I'm head over heels about this reclaimed coffee table, £85 from Nova & Lorsten on Folksy. It's been decoupaged with images of classic film noir posters, then given a resin finish to make it more practical. It's kitschy, colourful and quirky without being too tacky, and as long as you kept the rest of the room simple, it'd make a unique statement piece guaranteed to get guests cooing over how original it is.I also love their idea of "creating decoupaged swans from ugly ducklings - furniture which is scuffed and unloved and only good for the tip." The idea of transforming a plain and simple piece of furniture you nabbed primarily for its cheap price tag from a thrift shop or somewhere like Ikea into interior design porn is a very romantic one, and one which can be much more eco- and wallet-friendly than buying ready-made fancy furniture.
So much so that although I know for a fact that the results wouldn't be anywhere near as immaculate as Nova & Lorsten's version, gazing upon their heavenly homemade items does make me tempted to break out the scissors, varnish and glue and attempt to transform every piece of plain furniture I can get my grubby mitts on. Don't worry, I'll make sure I keep you posted on the inevitable DIY disasters.
Have you got crafty with PVA, sewing machine or paint pot and want to show off how clever you are? Or have you tried to execute a grandiose Changing Rooms-style home makeover, and ended up in a mess of MDF, staplegun accidents and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen diva fits? Make sure to tell us in the comments if so!
This is so nice! And only £85! Shame I don't have the space for it *anywhere*
ReplyDeleteI know! Bargain. You could always try it with a smaller bedside table. I'll help. And try not to make too much mess.
ReplyDeleteits a gorgeous table! i sell silver bookmarks on folksy :o)
ReplyDeleteLOVE decoupage. The only problem with doing it at home is that you can't use glossy paper. So whilst I think cutting up all of my old copies of Vogue is a good idea, the shiny paper doesn't work :-(
ReplyDeleteYou could colour photocopy them onto matte paper tho! But that does seem a bit more complicated...
ReplyDeletehello everyone - I am so happy to hear you like our table! what an honour!
ReplyDeleteSiany - what happens with the glossy paper? - how come it doesnt work for you? perhaps try using waterproof PVA before applying a finish - we use lots of it. It creates a barrier between the ink in the paper and the oil in the resin to prevent any discolouration. (we use two part epoxy- heat and water resistent and gives a thick magically glassy finish).
It also flattens down the surface created by overlaying layers of paper. Otherwise, glossy mags are perfect for paper beads. Another tip no matter what paper you are using - make sure you apply the pva to the paper, not the surface otherwise the paper will wrinkle.
much love to you all - now go decoupage!
Nova+Lorsten
Thanks for coming by guys, so pleased you like the post! I'll definitely by trying this, tho I know your work is far superior to mine...
ReplyDeletewell, anything we can help with, just let us know. We have a ridulous amount of fun doing this, so are more than happy to share top tips!
ReplyDeleteOh and by the way- the table sold today! we're so happy - I will be listing more stuff over the weekend, all comments and feedback welcome so dont feel shy about telling us what you think.
So good. I did a wardrobe years ago and people have been trying to buy it ever since.
ReplyDeleteSo guys, am I wrong about the whole glossy paper thing? I had a very good crafty source tell me this... it's one of the reasons I haven't gone to town on my desk. That, and the fact that I threw out all of my magazines before Habitat came over last month.
ReplyDeleteYou can use glossy paper, but if you do that you have to be more careful about what you use on top of it - I think!
ReplyDeleteHi Siany,
ReplyDeleteI did a chest of drawers in images from Kerrang! magazine many moons ago for a metal-head chum and I am sure that was on glossy paper. You've got me thinking now - I will do a materials test and get back to you...
OK - I have had a go at glossy paper and had fine results, I think. I had a go at decoupage in the style of pietra dura - so that meant cutting out tiny pieces of paper from glossy magazines to form the pattern.
ReplyDeleteSo don't be afraid of the glossy paper - PVA is your friend!
image can be found here: //i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc110/eclectico/pietradurabox2.jpg
Fabulous! I have a desk, i have lots of interiors magazines... snip snip glue, snip snip glue! :-)
ReplyDelete