We have all seen the modern take on older, more traditional style furniture. The trends have either been to paint them a bold color, like teal, and reupholster the fabrics or, on the other hand, paint the items a more neutral color and distress them to give it that “stylish”, lived in look. This is a great idea when it comes to modernizing older furniture (that may not be worth keeping otherwise), but it is not necessarily the best idea when it applies to antiques. If you were to “update” a true antique piece of furniture in the above manner, you would, in essence, ruin it (in value and heritage) …And since this challenge was addressed this week, I thought I would share J.
So how do we come up with a solution to modernize the look of the furniture without compromising its integrity? The answer does not lie in the furniture itself, but actually in the room around it. Let’s begin by invoking some inspiration from striking interior spaces…pairing dark, rich colors with dark stained woods (and paneling) to give a dramatic, parlor like feel to a space. Why not take the same idea for the wall color and pair it with antiques?
Many, if not most, antique pieces are dark woods. The tendency is to go with beige or off-whites for the wall colors, as it coordinates with the brown tones from the wood. Though it does go well with these tones, if the furniture pieces are up against the wall, they tend to fade into the background. Rather than just painting the walls white to help them stand out, I charge you with a challenge, pulling from the idea mentioned above…why not go BOLD with the wall color instead? (Something vivid and potentially unusual; pastels are not welcome here!) A deep, vibrant color will not only help bring interest and excitement to the space, but it will also make the antiques stand out from the wall and give them the importance they deserve. I mean, this kind of furniture was built by hand from talented craftsman who spent many hours perfecting the woodwork for each
individual piece. The wood was their canvas, so let’s honor that beauty by showcasing it! Paint the walls a dramatic color (no accent walls please) and let the beauty of the antiques be the star.
Looking for an example are we? How about this gorgeous room from the KBIS show in Orlando for inspiration!
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Chic on the Cheap
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