Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Gilding is so French!

 The antique Venetian mirror that I found on vacation has a gilded motif, and that
brought about the thinking of incorporating some gold accents on my French chairs.

 This lovely cane back chair with blue-grey paint and gilded accents captured the essence of what I hoped my silvery grey chairs could aspire to....although my chairs are not as fancy,  it is the "essence" that was the plan. Adding some dimension with stain over the cane backs, and then gilding the decorative details became an afternoon's project.
 Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint line has added gilding wax to the lineup, and it comes in five metallic shades, two of which are gold colors. I went with "Bright Gold" after comparing the two.  
This gilding wax will complement any furniture, so start thinking what you can gild!
 Gilding with gilding wax is much easier and quicker than gilding the old school way using gold leaf and sizing.  Simply rub on or paint on the gilding wax, using your fingertip or a small stiff paint brush, like the one I used. After squeezing a bit of gold wax onto a piece of wax paper, I traced around the grooves of the chair using the brush, as well as the floral detail on the chair back.
 One tip I have when using gilding wax and a brush, is to dip the edges of the brush into a bit of mineral spirits, then into the gilding wax, and then apply to the surface.  It is the same methodology of dipping a paint brush into water when painting watercolors.  It glides right over the surface, leaving a gilded stripe in its path.
After gilding the accents on each dining room chair, I took a chip brush and applied
some dark wood stain over the caning.  Applied right over the previously painted
surface, it gave the look of my inspiration photo that I had hoped to achieve. Some
chairs are more heavily gilded, and some spots are sparse, as if worn off over time.
The result is subtle, but noticeable, enhancing the dining room in that antique kind
 of Frenchy way that you all know I love.  The chairs have a sophistication that 
they lacked before, and yet at the same time they aren't screaming for attention. 
Using Annie Sloan's gilding wax is easy, affordable and yields great results!
Give it a try, and get some gilded goodness going in your home.



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9 comments:

  1. Love the gilding on the chairs and of course you did a fabulous job! Can't wait to try the AS Gilding wax! Thanks for the tips!

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  2. Oh- I LOVE gilding---always have loved it. Everything looks fabulous at your house (as always), Amy. xo Diana

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  3. what an amazing difference, love your inspiration chair!

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  4. Wonderful results. I'm saving this for future reference!

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  5. I love this look Amy! I would have died over that mirror...what a great find. I am always on the lookout for Venetian mirrors but I've had no luck lately. This one looks fantastic in your dining room and so do those chairs.
    You have definitely achieved French Style.

    hugs,
    Sissie

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  6. Beautiful!! I love a bit of gold or silver on everything!!!

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  7. So very beautiful. Love this chairs and the table.
    Have a great day

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  8. Gorgeous gilding illuminating this post and your gorgeous treasures, Amy! Thanks for this brilliant introduction to this metallic lovely. xox

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  9. Amy - that looks really fantastic! I love the subtle effect, not too much...it looks just right and so elegant. Great job!

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