Dawnsboutique: furniture

If you have a functional but outdated piece of furniture such as a night table or desk that you don't want to throw out consider revamping it with paint and fabric.

Sometimes we tend to overlook certain vintage furnishings because they are no longer aesthetically pleasing and store them in the garage or guest room. That outdated piece of furniture can be brought back to life with the right paint color and decorative fabric.

Below is a step-by-step guide to transform an outdated console table, desk or cabinet:

Supplies:

sandpaper, primer, paint, fabric, scissors, paintbrush, white glue, white paper, cardboard, razor knife, acrylic medium.

Step 1:

Sand the desired furniture, apply primer and sand again. Then apply paint color and let it dry. Sand and paint one more time. Cut the fabric (with scissors) along the outline of the design and brush a coat of white glue onto the reverse side of cut fabric.

Step 2:

Place the cut fabric onto the white paper (glue side down) and smooth it out. To ensure that the glue dries completely place books on top to flatten the fabric.

Step 3:

Use the razor knife to cut the design from the fabric but make sure your utility table is well protected from the razor knife by placing a piece of cardboard on top of it.

Step 4:

Brush white glue onto the reverse side of the cut out fabric and position it on the furniture. When the design is completely dry seal it with a coat of acrylic medium.

Tip:

The above materials can be purchased from an arts and crafts store. Use alkyd primer and paint for best results.

Give that old piece of furniture life again by updating it with paint and fabric just like the ones above.

Eclectic design is simply a combination of different decorating styles to create one individual look. For example, if your favorite style of decorating is traditional but you also love modern and the Asian look, you can mix all three and produce a vibrant eclectic style of your own. If you want to showcase your personality in a room, the eclectic style is probably your best avenue to do so. Whether it's showcasing your collection of vintage pieces or contemporary art sculptures, eclectic design is a good choice.

In order for the eclectic style to look and feel harmonious, it must be balanced with these elements: color, texture, furniture, proportion and scale.

Color

Start with a neutral color scheme such as creams or whites as a foundation and mix in your favorite bold color palette such as oranges or reds.

Texture

Choose fabrics with rich texture such as velvet and bold patterns such as checkerboard, plaids and tapestry. Accessorize your fabric choices with tassels and trim. Adding wallpaper to your walls is a great example as it will not only give it texture but pattern as well.

Proportion and Scale

One of the most important elements in eclectic design is scale and proportion. Make sure that your furnishings and accessories are scaled to proportion; otherwise your room will tend to look unbalanced. (see slideshow).

Furniture

To make a bold statement add ethnic furniture or period furniture to the mix, e.g. an Asian print screen, African console table with wood carvings or vintage table and chairs.

Below are good examples of the eclectic style of decorating: