Friday 15 July 2011

Shabby chic!

As a restorer I spend the vast majority of my time cleaning up, revitalising or replacing an original finish. It's not every day that I'm asked to paint something!

A few weeks ago two chairs arrived, they looked like this.


Now normally I would expct to remove the gold paint, re-gesso and re-gild the frames, but just for a change my client wants me to remove the finish and paint them to look like they have always been painted, ie distressed shabby chic! He wants to use them in a display.

So first they were soda blasted, the only way to remove the old finish without damaging the incrediby fine carving. The process was so gentle that it even stripped the paint from the canework in the back without damaging it.


Then they were painted in Farrow & Ball paint.


Two coats of paint later, they were antiqued to bring out the depth of the carving and then some of the highlights in the paintwork were rubbed through to give the look of a hundred years use.


Just have to recane the seats now. I'll post a picture of both when they're finished. I'm realy enjoying myself!

4 comments:

Jan said...

Another lovely chair, I love the way the paint brings out the design. I've enjoyed your posts on exhibiting, there have been lots of very helpful points made. I always enjoy visiting your blog so I have passed on an award to you from my blog http://handcraftedbypicto.blogspot.com/
Jan x

Kim said...

Thank you Jan you're so lovely. I'm off to look at your blog now, thank you for the award, I'm sure I don't deserve it!

Sandra said...

I'm so glad I found your blog..I'm going to add it to my sidebar so I can continue reading it tonight. I have a question on your chairs...I'm about to paint a caned chair with Farrow and Ball and then glaze it....I am thinking light gray or mouses's back - which F&B color did you use? Thanks!

-Sandra

Kim said...

Hi Sandra, I used Pavilion gray, it gave a lovely gentle finish. I enjoy working with F&B paints they're softer and seem to have more pigment than most. Good luck with the project.