Decoupage of Provence style furniture

It is important for any property owner that every room in a house or apartment is cozy and inviting. Well, if the interior is also unique in its kind, it's just fine. How can decoupage technique help to make your home stylish and comfortable?

Style features

According to professional designers, Provence cannot but be liked. This direction is characterized as light and romantic. The palette is dominated by light colors, bright accents are present, but very dosed.

Features of the Provence style:

• Natural materials in the decoration of the premises;
• For wall decoration, plaster is most often chosen;
• All interior items have an aged look (natural or artificial);
• Wooden beams are considered an obligatory component of the ceiling decoration;
• Lots of light in the room;
• There are forged elements in the interior items;
• Abundance of flowers: prints in finishing materials and textiles, as well as fresh flowers.

Provence is an environmentally friendly style, which is why natural materials prevail in this design. And do not forget, this applies not only to finishing materials, but also to textiles. Provence does not tolerate synthetics in any of its manifestations, taffeta and organza are alien to this style. But natural linen and cotton with unobtrusive floral motifs have become an integral part of it.

Stones or precious woods are used as flooring. In modern provence, you can most often find an alternative option - tiles. In addition, laminate with a wood grain pattern is in demand.

When choosing wall decoration materials, forget about wallpaper. Stone, wood, and, of course, plaster - this is the set necessary for Provence. An important point: the plaster is applied quite roughly, and this is also a distinctive feature of the style.

Interior doors must be white. Doors with imitation of soot look very impressive. In general, patination is considered a characteristic finishing method in this interior.

The rustic style makes special demands on window openings. Ideally, they should cover the entire wall, from floor to ceiling. Imitation wood imitation is required. As a frame for the windows, weightless flowing curtains of light shades and with a delicate floral print are chosen.

Another important feature of home furnishings for the French rustic style is the curved shapes. Tables, cabinets, dressers and chairs must have smooth curves. In addition, absolutely everything is decorated in Provence: from walls and furniture to flower pots. Delicate pastels and discreet floral prints are everywhere.

And, of course, Provence is impossible to imagine without wooden furniture with the effect of aging. Believe me, decorating furniture in the decoupage style will make any interior cozy and pleasant to spend time with.

Varieties of technology

Decoupage can be done in different ways and using different materials: all kinds of paints, specific varnishes, as well as napkins, textiles, wallpaper and even eggshells.

The most popular is the method of furniture decoration using crackle varnish. It is applied to the surface in a thick layer, and sometimes in several layers. And as it dries, cracks appear that resemble the surface of antique interior items. Thanks to this feature, tables, wardrobes and dressers fit perfectly into the Provence style.

There are other possibilities to artificially age furniture:

• Mechanical impact. With the help of various tools, cuts, cracks and scratches are made on the surface. An important nuance: before starting work, you should make a diagram of the alleged "damage", otherwise it will be seen that the furniture is new, but damaged, and this is a completely inappropriate option for style.
• Chemical reactions. Chemical agents are applied to the surface that can "eat away" wooden furniture. Most often, vinegar and ammonia are used, with their help, you can seriously change the appearance of interior items.
• Thermal impact. A high temperature is used, and sometimes an open fire, in some cases the furniture is exposed to a special blowtorch. If you choose this method, be very careful not to harm your health and also not to spoil the furniture.
• Numerous liquid products. They are applied with brushes, rollers, sponges or a spray gun, depending on the effect you want to achieve.

It is thanks to the decoupage technique that you have the opportunity to radically change the appearance of furniture, make it unique in its kind, complement a typical interior item with graceful drawings and ornaments.

Before starting work, you should think in advance what exactly and how you will use for decoration. And also properly prepare surfaces.

Process description

1. Preparing the surface for work: skinning and priming.
2. We paint.
3. We glue the selected images.
4. We fix the "applications" with varnish.
5. If there is a need and desire, we use additional methods of decoration: patinating relief elements, using a two-step craquelure, spraying, etc.
6. The final multi-layer varnish coating.

Characteristic features of Provence style furniture finishing:

• The predominance of vegetable and floral motifs: olives, wine, and, of course, lavender.
• Whitewashed interior items - the image is applied exclusively to a light surface.
• The use of artificial aging technology.
• Abrasions and scrapings on surfaces.
• The prevailing calm palette: olive, white, delicate shades of blue, wheat, beige, lavender and pink.
• Author's painting of furniture items.

The decoration of interior items and accessories deserves special attention. Elements woven from a vine, all kinds of forged elements, as well as beautiful openwork pillowcases, woven lace and wooden figurines fit perfectly into the overall design concept.

Tools and materials

Even with certain artistic skills, it is difficult to implement decoupage ideas without the necessary tools and devices. Depending on the technique, the set of tools may vary.

So, what is required to decoupage Provence style furniture?

• Acrylic paint. Usually white is chosen, but if desired, any other light shade can be purchased.
• High quality brush. An important condition: in the process of work, the pile should not fall out, otherwise everything can be ruined. When choosing a size, give preference to medium: the brush should not be too large and not too small.
• Colorless varnish. This consumable will be used at the final stage, it will cover the finished work.
• Bronze or gilded paint. Choose a shade based on personal preference.
• Matte glaze. Choose one based on polyurethane.
• PVA glue. It needs to be diluted with water to work.
• Various stencils. This is not necessary, but it is better that they are at hand, then you can easily make the missing image yourself so that the picture is complete.
• Sandpaper of different grain sizes.

Step-by-step instruction

Consider the procedure for decoupage of a Provence style cabinet.

First of all, think over the pattern that will be applied to the surface. In accordance with the invented pattern, a stencil is made of paper with a low density index. After that, acrylic paint is applied to the prepared surface (cleaned from dirt and dust, and thoroughly cleaned). It should be applied in two layers.

After that, the prepared images are applied to predetermined places for them, and a layer of glue is applied over the images. It is better to do this procedure using a small brush - it will be more accurate, and you will definitely not miss the attached pictures. The glue must dry completely, so the surface is left for at least one hour.

Then, a clear varnish is applied and left for several hours until it dries completely. After the clear varnish has dried, another layer of varnish is applied, but this time on a water basis. With the help of a regular hair dryer and water-based varnish, it is possible to create an amazingly beautiful effect of blurred paint.

A layer of bronze or gold paint is applied along the contour of the resulting pattern. This seemingly unobtrusive minor step will give your wardrobe an antique charm and make it look luxurious.

A prerequisite: after each of the steps described above, it is important to let the cabinet (table or chest of drawers) dry well, then there will be no problems with the subsequent stages of work.

The above method of creating decoupage is considered the easiest to implement. Even a person who does not have the slightest artistic skills can create a masterpiece in this way. Fortunately, today you can buy all the necessary materials to create unique images on pieces of furniture.

Another interesting technique for applying images is called spattering. Thanks to her, you get interior elements that perfectly match the Provence style. The process is also considered to be simple to complete. You will need dark paint and a stiff bristled brush. After the image is applied to the surface of the cabinet, table or chest of drawers and covered with a top layer of varnish, a brush, previously soaked in paint, is brought to it, and a gloved hand is drawn over the bristles.

Important: the direction of movement is towards yourself. This leaves a unique bit pattern on the surface.

Decoupage technology involves carrying out a number of actions with furniture, after which the interior items get an aged look. This process is not complicated at all, and even a beginner can cope with it. It is this kind of finish that allows the result to get a unique, almost antique item that fits perfectly into the Provence style.

Video: do-it-yourself decoupage of Provence style furniture

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