideas, blogging, and researching all things related to childcare. They take care of all the necessary information related to “babysittingjobs.com/”. He personally thinks his blog will help with finding information on all things related to a babysitter.

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Breathtaking French Provincial Office Furniture

French Secretary Tiered Desk – GBP 4,295.00 by Sweetpea & Willow

In many homes, space is at a premium so many home owners need to think strategically about how to best use the space they have available.   The dining room is a great option for a space that can double as a home office, while at the same time functioning as an area to eat.  In many modern homes, the dining room is left unused, so why not turn it into an area that functions for a secondary business?  In some homes, space is very limited after the kids all get their own rooms, so family rooms need to be thought out.

If you’re thinking about using your dining room in this way, then consider investing in a secretary desk, which can hold a computer, keyboard, which can house all the computer equipment, leaving the dining room table left clean for dinners.  Slant desks are perfect for dining room furniture as they often have  additional cabinet space that could  house extra books and binders for school or business.  At the same time, they close up so you don’t need to see the computer keyboard, and all the mess that everyone has while they are working or studying.  You may also want to get a sideboard that can double up as a filing cabinet.

 

An antique Louis XV desk of rosewood and fruitwood with marquetry inlay and original ormolu and hardware.

Painted open front Biblitheque with barooque bonnet

Rare 18th Louis Xv Century French Oak Desk, Vintage 1950 French Secretary Desk Louis XV

French Provincial Louis XV Painted Chestnut Bibliotheque – This white painted, display cabinet or bookcase displays a moulded cornice above a conforming, paneled case enclosing open shelves, on a plinth base. It offers great display space and storage. Eron Johnson Antiques

This large and impressive French writing desk is hand-painted in antique white and rubbed down considerably to achieve a heavily distressed vintage look. It features four small drawers below four classic pigeon holes. The shapely legs and scalloped underside make this a wonderfully sophisticated piece of French furniture

Louis XV Polychrome Painted Two Part Breakfronted Bibliotheque– A French Louis XV Polychrome Painted Two Part Walnut, Beech and Oak Breakfronted Bibliotheque C1780, the uppermost with molded conforming cornice above the paneled and scrolled sides with a pair of inset screened doors flanked by outer conforming screened doors, each with thumb molded decoration and with arched asymmetrical tops and center panels enclosing shelves, above a base section with four solid arched panel doors on a plinth base.


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36 French Landscaping Looks For Your Back Yard

French style decorating has become so popular because of beauty of the the old world looks that are associated with the style.  There are a couple of elements that you can incorporate into your landscaping and the type of furniture you choose which will give you the classic French looks found in Provence.

1.  Consider replacing your lawn with gravel.  It sounds like a bad idea right?  Create texture using raised garden beds, and add in patio furniture, water gardens, which adds a lot more texture than just plain grass.

Consider showcasing the lawn that you do have.  If you have rectangular backyard, consider cutting around your lawn, forming a circle shape in the center of your property. A circular or square pattern which you can edge with stone or coordinating greenery can give you more of a designer look.

2.  Add In Rustic Container Gardens- Garden style urns can really capture the old world romance that you see in Versailles.  Paint can do wonders to those new resin urns that you see at home depot.  To get a rustic look, start with painting your urn an oil paint in flat black.  After it dries, mix together sand and brown paint and apply it to the urn.  When it is almost dry, take the hose, and spray water on the urn.  The pressure of the water will create a natural distressed effect that doesn’t look like you painted it yourself.  Consider using this picture as your inspiration.

3. Create Order In Your Backyard- Pair common elements together to create a landscape that looks like it was designed by the pros.  Plant fruit trees, instead of regular trees that will mature and produce dozens of fruit from year to year.  Line up urns, and patio chairs along the edges.  Line up shrubs and hedges in a row to draw special attention to these selected areas.

4. Consider investing in metal furniture that you don’t have to shelter over the winter.  Having a large yard is a lot of maintenance.  Wood furniture over time can root if it is left in the snow, while metal furniture, does a lot better in winter conditions. If you can shelter your furniture, do!  If you cannot, purchase clear plastic shower curtains at your local dollar store to drape over some of your furniture.  Wood, and metal furniture can be touched up with paint from year to year.

5.  Folding outdoor furniture is really popular in France.  Consider investing in a set of folding chairs which you can paint.  Any sort of metal furniture will create the French mood you are after.  Don’t worry if the furniture you choose is vintage, as anything can be improved with paint.  Metal garden pots, posts, fences, chairs are all elements that are commonly seen in the French countryside.  You cannot go wrong with anything metal in your back yard if you are after the French look.

 

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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!

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2 Tips to Clean Old Outdoor Resin Furniture

In almost all households that take pride in owning a lawn or a backyard for recreational purposes, you will find that there are one or more pieces of old outdoor resin furniture. This type of furniture is preferred over the usually popular metal or wooden furniture (for indoor requirements) due to the fact that wood tends to decay when left in the sun and the rain and metal will tend to rust and undergo degradation.

This immense popularity of old resin furniture for outdoor requirements can be attributed to the fact that this discount furniture Los Angeles pieces have become quite popular and almost every household is buying it in order to save some money.

While resin furniture are more sustainable to the environmental degradation factor, there is no point denying that they will be needing their fair share of care and cleaning in order to stay in the peak condition. Here are 2 tips to get rid of the dirt on your old outdoor resin furniture:

1. Use The Right Type Of Brush

What do you use for dusting off dust and other form of debris from your old resin furniture? The obvious answer to this question will be a brush. But have you ever considered the type of brush that you are using for this purpose?

In case you didn’t know, the type of brush that you must use for brushing off the loose dust and debris from your old resin furniture is extremely important for the cleansing procedure as well as for the condition of the furniture.

This is why almost all furniture cleaning experts are of the opinion that you must use a long and stiff bristled brush for the purpose of getting rid of loose dirt from your old outdoor resin furniture. This will not only make your cleaning procedure more fruitful but will also ensure the long term longevity of the furniture.

2. Use Water Force

The fact that the outdoor furniture is made of resin and not wood or steel in contrast to the commonly found indoor furniture is kind of a boon in disguise when it comes to cleaning.

The stubborn dirt, grime and dust that you find on your old outdoor resin furniture can be eliminated by using the garden hose’s water power on the spot. Take the garden hose, point it at the spot where you find the stubborn grime and then use your fingers to increase the force of the garden hose and ensure that the grime is eradicated.

This way you can rest assured that your furniture Los Angeles is not being damaged but is being clean at the same time. Don’t forget to wipe it dry after this process.

These 2 tips for cleaning your old outdoor resin furniture is extremely helpful in case you are looking to add a few more years of usability to it and ensure that it stays clean and clear. Grime free furniture is a visual delight!

Cooper Rustic Reclaimed Wood Industrial Farmhouse Side Chair Kathy Kuo Designs

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Architect François-Xavier Van Damme’s French Inspiration

Belgian Pearls blog had an interesting post on Belgian architects François-Xavier Van Damme. The architecture of the French southwest region are a huge inspiration for his architects work. François-Xavier sent Greet, (author of Belgian Pearls blog) pictures of his own country house, which sits in the Flemish countryside.

Inside the home are carefully chosen reclaimed materials, designed around the French style.  The door is left untouched, in it’s bare state, and reclaimed oak boards line the floor and give the room that rustic touch. A painted beamed ceiling gives the room detail and an old world effect. The white painted walls give the room a lot of bright light, while the raw wood seen in the furniture and on the floors add charm that we might see if we lived back in the 17th and 18th centuries.  French 18th century furniture designs can be seen throughout the house. Take for example the study corner with beautiful cabinetry, as well as the bathroom cabinet  which both have the classic door designs that we see in 18th century furniture from France. The gorgeous paneling is the perfect finishing touches for this French inspired home.  Carefully planned furniture, a lack of clutter allows these outstanding architectural features to really shine in this home.

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