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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. Your life is so cool! My gosh that looks like fun.

    Thanks for the tour. I’m glad you’ve found renewed energy around painting furniture.

    I think it stands to reason that we get bored when we do the same thing. That is especially true of creative people. We tend to master something, than we’re ready to move on.

    I think too that you’ll find as your boys grow, their furniture needs will also change so you may look at some of your garage/basement stash in a different way.

    OR….time to host a garage sale, clear out your stash and start fresh. Sometimes a bare canvas is the best canvas of all.

    1. Hey, Alys! So funny, but my life is actually getting more cool by the minute! I was thinking last week when I was on the photo shoot with Duluth and then this past week actually at Amy Howard’s house and workshop, “OMG, I used to work in that terrible office!” [my old day-job]. I worked for a bear-of-a-micro-manager and you couldn’t even fart without permission. HA! Now, I’m getting to do the fun things I have always wanted to do. Who know how long it will last, or what will come next, but yes, I’m enjoying this, and I’m glad you’re along for the ride, Alys! 🙂

      1. I’m so happy to be here, and delighted that Duluth had you back. Clearly you’ve left a wonderful impression.

  2. Gracie Redfield says:

    It’s all good!—Painted, unpainted, stained, bright colors, neutrals, etc. I first started painting furniture at the age of nineteen; my husband and I purchased unfinished furniture for the nursery (we were expecting our first child). This was in the late 60’s, when “antiquing” furniture became popular, and the technique is still around today, with variations. I do get enjoyment and satisfaction when I “rescue” a castoff piece and give it a new look and a new life.
    Your photos are beautiful! I always enjoy seeing the creativity of “kindred spirits”. 🙂

    1. Oh, wow, Gracie! Since the 60’s?? Okay, then it’s settled–painted furniture will never go away!! 🙂 Love that you’ve had a lifetime of furniture makeovers!

  3. I think what isn’t dead is people’s individuality when it comes to decorating their home. While making a large purchase, my couch, I had a friend advise me not to buy based on what is in style but rather based on what I love and then you will be happy with it until it falls apart. I try to remember that advice when making changes in my home. Furniture can always be recovered, repainted, restrained – it is what you love that matters.

    1. You are so right, Carol! As long as you love something, it’s always relevant. My sofa is the same way. I fell in love with it in 2002 or 2003 when we bought it and I thought it was pretty hip and in style. What do I know! 🙂 But I’ve loved that sofa for a long time and have nursed 3 babies on it, so it will always be special, no matter what’s in style! Same with painted furniture :).

  4. Some pieces just call for paint, but if the wood is beautiful, no way. Also I’m going to have to correct you on something, and I apologize, but it’s making me a bit crazy. It’s shutters not shudders. There, I feel so much better now. 😉

    1. LOL! I totally knew that, Julie. HA! I didn’t proof my post because I’m on this new kick to get my posts out in a timely manner. I forego spelling. Silly me. I’ll make that change! And I agree with you, if the wood is beautiful, it’s hard to paint. I’m finding that with the fresh pieces of wood that I build stuff with, it’s hard to paint because the wood is so bare and I love seeing the grain. I’ll usually stain those pieces!

  5. Linda Reed says:

    I love unpainted furniture and I like painted furniture. I have stripped furniture in the past with the plan to paint it, but every time, the wood was so beautiful I couldn’t cover it with paint. I do own a couple pieces of furniture that I purchased. I have an ugly 1927 Thomasville dining room that think after I get it ready for paint, I will paint it. I want to try painting some furniture, so I am hoping the wood does not speak to me when I get it ready to paint. and I will put the paint on it.

    1. Hey there, Linda! I totally agree! I have stripped some things and can’t paint it once I see that grain. It’s soooo pretty. I was saying in another comment that when I build something from scratch with fresh wood, it’s hard for me to paint it because the grain looks so nice. I can’t wait to see if you paint your dining room table. The bright side is that if you do, you can always strip it in a few years and do the natural look, too! 🙂

  6. Love it, keep Thrift Diving coming!

  7. Fenella Tonkin says:

    Oops that should be out with the colonial furniture, out not our.

  8. Fenella Tonkin says:

    Hi. I am down in New Zealand and painted furniture has always been a bit iffy and in and out but I love it and this Christmas when the auction house I work for (I catalogue antiques at John Cordys Ltd, I have the best job!!) closes down for four weeks (it is our summer) I will be redoing my bedroom. Our with the colonial antique furniture and in with the chalk painted numbers. I am picking up pieces at work at our weekly estate sales and will be painting them. I will be painting the walls and ceiling a light “dirty” turquoise and on one wall I will be rolling a pattern in brown with one of my new patterned rollers. All the Victorian and Edwardian antique Pears prints are going to be replaced with one or two original still life paintings. Remember at the end of the day IT IS YOUR HOUSE. It is not a show home, it is not the interior decorator’s house, it is yours. Decorate it how you damn well please.

    1. Wow, a whole 4 weeks closed down?! Say it’s not just a New Zealand thing! Lucky you; we don’t take vacation so nicely here in the U.S.! And I agree–whatever floats your boat! 🙂 Decorate as you please, girlfriend!

  9. I have three pieces of painted furniture and two of those are end tables in my teen son’s bedroom. They are very heavy, solid oak and were in very good condition. I just didn’t care for the oak, he needed tables and they were super cheap. ($25 for the pair) They can always be stripped so it isn’t a big deal.

    The other is an antique buffet. We painted the body and stained the top. Again, not an expensive piece to begin with. None of these pieces were sanded after painting. They were just painted and waxed. I do wish that I was talented enough to add painted birds and branches to the buffet.

    Do I think that painted furniture is dead? No. I’m tired of it though. Like anything else, it can be overdone. I think we might start to see it used as more of an occasional accent piece.

    1. Ahhh….great point, Sheila! “Do I think that painted furniture is dead? No. I’m tired of it, though.” That’s how I was feeling! Painted furniture is everywhere, and after awhile, you start craving something else, something different. I think that’s why I’ve been doing more staining!

  10. I agree with previous comments that painted furniture will always have its place. I loved the tour of Amy’s home and can’t wait for your next post.

    1. You would have loved the upstairs, too, Lisa! I realized that I didn’t get pictures of the upstairs. I did Periscope from her house, but didn’t save it. It was sooo pretty! I even liked the wallpaper in the kiddie room, which is unheard of. I usually hate wallpaper. LOL!

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