Wicker porch furniture welcomes visitors at an Ontario home.
Wrought iron and wicker are both traditional garden and patio styles. But whether you're decorating indoors or outdoors, combining the two materials gives a fresh, relaxing and elegant effect, reminding you and your guests of a comfortable afternoon in the garden. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Combining Wrought Iron and Wicker
1. Assess the wrought iron and wicker pieces you have. Decide which material dominates the collection. Wrought iron is bold and elegant, drawing the eye with its flat black color wherever it is placed. Wicker has less impact, but is likely to be the larger pieces of furniture. Decide which pieces of each material you want in the room. Set the others aside for possible use later.
2. Place the large furniture in the spots you want it. Think outside your usual room design; consider putting chairs at angles and couches away from the wall for a new look to the area. If the room looks too bare for you, add some of the secondary items you set aside.
3. Decide where to put smaller items. A wrought iron frame, candle holder or wall art piece can go on a wicker table; a wicker footstool with a colored cushion can go at the foot of a wrought iron chair. Be sure not to place all the wicker on one side of the room, and the same goes for the wrought iron. Create a mix of the two styles throughout the whole room.
4. Unite the room with other accents. A common color or pattern can tie disparate decorating elements together. Choose fabrics, ribbons and paints that can make a theme. For instance, take inspiration from the garden and choose shades of green, or leaf and herb patterns to add to your design. If you prefer a more dramatic room, choose deep reds and purples, with a Moroccan or Spanish print. Wrought iron is a hallmark of French, Spanish and Italian architecture; you may want to design the room around one of these styles.
5. Alter your pieces as needed. You may want to weave a sage-green ribbon through the openings in a wicker chair, or reupholster the cushions on a couch in a fabric matching your theme. If the area you are decorating is outdoors, give flowerpots or bird feeders an update to match your decor. For an eye-catching wicker-based decor, consider repainting your wicker furniture in a new color or two.
Repainting Your Wicker
6. Clean the wicker well. Wipe it down, getting rid of any dust and dirt. Place old newspapers or plastic sheeting under the item and around the area you are painting in.
7. Remove old paint, if applicable. Use a soft wire brush to scrape off as much as you can. If the paint is flaking in large pieces, you can use a flat-head screwdriver or a paint scraper, but take care not to damage the wicker. When you're done, lightly sand any rough spots, and give the whole piece a light rough-up with the sandpaper, to help the paint stick better.
8. Prime the wicker. Spray the furniture with a neutral-colored latex primer. This will provide a base coat so that the colored paint does not soak into the wicker.
9. Spray paint the wicker. Follow directions on the paint, shaking thoroughly and holding the nozzle the recommended distance from the material you are painting. Spray slowly back and forth across the wicker, shaking the can intermittently. The paint should be dry enough for a second coat, if needed, in about an hour.
10. If desired, do a two-tone piece of furniture by using a different color on the second coat. Use craft paper and masking tape to cover areas that you want to stay the first color. Tape paper over the back of any open-weave parts of the wicker if you don't want the paint to spray through onto the other color. Spray the second color as you did the first, and let dry.
Tags: Decide which, iron wicker, second coat, wicker Spray, Wrought iron, wrought iron
