Vintage interiors
> Five easy and affordable ways to achieve this timeless and comforting look
or linen ropes to the lamp stand. “With the first piece of rope at the base of the lampshade, work your way up. Do it slowly so that the glue dries properly,” says Fong.
Shabby chic wall art Forget the expensive wall paper, wood art looks fantastic in shabby chic interiors, and this is an easy way to make it. “Browse through magazines or the internet and find a shabby chic painting of your liking, with that as a reference, replicate the art onto an old wooden cutting board from the kitchen, using a wood paint palette.”
“To accentuate the wooden board, paint two lightweight door handles in a soft faded beige or white colour and super glue them to the horizontal sides of the board,” she informs.
‘Vintage’ accessories “Every shabby chic interior needs a vintage flower vase,” says Fong. “This adds a finishing touch to the overall look.” Pick some old tin or glass bottle and thoroughly clean the bottle with water and soap. Dry it and paint with a colour of your choice.
Once the paint has dried, use metallic or gold coloured sparkles that can be found in art stores, and glue them to the bottom of the bottle, and add long stemmed flowers of choice to your ‘vintage’ flower vase.
Distressed mirror A distressed mirror works very well in shabby chic interiors. Before starting this task, make sure to use gloves and protective eyewear.
“Go outdoors for this project and pour muriatic acid in a spray bottle. Using the mist outlet, spray the acid onto the parts of the mirror where you want the antique spots to show up, this generates a sputtering effect.” says Fong.
“Allow it to sit until the acid removes the reflective surface. Blot away any excess acid with a dry cotton towel, then wipe with a damp towel,” she concludes.
For an added shabby chic look, spray gold paint on the frames of any paintings or framed photographs or use gold frames itself if desired. Email your feedback and queries to: propertyqs@thesundaily.com