These upright secretaries produced through the 18th to the 20th century very commonly found in houses. They were typically displaying beautiful mahogany or walnut crotch or flamed veneer patterns, while concealing lemon wood or rosewood or other precious wood on their interior drawers and shelves.

Upright Louis-Philippe desk/secretary

Their lower part had either 3 drawers or 2 doors concealing  shelves, while their upper part was an opening leaf to be lowered as a desk surface.

Profile of upright desk/secretary

Nowadays, with the disappearance of artistic knowledge, these woods are perceived as dull, if not sad. Few people can tell an essence of wood or appreciate the hundreds of hours spent on assembling such a piece of furniture, or the different shades and patterns of its wood essence and the incredible difficulty of varnishing it properly!

It is only the shape of a furniture that matters now and its surface has to bear a catchy décor or color.

Proceeding to modernize this piece, I had to sufficiently sand it to give tooth to the primer, while being careful not to sand down the thin veneer layer and avoid creating porous zones difficult to cover with paint.

I then applied two coats of primer covered by 3 top coats. I used a newly available oil/latex paint from Benjamin Moore.

Painted upright secretary in two tones

Instead of applying a uniform color all over the entire piece, I decided to use a lighter grey /purple for the upper part and a darker one for the bottom, these 2 color zones joining at the bottom of the leaf.

I added a 2-inch gold stripe at this junction, making the desk appear less heavy, more elegant, and unique.

Painted upright secretary in two tones

Painted upright secretary in two tones

Another option would have been to use a single color all over the secretary and paint on its leaf a huge stylized pattern such as a flower, a coat of arms etc. painted in a contrasting vivid color or in silver or gilded.

See same transformation on half moon or “demi-lune” table or on side-board.

Stool painted in faux bois, ornate with a faux painted  cushion

One of my clients had a black stool called in French an X shaped stool (by reason of its crossed legs)  bringing sturdiness and style to the piece.

It was in her foyer, topped by a cushion. She was tired of cleaning the cushion that would also fall on the floor hence her request  to paint a fake one, in “trompe l’oeil”!

Original black stool with gold line

She also wanted to soften the severe and conventional look of this Directoire stool by changing its black color to a faux wood grain in a medium hue.

The first step was to hide the black under a sand colored primer, covered by 2 coats of “café au lait” colored paint with a hint of salmon hue mixed into it.

Stool primed in cream color

Background color for faux wood applied

I then started drawing the pattern of the wood grain and applied several coats of glaze to simulate with it the wood grain.

Faux wood grain painted on edge and legs

For the design of the cushion, I picked a pattern to simulate the fabric in a more credible way, faking creases and their corresponding shades, as well as the fading of the fabric in some areas.

Stool with faux painted cushion

Of course, along the contour of the cushions I darkened the faux wood, as well as along the edges of the faux cushion itself to bring in some depth necessary to a three dimensional effect.

Faux painted cushion on top of stool

The stool has now become a piece of conversation with a maintenance free cushion.

One could also imitate the fabric of close-by drapes or upholstered furniture to make it more convincing!

Removing the old surface
finish

There is nothing more rewarding than revamping a piece of furniture covered by a drab, outdated, and damaged painted décor, especially when you can already envision its new appearance.

It is also pleasing to give a solid piece of furniture a second life, instead of contributing further to our world’s growing trash problem.

I started by removing the layers of paint on this table with paint remover and a spatula, then I sanded its surface.

Anatomy of a makeover finish

I applied a little bit of compound to even up the surface, sanded it again, and laid one coat of primer followed by two basecoats.

I drew the design freehand and started painting the main lines. I then developed the pattern adding details and colors.

Drawing the broad lines of the new surface design

I used off white as a base color, followed by bronze and blue/grey/green for accents, to lighten up the shape of the furniture. One single color all over the table would make it too stocky: you need the accents to “sculpt” the furniture.

New decor painted on top of the table

Once the décor was completed, I lightly sanded it to soften its lines and applied 4 layers of acrylic varnish to protect its surface.

Details of the table top decor

Lightly sanded butter cup flower detail

Table in situ

A frieze is a linear repeated decorative pattern, with a geometrical or natural design. 

Russian style frieze

Bathroom frieze with Russian flair

Oversize baroque frieze

 Friezes serve several purposes in the decorative art: completing ornate rooms with sophisticated patterns,

Gothic frieze

or bringing in a specific theme as a focus point to a decor.

Owl and jewelry ceiling border

Ceiling with seagull and necklace border.

 In a minimalist setting, a frieze can be welcome to stress its architectural element, such as by underlining ceiling lines or framing a door. 

Simple burgundy ceiling line

Deep red and blue straight frieze

 It contributes to dividing and warming up an interior.  In the twenties, wide friezes at the top of walls representing landscapes or stylized patterns were very much in vogue. 

Art nouveau /William Morris frieze

Detail of William Morris frieze

These vistas or designs aimed at opening up spaces, and replaced more invading wallpapers.  The use of such wide friezes is perfect in children rooms to illustrate a narrative, leaving the rest of the wall space available for more designs or furnishings.

  Speaking of narrative, scrolls or banners on monuments, bearing dates and major public events, can be replicated at home with friezes stamping important family dates and memories, to personalize one’s home. 

Commemorative banner

 Friezes also replace moldings as a finishing touch: to break for instance the expanse of a wall, two colors are used horizontally, delineated at man’s height or at the chair rail level with a simple frieze.

Garland of olive tree leaves

Single color leaf garland separating a light green and a dark green  wall surfaces.

Islamic geometric design

Pompeian style frieze

 Exterior friezes work also wonderfully: under the eaves of a roof for example or as a window surround, they soften a façade and bring it originality. 

Outdoor frieze under rood line

 A frieze is a decorative accent and does not need to be complicated or invasive to do marvels.

Children live between reality and wonderland where they personify what they believe they are or could be.

2 friendly trees

A fantasy ambiance with murals or characters is more conducive to their games, and having a world of their own also gives them their own marks in their stability and development.

2 sisters boating

If you decide to offer them a mural that will endure several years of their childhood, pick a theme that does not look overly babyish.  Starting with a newborn room, you can safely have a sky reproduced with its living creatures on the ceiling as well as on the walls,

First hot air balloon in space

or realistic animals, trees, flowers and natural elements, anthropomorphic or not.

Tree arm holding boat and nest

For children above three, a jungle theme is always a favorite as they are no longer scared by wild animals, to the contrary.

Panther with Kilimandjaro

Elephant in playroom

A jungle brings an element of mystery and unexpected, with its invisible spirits that one can sense.  This fits their taste for adventure, and quest for fright to challenge them.

Jungle and toucan

New characters and odd situations will invite them to dream.  Furniture, such as a chest, stools, and headboards can also be painted to their whims.

Door board with trompe l’oeil shelves and Felix

Floors also lend themselves to trompe l’oeil that will delight them: for instance, this huge chessboard painted on a hallway floor, with checkers and toys.

Checkers on chessboard floor

Chessboard floor with miniature car.

As a rule, children need to be associated with your mural project, or decide on the color of their room, which they already have probably already chosen in their head.

snow mountain and skiers

Remember, you are not designing a room, but simply adapting the walls to their personality!

Reading dog

Giraffe and chimp

Who does not like looking up at the sky to observe clouds, the intensity of its blue, and its passing birds?  One relaxes thinking of how nice it would be to glide in the atmosphere and follow their track.  This is why, as a change to a traditional white ceiling, it is a wonderful option to introduce a sky.  It brings the outdoors, fantasy, and lightheartedness inside your home, all while adding height and depth to your room.  It can be limited to a space circumscribed around a chandelier

Banana leaves around chandelier

Or, it can be contained in a square, or inside a tray ceiling. 

Banana leaves in the sky

A tropical sky with palm or banana tree leaves adds a lot of fun, whereas a pure azure with swallows and shredded clouds accommodates a traditional or contemporary look.

Azure sky with swallows

Vertical walls provide an excellent canvas for a serene sky as well, accompanied by flying creatures or engines of your imagination: airplanes, balloons, fish, etc.  In a closed space such as an entrance, a painted sky will push back the walls; on slanted ceilings, accompanied by a trellis, it will open the roof to nature.

Bathroom with trellis.

Sky with trellis , birds and butterflies.

This is also a wonderful theme for a nursery: against this azure backdrop, trees, birds or flying engines will always look charming and amusing.

Hot air balloons on nursery walls.

 The key to a convincing sky is to keep it light to save the impression of the infinite expanse it conveys.

Light sky with birds

Sky with bird.

A client of mine inherited family furniture and decided to keep them for sentimental and practical reasons. They certainly were functional and of high quality, but their color was the snag: they were painted in a flamboyant 50’s yellow ornate with a garland of red and green flowers.

Giant 1950’s Italianate headboard

One of the pieces was an extra long Italianate “bombe” chest, and the other a matching curvaceous headboard. To suit her new bachelor pad, my customer envisioned something more modern and sleek. Since she had picked a neutral palette for her apartment, we decided to go with a metallic color, “Nickel” from Modern Masters to make the furniture more lively and precious. In order to reach our final faux finish, I lightly sanded the pieces and primed them with an off white finish.

Headboard partly primed in grey

Extra long primed Bombe chest

I rolled the metallic paint over this base coat and brushed it very delicately to create a “strie” finish. On the headboard, I brushed the paint horizontally to imitate the raw silk characteristics.

Headboard with horizontal “strie” finish

On the chest, I divided the top surface into three different squares that were framed by a dragging effect in a different direction.

Top of chest divided into 3 sections of framed “strie” finish.

Detail of “strie” finish on the top

It brought a discreet and very sophisticated touch as it broke the monotony of a long surface top.  Because this “nickel” metallic shade is semi-opaque, the off white base coat was still visible underneath and contributed to lightening up the piece and giving it a fresher and cleaner look. The metallic paint is shinier under the light of the camera flash than in real life, where it looks quite subdued, as you can see on the pictures above.

Bombe chest modernized with metallic “Strie” finish, in hazelnut color.

Faux finished chest in pale hazelnut “strie” color.

The sides of the chest were also faux painted with a “strie” done horizontally and framed, following the structure of this piece of furniture. Now these two elements are well integrated in a modern décor.

In many older houses, rooms are small and sometimes partitioned by walls pierced with archways. As I have previously written here on this subject, today we prefer large open spaces that allow us to live, entertain, and work at the same time. In this 1930s house, the dining room and sitting room communicated through an arched opening that had a 22″ high wall above the arch.

View from dining room before

Clearly, the division reduced the floor space, and the low archway visually lowered the height of the ceiling.

Dining room with low archway

When one was standing in either room, only part of the ceiling of the other room was visible because its view was blocked by the top of the opening archway.  So we decided to take down most of the wall, leaving just a narrow partition on one side.

LR with section of wall to be demolished

We had to first ensure that the wall was neither a bearing wall, nor hiding electrical wires, forced air conducts or plumbing elements. The demolition was not as easy as it would have been with a modern wall because in the 30’s, walls were made of plaster and mesh which is very heavy and more difficult to cut. The repair on the wood floor was also tricky: it is challenging to find the same wood and achieve a stain matching the existing wood floor.

New large living room.

The result was well worth the effort though, yielding a manifold improvement: we have the illusion of a higher ceiling.

New LR seen from ex-sitting room

And, more light floods into the new room.

Bright new LR seen from former DR

It is also easier to circulate.

New LR seen from ex-sitting room

To your sledgehammers!