Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Gold Leafing a Salvation Army Find

Back in September, I purchased this chair from my local Salvation Army for only around $50.



So yeah... 1993 called, they wanted their chair back.

I knew I wanted to do black and white fabric and gold on the wood to go with the master bedroom the chair is going in. However, I was going back and forth between using gold metallic paint or gold leaf. After seeing Jenny's silver leafed nightstands, I knew gold leaf was the way to go. Aren't blogs great like that?

Last night I spent the better part of the night playing with gold leaf. It's actually pretty fun! It sort of reminds me of peeling off a sunburn.. (sorry! that's gross, but true).



I knew when I started I wanted an old looking, non-perfect finish. Luckily, the gold leaf did it's thing on the nooks and grooves and I love how it turned out. If it were perfect, it'd be too Donald Trump.



You'll see that the upholstery is stripped; I didn't do that myself but I'm sure you could if you are brave enough :) However, if you tell your upholsterer that you are refinishing the legs, they will let you take the chair mid-strip.

Also, in case you are curious about reupholstering - this chair cost $300 to reupholster and I live in a high-cost-of-living city. That price includes re-padding the arms and replacing the seat (and includes tax). So you see, reupholstering a vintage piece is a good value, and allows you to take classic lines and make it your own.

For the fabric, I chose this THICK black and white stripe from Premier Prints:



The stripe is 8" wide and I am pretty sure I'm going to off-center it like in the image above.

I can't wait to see the finished product! It's always fun seeing something come to life that you've been envisioning in your head for so long. But before that happens I need to gold leaf the other two legs....

edit: how could I have forgot? My friend Stefanie over at Brooklyn Limestone also silver leafed the top of her guest room side table! Check it out here.

35 comments:

  1. I love your comment about 1993, haha.

    I wanted to let you know I nominated you for a little blogger award on my blog. Hope to get to know you better! :)
    -Lisa

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  2. oh bryn, it will be gorgeous! I need to find something to "leaf" (gold or silver) looks so fun!

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  3. Love it! Can't wait to see the finished product. It is so fun to transform old out of date pieces.

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  4. Looking great! Can't wait to see it all finished.

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  5. If you have a piece that doesn't have as many nooks & crannies, would you leave spaces between the paper to get the aged look? I've been thinking of doing it with a mirror I found, but don't want it to be too perfect.

    Your chair really looks good!

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  6. I love the gold leaf! Great choice!

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  7. Can't wait to see the finished product!

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  8. I love refinishing furniture that I find at Goodwill or flea markets. The gold leaf turned out AWESOME -- I might have to try this on my next project!! Can't wait to see it all finished!! :)

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  9. off centered is going to be awesome.

    I just bought some silver leaf...was it hard a hard process?

    Christina

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  10. What an awesome chair this is going to be when you are done with it. I cant wait to see it, please post pics as soon as you get that little beauty back!

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  11. i'm drooling.
    cannot wait to see it finished. i love the idea of the off center stripe!

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  12. Its looking so much better with the gold leaf.

    But how annoying do you find applying it? I thought I was going to jump out the window when I did a tiny bit of silver leaf last year.

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  13. Mrs.Limestone - I actually didn't think it was bad at all? Did you get the kind with the wax paper that goes right on it, rub and comes off?

    I totally forgot you did gold leaf too! I'm going to post it on the post.

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  14. It looks great! I love all the little imperfections...totally adds to the look!

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  15. that is gonna be beyond awesome.

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  16. oh...did u have to prep the wood before you started the leafing process?

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  17. I have to find a use for gold/silver leafing. It is so tempting and pretty!

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  18. i love this and all the DIY stuff you post about. =) makes me so excited to decorate my own place in a few months!

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  19. I sense fabulousness in the air - can't wait to see the projecto completo!

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  20. * Hi, Bryn~ I'm so "NOT" crafty!... I have some great (I think!) ideas, but not the "skills", or the confidence I guess, to go with it~~~ Is this reeealy difficult? It actally just looks like alot of FUN, and I adooooore that yours came out looking "old", which is the look I would want!!!

    Beautiful job!!! Thanksfor sharing!~~~ Can't wait to see the finished product!!!

    Best,
    Linda in AZ *
    bellesmom1234@comcast.net

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  21. I used the kind that came in a booklet and had little vellum sheets between it. Maybe I just did it wrong but I found it very frustrating. I wish it were easier and neater b/c I'd love to do an entire dresser with it.

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  22. I can't wait to see the finished chair! This is inspiring me to find an ugly chair from the flea market!

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  23. The legs look awesome! I can't wait to see the finished product.

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  24. Can't wait to see the finished product. love the gold leaf. Wow. 300 bucks to redo, what a deal. good luck with your move.

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  25. It already looks so much better! Can't wait to see the finished product!

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  26. Can't wait to see the finished product. love the gold leaf. Wow. 300 bucks to redo, what a deal. good luck with your move.

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  27. I used the kind that came in a booklet and had little vellum sheets between it. Maybe I just did it wrong but I found it very frustrating. I wish it were easier and neater b/c I'd love to do an entire dresser with it.

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  28. I have to find a use for gold/silver leafing. It is so tempting and pretty!

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  29. It looks great! I love all the little imperfections...totally adds to the look!

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  30. Its looking so much better with the gold leaf.

    But how annoying do you find applying it? I thought I was going to jump out the window when I did a tiny bit of silver leaf last year.

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  31. Can't wait to see the finished product!

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  32. Love it! Can't wait to see the finished product. It is so fun to transform old out of date pieces.

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