Thursday, September 3, 2009

Build Vintage Furniture

Wrought-iron is often used in vintage furniture


According to Webster's Dictionary, "vintage" is defined as "a period of origin or manufacture" within a specified time. Many craftsmen and craftswomen enjoy the challenge of building their own furniture with a vintage style, imitating a particular era, then painting and finishing in the same style. The appearance is also achieved by simply re-finishing modern furniture to have a vintage look, thus eliminating the building step.


Instructions


1. Select the particular era of furniture you want to create. Keep in mind is that vintage furniture is furniture produced within the past 100 years while antique furniture is classified as being at least 100 years old. Visit vintage shops and look at photos of vintage furniture in resources such as the library and the Internet.


2. Visit craft and hobby stores for woodworking/furniture patterns. Select the pattern that most fits the look you picked out for your specific project. For instance if you plan on building a table to resemble those used in the 1950s and 1960s, look for "retro" plans with kidney or boomerang shapes. If you want a more elegant vintage style, look to 1930s-style designs such as those that include glass, chrome and steel accents.


3. Assemble or build the furniture as specified by the plans' instructions. Feel free to experiment with adding and subtracting certain elements of the plan if you have advanced woodworking experience; beginners should likely stick to the plan for the first time to avoid making any errors.


4. Decorate your newly built furniture with an applicable vintage finish. Furniture from the 1900s to the 1950s typically has a "weathered" look to it in many cases, especially wood. Start by painting a dark color as a base. Use a white or beige color paint with polyurethane varnish to give a streaky, chipped paint (weathered) look to tabletops, chairs and shelves.


5. Use vintage or vintage-inspired items to decorate and accent the areas around and on your new furniture (if applicable). Features such as a white candelabra, wrought-iron mirrors, floral bouquets and "weathered" photo frames are all viable options for many vintage styles.

Tags: vintage furniture, furniture with, vintage style, weathered look