DESIGN DETAILS GILDED TREASURES

We tell you how to add luxury to your home using gold leaf

The material Gold leaf is made of pieces of gold that have been hammered into a thin foil (silver and other metals are also available). It can be bought as transfer sheets within a book or on a roll. Pure gold can be very expensive, especially if you are applying it to large areas, but artificial gold is more affordable and, as it tends to be sold in thicker sheets, can be easier to apply. The preparation Lightly sand the surface that you want to gild. Use a gilders primer as an undercoat – it’s important that the surface is non-porous – in a colour that will act as an undertone for the leaf. Red will create warmth beneath gold, while grey or blue will complement the cooler tones of silver leaf. The application The adhesive used to apply the gold leaf to a surface is called size. It will dry to a tacky consistency within a few hours and, importantly, will stay that way long enough for you to apply the delicate leaf. If you are using transfer leaf, take a sheet out of the booklet and place it face down onto the ‘sized’ area. Gently rub the backing paper to release the gold onto the surface. As you continue gilding, overlap each leaf by about two millimetres. Loose leaf is trickier to handle and requires practice to apply – use a gilders knife to lift each leaf and blow on it to encourage it to lay flat. The trade trick If you are gilding a small area, cut each leaf into small mosaic squares. Dab some Vaseline on to your hand to lift each square and apply with a cotton bud. The finish Leave the gold leaf for a few hours before brushing lightly with a soft gilders brush to produce a burnished finish. 22-carat leaf does not oxidise and, therefore, does not need to be sealed, but a lower quality or artificial foil should be sealed with an acrylic topcoat to prevent tarnishing (try Gold Leaf Supplies). ➤

‘I have always seen myself more as a collector than a designer. It may seem devil-may-care to mix such disparate elements in my home. But it works’