How To Decorate WITHOUT Painting Your Antique Furniture

Once upon a time, I used to think it was problematic to decorate without painting your antique furniture. Old pieces can look heavy and cumbersome. They can dominate a room in a bad way. The colour of old stained timber can be awful which is one of the reasons many of us choose to paint these pieces. It’s easier to slap a coat of chalk paint on than it is to strip it back. Lately, though, I’ve been seen old furniture making a comeback in an unpainted state. Decorators seem to be embracing brown furniture again. They’re stripping and bleaching to let the timber really shine through. Most of the furniture I paint is worth nothing, so a coat of paint only enhances it. But what do you do if you’ve acquired a piece you know is antique and you know you shouldn’t take a brush to it? How do you decorate around grandma’s old oak dresser?

Consider the Wood Tone When Decorating with Antique Furniture

If you love the shape and design of the piece but aren’t in love with the colour of the wood, think about ways you can tone it down. English oak and pine would be my two LEAST favourite kinds of wood, yet most of the furniture in our home is made from these timbers. They were cheap and easy to work with. I love my kitchen dresser. It’s super feminine with its Queen Ann legs. The dresser has an open bottom that adds a dainty air to our living space. But the colour is not something I love.

So, one thing I did was to put a lot of white around the oak, effectively drowning out the colour with this neutral. Standing it against a creamy wall with yellow undertones has neutralised the oak a little more. The colour tones of your piece should always be considered. Yellow or orange hues can be toned down by blending them with creamy walls or lots of white. You can make a bold statement (see below) by contrasting them with greens.

Make a Statement of It

Another way to decorate with antique furniture without painting it is to make a statement of it. In the picture above, the designer has added pattern in a contrasting colour to the orange hue of the wood cabinet. Not only does this tone down the orange but it makes the cabinet really pop out from the wall. The gold in the mirror ties into to theme but does not let the mirror outshine the lovely shape of the cabinet.

Mix Timber Types

Back in the 70’s and 80’s all your timber had to match. That was how we ended up with whole houses that look like a Swiss Ski lodge. Pine wall lining, pine furniture. BIG PINE HEADACHE!

Since then, we’ve discovered it’s okay to mix timbers. In fact, when decorating with antique furniture, choosing a range of wood enhances the look. The key to doing this well is the same as the mixing patterns or old and new. Have a dominant timber or timber tone and apply the 60/30/10 rule

Strip, Bleach or Have the Wood Professionally Refinished.

One way to make the timber more appealing is to strip or bleach it. This is probably one step away from painting and takes about the same amount of work. Stripping involves taking all the varnish and stain off using paint stripper and sanding to reveal the raw wood. You can then add a clear coat of wax or varnish to protect the wood. The day bed in my office has been treated in this manner.

If you strip the piece and decide you don’t like the colour, you can always stain it with a colour you do like so the timber still shows through as I did with the cabinet in our hall. Bleaching wood is easy too using household bleach. The resulting look is a weathered effect perfect for a coastal or cottage vibe.

Another way to use old pieces and love them is to have them professionally refinished. You could do this yourself but there are some things better left to those who’ve been trained. Often it’s not the wood that’s an awful colour. The varnish or shellac that’s discoloured over time. Having a professional refinish the piece in a newer more modern stain could bring the piece into its own again. It might be expensive but it would be worth it to know you’ve saved a piece and given it a new life.

Want to see more of how we mix old and new timbers in our farmhouse?