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Is Painted Furniture Dead? Or is Painted Furniture Here to Stay?

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Is Painted Furniture Dead? What are YOUR thoughts? Weigh in! - Thrift Diving

Everywhere you turn, everyone and their Mama is painting furniture. It’s become so popular that even places like Home Goods have been biting off of the “DIY furniture” look. If you were to stand them side-by-side, you’d probably not be able to tell the difference (until you pull the drawer open, only to have the cheapie Home Goods one nearly fall over. HA!).

So it’s kind of counterintuitive for me to ask, but….

Is Painted Furniture Dead?

Related: When Should You NOT Paint Wood Furniture?

 

Vintage Vanity Makeover with Scandinavian Pink - Thrift Diving

I confess that I’ve been doing less furniture painting projects.

There are a couple reasons why I’ve been painting less furniture even though I know people love them so much.

First, I am running out of places to put my pieces. I started this blog when we moved into our old 1973 house and it needed fixing up and rooms filled. I ran off to the thrift store to find all the best pieces I could refinish and put into our home (see my project gallery).

Well, now that rooms are getting full and since I don’t sell my pieces (and because my garage is looking like something from Hoarders: DIY Blogger Style), well, I have been focusing more on making smaller crafts (like this DIY drink holder and my pretty little DIY wooden notebook) that take up less space. I still do furniture, just not quite so much.

But I admit that painted furniture was beginning to bother me.

Everywhere I looked, there was painted furniture online–people slapping coats of paint on something, roughing it up with big patches of sandpaper, slathering on dark wax to make it look old and dirty and calling it artistic. Pretty soon, it all just started to look the same and I wasn’t as inspired anymore. I began turning to more creative outlets like learning to make stuff with power tools so that I could expand my creativity beyond just painting thrifted furniture.

And I started getting a little bored with it.

But Then This Happened…

I met Amy Howard.

Is Painted Furniture Dead? See how things went at Amy Howard's house. - Thrift Diving

You may not have heard of her, but she’s the Amy behind Amy Howard at Home brand of furniture paints.

She had invited me and 14 other bloggers to her house (yes, her house!! ) and to her studio for a painting workshop in Memphis, Tennessee.  I was excited–not just to see my blogger buddies, but to meet the woman that has been inspiring bloggers with her book called A Maker’s Guide, which is a must-have for any creative person who wants to start a business using her creative gifts.

The Most Awesome “Little” DIY House

Amy had invited us to her house for drinks and finger foods, and to give us a tour of her home.

When I first walked in, I felt like I was walking onto the pages of House Beautiful or something. It didn’t feel like a house I could ever create because it seemed too perfect (where were the LEGOS and fingerprints on the walls?!). It was funny how she kept saying the house was “little” and is the transition house while she and her husband build their farmhouse because the house seemed big and spacious to all of us!

But what I learned was amazing: Amy and her husband had gutted the whole house themselves and everything in the home was either “rescued” (her word) or built by her and her husband.

 

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour. - Thrift Diving

 

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour wooden buffet. - Thrift Diving

 

Here was a successful businesswoman who loved old things just like me.

…Who loved to build, like me.

…Who had built this bed in her bedroom (which I was so afraid I’d spill red wine all over!) and painted it to look amazingly expensive (she even built these stools!).

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour master bedroom. - Thrift Diving

….Who used her own brand of vibrant lacquer spray to make her bathroom “POP.”

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour half bathroom. - Thrift Diving

She even put up these awesome shutters to hide her food pantry!

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour pantry shutters. - Thrift Diving

 

She built this armoire in her bedroom, too, and I think she painted (or maybe stained) it.

 

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour bedroom wardrobe. - Thrift Diving

 

And the walls were covered in piping and fabric, with padding underneath!

 

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour fabric walls. - Thrift Diving

Her bathroom was equally gorgeous. She told us she chose the cheapest floor tile she could find, but when placed in a herringbone pattern, it made it look expensive.

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour master bathroom. - Thrift Diving
And she designed and built these oak dressers, too, and used liming wax on them to bring out the grain, keeping them natural.

I believe she also built or rescued those stools and painted them, too.

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour living room. - Thrift Diving

 

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour fireplace. - Thrift Diving
The following day we went to her studio and learned some awesome furniture painting techniques, such as how to use dust of ages and wax to age furniture.

But I left her house and that workshop feeling inspired.

I left learning techniques that truly transformed a piece into something so beautiful that it looked like it belonged in House Beautiful.

I left feeling like I could now do something more than just “paint furniture,” but I could really make it look extraordinary.

I also learned that sometimes you don’t have to paint a piece of furniture to make it beautiful.

So…No…Painted Furniture Isn’t Dead

But I do think it’s changing.

No longer is furniture painting about just adding a couple coats and walking away proud.

That would be like applying foundation to your face and forgetting to add the blush, lipstick, mascara…then saying you’re ready for the ball. HA!

No.

It’s about the finishes…that extra “oomph” that you give a piece.

(My favorite products from her line are the liming wax, spray lacquer, Dust of Ages, and the zinc antiquing solution.

And that’s what I have been bored with–that lack of “oomph” that furniture painting in the DIY industry.

 

Is Painted Furniture Dead? Amy Howard home tour family room sofa. - Thrift Diving

UPDATE: More Stripped and Natural Projects

Because my love of natural wood has grown (check out Understanding Wood: 7 Things You MUST Know Before You Refinish or Build Your Next Project), I’ve been doing many more projects with wood.

This mid-century modern dresser would have been ruined with paint. Instead, I stripped it back to its original beauty.

 

Mid-century modern dresser stripped and refinished. - BEFORE & AFTER - Thrift Diving

I also love to use paint on the body, but keep the tops natural, like this eat-in kitchen table makeover using Beyond Paint.

 

In my opinion, painted furniture is here to stay, but again, it’s not about adding a coat of paint and calling it a day. It’s about going above and beyond to bring out wood’s natural beauty when you can, and when wood needs to be painted, you can use any one of these furniture paints to achieve a pretty painted look.

So What Do YOU Think?

Do you think that painted furniture it dead? Or do you feel excited about the next generation of products and techniques that are going to take furniture painting to the next level?

Leave a comment below and add to the conversation!

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68 Comments

  1. Mary stewsrt says:

    Painted furniture will never go out of style as long as people.donate it to thrift shops,goodwill and others. Because it’s old, not their style any more or whatever
    I will e mail you my latest piece.i even picked up Instagram followers with it.i do sell my stuff. You know what my porch always look like lol

  2. I agree with all of your readers” comments; I think it”s good to mix your furniture types and colors. Look how often fashion changes; just about every 2-3 yrs.I love to see all different styles of decorating and have people put their stamp on their home; after all “we all dance to a different drummer”. Sandee- Fairfax Va.

    1. Hey, Sandee! Wow, you’re in my area–kinda. I’m in Silver Spring! 🙂 I like the idea of a mix of furniture and colors. Although I do like that paint can unify a lot of mismatchy pieces!

  3. I totally agree; you put it in words what I was thinking about the same old painted furniture looks. However, I recently discovered Amy Howard paints at our Ace Hardware and was excited to see the new techniques. I’m looking forward to your posts on different techniques. Painted furniture is NOT dead!

    1. I’m so excited that she sells at Ace stores, Therese! The one close to me doesn’t carry it, so I had to drive about 9 miles to get it. But yes, she’s got a lot of great products that are getting me excited, like the spray lacquer and the zinc antiquing solution!

  4. I think decorating goes through phases similar to fashion because people get tired of seeing the same thing over and over.

    As in fashion, neutrality, design and quality, especially quality of workmanship makes “the” difference. Just as classic clothing wears well over long periods of time and never goes out of style, so quality furniture and decorating lasts and never goes out of style.

    The biggest chunk of my decorating style is cottage, with bits of Victorian, country, traditional and attic mixed in, so I will always want some painted pieces.

    Painted furniture will always have it’s place. But it pays to start with a solid piece and take the time to do the very best job one can, using the very best quality materials one can afford. That translates into learning as much as one can about techniques and materials. That’s where you come in, Serena. It’s folks like you who are willing and able to learn and then teach those of us who cannot go where you go. A BIG thank you. I’m looking forward to hearing more!

    1. Teckla, what great points! And you said it best–when you start with quality pieces and take your time to make them look fabulous, they look timeless. That’s what I felt about Amy Howard’s house. It was so timeless that you could fast-forward years from now and it would still look great! And I will do my best to show you what I learn, Teckla! 🙂 I was out in the garage tonight practicing with liming wax that she has! 🙂 I can’t wait to show you some fun stuff!

  5. I totally agree. A lot of the stuff I see is more and more basically the same but just with a different color. That’s why I’ve been adding that ‘oomph’ to my painted projects recently. Some people tell me, “why are adding all that? You won’t get your money’s worth”. Well, I totally disagree and truly believe that extra ‘something’ is what makes the piece special. An example is one of my latest blog posts, http://www.carlaruthsjunque.com/furniture/refurbished/make-it-black-and-white-please, where I added storage paraphernalia and some stencil work to really take the piece from ‘just painted’ to ‘really special’.
    Thanks, Carla

  6. Painted furniture has a long history; it has gone “in and out” of fashion; but it never has disappeared. There is a lot of painted junk out there – cheap pieces given a quick coat or two of paint and now called “vintage”. Amy Howard is not simply a gal who paints furniture – I’d consider her a creative artist and furniture designer with the ability to make the products she needs to get her own special look. That look is beautiful and in a class of its’ own.

    That being said painted junk will probably be relegated to the den or to kids rooms within the next few years. People will want a very different look – the design world does this often: for example you finally got the granite counters you always wanted and now everyone is talking about quartz. Blonde furniture is the newest rage (Mid Century modern) until Scandinavian design overtook it.

    Beautifully painted furniture that is very well done will last forever. If you love the look of what you have you should never change it for a current trend. It’s all about how you feel when you are inside your home whatever you love will be timeless for you. So if you want to, just now, begin a business involving painting furniture – probably not a good idea. If you are very artistic and creative and want to dedicate yourself to what you love – go right ahead. If you just like bright colors and happy furniture (more like me) you can enjoy it yourself but it probably won’t be a big seller soon. Remember those of us who love the “shabby chic” look and feminine romantic style furniture will not be giving that look up anytime soon. There will always be a market for the best designed and most high quality things. Most of us don’t want to go to those levels because of the extreme attention to detail and actual talent needed to do so.

    So glad you showed us Ann Howard’s home and will soon give us ideas on how to achieve that look. My next project is attempting to fabricate and paint a pallet headboard – so you can tell I’m not looking at high quality finishes and design I just want things that I enjoy around me.

  7. no, i don’t think painted furniture is dead. i’ve just been adding my own designs and using decoupage and stencils. i think it brings another leve to the furn

  8. Been wondering the same thing myself about painted furniture. The trick to painting furniture is to keep the technique in more of a classic syle so that you won’t get tired of it. Painted furnitue will always be around somewhere.

  9. Mad Margaret says:

    I certainly hope painted furniture isn’t dead because I just got started with it. But in researching what others have done, a lot of it is just boring. That sounds mean, and I don’t mean to be, because those painters are all well ahead of me.

    I’ll probably start at the boring point, but want to work up to achieving noteworthy pieces that have that extra attraction.

    Thanks for all of your posts. You’re really good!

    1. LOL, Margaret! Boring! Yeah, I have to agree with you. I love pieces that have that extra little something special–stencils, texture, sheen–something that makes it look a little more “you.” I’m wondering if maybe it could be that because I’m around painted furniture so much and that this is my career, that I just see it too much from everyone. I still love how it looks in my house, but I also know that at some point, some of these pieces may look dated.

  10. I agree with you. Take the painting ideas up a notch. I remember this lady from my childhood. While everyone had white walls, she realized that wasn’t going to work with her children. So with a sponge, she made textural fingertips and hand prints. She took paint up another level. As children, we could now touch her walls. I think the same holds true for painting anything in the home.

    I loved your pictures. Excellent.

    1. That’s a great story! It kind of reminds me of something I always say: decorate around your eye sore. Like in my kids’ bathroom, the tub/shower is avocado green. Instead of paying hundreds to replace it or try to paint it (not gonna happen), I chose colors that work WITH the green instead of trying to replace or mask it.

      Love that the woman worked with her reality instead of trying to be something else!

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