HomesDirect365: Painting the Perfect Shabby Chic Piece

If you’re like me and often window shop for some beautiful furniture pieces either to revamp or upgrade your family home, then you will no doubt have encountered a frequent problem of mine… I say to myself ‘if only that was white instead of ivory’ way too often!

shabby Chic Furniture

Shabby Chic furniture

With bleak minimalism a thing of the past and the timeless shabby chic interior designs growing each generation, it’s no surprise that shabby chic furniture is one of my favourite styles. With endless options, colours, and styles, you can let your imagination run wild.

So what actually is shabby chic furniture I hear you saying? Originally deriving from 18^th century furniture design schemes, the term can be very broad but is often classed as furniture with a beautiful distressed or aged appearance.

Also often known as country cottage style, shabby chic furniture is here to stay for generations to come. Also available online from Homesdirect365

The Perfect Colour

Want to know the brilliant thing about shabby chic furniture? Any colour is good! Whether looking for a natural white, pastel colours or even proffering a bolder black or gold, it doesn’t matter as shabby chic furniture can literally be any colour you desire!

Historically, this popular style generally consisted of light pastel colours, your soft pink and pale green colours. As styles and designs developed over generations, bolder and darker colours are often thrown in with perfect results.

Antique French Style Chest of Drawers (£414.99) - https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/antique-french-style-chest-of-drawers-p34626

Shabby Chic Furniture Online From Homesdirect365

How to Paint and Distress Furniture

As obvious as it may sound, don’t just jump straight in and start painting, make sure you visualise what the finished furniture piece will look like. Be confident that the bedside, table or chest you are painting will fit in nicely with the overall appearance and décor of the room. Whether opting to add or revamp your home, always be sure you have at least some idea how it will look as the finished article.

Follow the simple steps below or check out this fantastic video below from Country Chic Paint - https://www.countrychicpaint.com/

Sanding – first and foremost, simply sand down or strip the current colour – a simple piece of sanding paper will do just fine and is inexpensive, for larger items such as wardrobes or beds, several pieces will no doubt be required.
Clean – you will want to see how the furniture piece will look in terms of texture before painting, just clean to get rid of all the dirt or leftover debris from sanding. A solution of sugar soap works wonders.

Painting is a little tricky with the most important tip being to make sure the coats of paint are the same consistency

First and foremost apply a thick coat of white emulsion whilst being careful to avoid any drips and spillages.
Apply the paint colour of your choice – don’t worry about thickness as you will be sanding this down later.
Once the first coat is completely dry you can then go ahead and apply a second coat if needed – ideally aim for the same thickness as the first layer for consistency.

Distressing the furniture

Once the furniture is dry, you can go ahead and start scraping away areas of pain that would naturally get worn by everyday general use – a putty knife is ideal
Don’t peel! Simply cut should any paint start to peel
Sanding time again! Gently sand down areas that have been scraped away as previously to achieve that simply stunning vintage worn appeal.
Finishing touches – last but not least, apply a coat of varnish or furniture wax if needed for a delightfully soft and well-kept finish.

Remember, there are no limitations on a colour scheme or how aged a piece is, so be creative and have some fun and paint your favourite furniture pieces to match your perfect colour scheme! For some inspiration be sure to check out Homesdirect365

Rattan Shabby Chic Bedside Table (£94.99) - https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/rattan-shabby-chic-antique-style-bedside-table-p16563

Shabby Chic Bedside Table