Painted furniture ideas for 2021.

My sister is the biggest fan of white painted furniture. Why? Because she loves how clean and neat the furniture looks. Well, she’s not the only one. I love painted furniture but not specifically white.    

Painting furniture is one of the easiest ways of upgrading old furniture and restyling not so old furniture. I love repurposing as a craft to uplift dated furniture and prolong its use. Sustainable design is not only being careful of what we design, the purpose for which it’s designed and the material used but is also prolonging the life cycle of everything that is existing. Check out my 2017 repurposing blog: https://interiordesigncafe.blogspot.com/2017/08/repurposing.html

Painting furniture is easy because you can easily do it at home. However, it can be tricky if you don’t do it the right way and use the right paint. Like any other painted surface, one needs to analyze the following things:

1.    Type of Material i.e. Is it made of Natural timber, Metal, Plastic, MDF, Rattan etc. ?
2.     Intended location where the repainted furniture will be placed i.e. Indoor or Outdoor?
3.    Use of the furniture i.e. Is it Seating, Storage or Table furniture?

Many paint manufacturers have developed paint that can be used on different types of furniture. My personal favorite is Eggshell by Crown Paints. It is a semi-gloss oil-based finish designed for use on woodwork and metalwork where a “fashionable sheen” finish is desired. It is resistant to wear, dirt and steam. Check out more about this products use :

https://www.crownpaints.co.ke/product/crown-eggshell-finish-semi-gloss/ . 

I also love the chalk paint by Valspar. Its an ultra matte paint that is easy to work with, requires little to no surface preparation and has a vintage chic look on wood and metal furniture. Learn more about this on:

https://www.valsparpaint.ca/en/find-the-right-product/interior/paint/valspar-ca-chalky-finish-paint.html

a. Credenza

Credenzas are largely decorative pieces. They are used in dining rooms along walls to hold decorative pieces and sometimes store dining area utilities such as table mats, flower vases etc. They create perfect accents to plain walls. In open plan house set-ups, they divide the dining room and Living room. Typical Credenza’s are 1500 mm x 450 mm x 750 mm. This size varies based on the size of space and use of the piece. Credenzas were invented in the early 14^th Century. Since then, the designs have varied due to the change in styles throughout the centuries. In this Contemporary era, credenza designs are simple, minimalistic, use simple geometric forms and have a mix of different materials such as metal and wood.

 b.      Bed

 

I recently bought a painted bed and I’m totally disappointed with the product less than 3 months later. Painted furniture needs to be good quality first before the paintwork is done. Paint does not conceal bad quality and therefore always ensure that the natural product is good before applying paint. Metal beds are painted to have a good finish on the end product. Most people use a brush to paint metal instead of spray paint. The latter is preferred due to the finesse of the finish. With availability of metallic spray paints, a rustic look can be achieved. Gold, Brass, Bronze, Copper and even Rose gold finishes make the entire look unique.

 c.       Dining seats

Painted dining tables are a major feature in Farm house design styles. This Interior Design style incorporates a lot of items that look natural and also like they have been hand made in a workshop. A rustic look and feel is observed. With painted dining sets, one can break the monotony of the paint by leaving some of the areas unpainted. For example, you can paint the leg of the dining table and leave the top as natural wood. You can also leave the entire dining table as natural wood and paint the seats only. One can also mix materials for the different pieces. As in the image above, the dining table is made of timber and the seats metal. This more so has been adopted in the Industrial style of design.

d.      Coffee tables

 

Coffee tables can be functional or decorative depending on the owners liking. All in all, most people have table décor on the coffee tables such as Books, candles, plants etc. to keep the tablescape looking exciting. Coffee tables at the center of the living room are mostly decorative while side tables are functional. In contemporary design, the styles of the Coffee table and side tables can be mixed and matched. For example, one can use a glass coffee table at the centre and match with metal side tables. The side tables can be as “funky” as possible to have that edgy exciting look.

e.      Pool beds

Pool beds form part of outdoor furniture. Outdoor furniture is quite sensitive in its nature and materials used to make these items must be carefully selected. These furniture is fully or partly exposed to weather conditions and therefore the materials must be able to withstand UV rays, water, moisture, direct sun and heat. Manufacturers have invented new materials such as Synthetic rattan and PVC to be used for furniture intended to be used in areas with extreme weather such as coastal and desert areas. Metal and wood can be used for furniture intended to be placed under shade. High gloss paint or Eggshell is good for such furniture.

 

Inspiration pour le Journee

Christina Muscari is a Furniture artist who has been flipping furniture for close to 8 years now. She runs the blog Pretty Distressed and has a You Tube channel where she displays her projects.

Check out her blog: https://www.prettydistressed.com/ and 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Z-v8s8z18kERxGc4G2JjQ

Watch this video specifically made for people who would like to paint their furniture at home as a DIY for quick and easy tips on how to do that.

This month, I’m running a get inspired segment where I’m curious to know what design feature or element is currently inspiring you. Let’s connect on my IG … and let’s chat. 

My IG handle: designcafe001  

Sustainability in Interior design

Sustainability is a priciple that has been adopted in Interior Design and Architecture This is due to the need to consider the impact of design to the environment. We are living in an era where Green design should be a consideration when coming up with any invention. All disciplines such as IT, Manufacturing, Construction etc are slowly adopting this principle to help save the planet. As "Green design is responsible design". Great Interior design is not only how it looks but also how it affects the surrounding. There are many priciples that can be adopted when designing for sustainability:

1. Longevity and Flexibility

How will the “now”design be used in the future?

When coming up with a design, one needs to think about the longevity of the concept and materials to be used. It is crucial for one to think about how the design works presently and if it can still work in the future for the same user. People and environments are consistently changing and therefore, one needs to consider how the design will adjust with this change. This thinking has led to invention of Modular systems that can fit in different types of settings. Materials used also needs to be durable to give close to a lifetime of service.

2. Energy efficiency.

When developing a design concept, one needs to think about the energy efficiency of each product mostly in its "afterlife". This is ideally its life while "In Use". Product designers have developed methods to reduce energy consumption while manufacturing design products. In the same breath, designers ought to think of ways to reduce energy consumption while designing spaces. Other than use of sustainable materials, one can consider heat retention solutions such as installation of insulation films on windows, use of fabrics that a can retain warmth and also use of floor/ wall finishes that are thermal insulators such as Laminates. 

 3.Low environmental impact

All materials have a life cycle i.e production till disposal. When selecting materials,one should think about this entire cycle.One should keenly check its source of raw, manufacturing process , transportation and installation of the product and also its method of disposal once its use has been exhausted. This then will help guide one in choosing materials that are renewable and do not have a negative effect to the environment.

 4. Waste reduction

The world is moving towards a "Zero waste" life. This way of life is becoming more popular by the day due to the effect waste has had on the enviromnent both ecologically and healthwise. With this in mind,one needs to develop a Recycle, Repurpose or Upcycle approach when designing a space. At the point of design, one needs relook the existing elements and see how they can be reused. Disposal should be the last resort. This will reduce the need for new elements and in turn help reduce depletion of natural rescources. 

 5. Design for simple living/minimalism  

Design needs not to be complex.The need for simple living has influenced people to begin adopting the “Tiny living concept”.A few years ago, there was a thinking that the bigger the space, the more complex the design and the more items incorporated, the more comfort and the aesthetics the space willl have. This over the recent past has been proven wrong. People need to change their mindset from the need to have big spaces to maximizing the use of the smaller spaces inorder to acieve the desired goal. This can be done by having simpler elements that have more funcion than one.

6. Healthy environments

When designing a healthy enviroment, one needs to consider the ventilation, acoustics, lighting, heating and the quality of air. These elements directly affect the health of the user. Architects generally consider these however, the designer needs to check and provide where need be. Natural solutions should be sought before settling for  mechanical aspects. Large windows with permanent ventilation should be considered to allow for light and free flow of air. Indoor plants should also be considered as they are a natural air purification solution.

7. Space efficiency

Good design is one that takes into account efficiency in use of the space. Open spaces provide better circulation. When coming up with a design, one needs to consider the circulation and how easily all functions are accessed and used. One also needs to consider how efficient all functions are  to prevent over or under provision.  

Inspiration pour la journee

Check out the video below from House and home on Ecofriendly design.