to paint a precious antique?? i have loved these painted chairs since they appeared on the cover of Charleston Home last sept. which brings me to my dilemma...is it okay to go there...there begin taking an antique that has been in your family for decades and painting it!! my finger tips sweat a little just thinking of that thought!! i am all about painting an antique that you pick up at the local antique mall but what about one that has meaning and a past w/ your family??!i think that my DR chairs would look amazing lacquered like these...maybe in a chartreuse color. the chairs are gorgeous as is, but they don't give me the pizazz i am looking for in this space. my mom said to do it...but we haven't even told dad that it might happen, and those just happen to be from his side of the family- i am scared to even go there...dad can't really let items go to easily...in fact, he built a barn on some land of ours, just to house our unused furniture. i am also plagued with the dilemma of "will i ever regret doing this"?? as my neighbor says, you can always have them refinished down the road...well, lets hope we win the lottery by then!!
BUT sometimes i think i would love to just not have those chairs at all and replace them with these....that's the problem w/ being an interior designer...there are so many possibilities that its hard to actually make up your mind!! HELP!
i say paint 'em! what's fun about paint is in 2 years if you are tired of the color you can REPAINT them!
ReplyDelete- erika
I say leave them...I think they would look awesome painted but there is something to me about having an antique that is original and passed down through generations that represents where you came from...I am sure that there are plenty of other things that you can change an make an impact! :)
ReplyDeleteif you really want to paint them, paint them! if you pass it down, you will be a big part of the story!
ReplyDeletelove the modern chairs too!
Tough one! I am having a similar debate on just about every chair in my house. My rule: if the wood has a pretty patina, don't mess with them. The painted furniture fad will eventually end.
ReplyDeleteohhh I am so excited to comment on this! I JUST had a refinisher come out and look at 3 antiques I recently inherited from my Dad's side. When I mentioned "painting" them, he almost fell over. HOWEVER, he also thought they would look better "painted" but he educated me. Lacquering does not mean it has to have a high gloss...it's just a finish but it can be matte or shiny. That said, it costs a bit more to have your furniture professionally lacquered but if you ever wanted to strip it and refinish the wood, it comes off very easily. If you were to paint it, paint would always be in the wood and you'd never be able to get it back to the original condition. Nonetheless, thought I'd share this bit of info! That could be a great option for you. Post pics when you're done!!
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