It's no secret that I just LOVE gold in the home. I truly believe that gold adds an element of luxury, similar to what jewelry adds to an outfit. A few years ago, the only way to go gold in the home was vintage as there just wasn't enough of it in the marketplace. That OR you could just paint it. Back then, I loved to paint anything and everything gold and I still do. While today you can just head over to HomeGoods or even Hobby Lobby and pick up gold accents for the home, I am still a fan of the gold DIY. I get emails and call all the time asking me about how I added gold to this table (in photo above). Today, I will share with you my favorite ways to go for the gold.
PAINT THE ACCENTS: I'm a big fan of metallic ceilings AND metallic furniture. I once walked into a boutique in Soho where I saw a round Saarinen tulip table and the bottom of it was chrome. This is what gave me the idea for painting my clients tulip table gold and It ended up being the most fab thing in the room. You could not walk into the space and miss the table. It's different, unique and a totally cool twist on the table. In the same project, we painted the ceiling gold. It was literally a showstopper and looked so fabulous in photos. I still to this day get asked about these GOLD projects.
[In this project the painters used BENJAMIN MOORE Metallic Glaze paint in Gold. Several coats were needed for the ceiling AND the dining table. ]
I've painted mine at home too, total DIY. Here it is in the early stages of the dining room decorating process. Now for the HOW TO PAINT IT: Metallics can be very hard to paint as most of the metallic paints are a sort of thin, see through paint. The TWO keys to successful metallic painting are layering on about 3 coats + using the same direction of brush strokes. You've got to be very careful in this process because the brush strokes show up in the finished product. I chose an up and down stroke for a sunburst like impact on the bottom of the table.
In addition to painting accent furniture and ceilings. I'm all about PAINTING HARDWARE GOLD. I can not tell you how many kitchens, baths, etc that I have seen updated by just painting the hardware gold. It's easy and affordable and looks so GOOD!
I loved this BEFORE/AFTER from A Prudent Life's ORC. She got some inexpensive but modern silver pulls and painted them gold. The cabinetry looks much more polished now, don't you agree? I also loved this kitchen makeover featured on One Kings Lane. The gold hardware gives this very old kitchen the glamour that it deserves.
For any and all hardware, I suggest spray paint. For any other gold project I like regular hand painting because the messy vibe of that looks more authentic.
TIPS FOR SPRAYPAINT: 1. Rust metal primer. This one is hands down the BEST. You must prime metal for an even coat. 2. Pick the right gold. [I like this Gold Chrome one , but that is my personal preference. I see a lot of this Metallic finish. You will always want to do a top coat of the semi gloss Polyurethane for a nice finish.
I am also a huge fan of incorporating VINTAGE BRASS. Here in my old living room, I have a lamp I found for 3$ at my local thrift. Such a score and once I polished it up with some brass polish, it became brilliantly beautiful and new! I love the look and feel of vintage golds, polish really does wonders. What you want to look out for are beautiful shapes and make sure there no green stains, those are the hardest to remove. I also am a fan of the vintage gold frames, they are made so well and the finish is beautiful.
See how great this vintage brass lamp just turns this space up to an entirely different level. What you also see here is that it doesn't have to be a very modern space to incorporate the glam gold look. This sort of shabby chic, rustic look now has a really luxurious feel with that touch gold vintage gold. Another way to add gold without going overboard is with gold mirrors. I'm obsessed with gorgeous gold antique mirrors but they can be pretty pricey. I once found this old mirror at a thrift shop for about 8$, it was pretty ugly wood and I LOVED the shape of it so I gave it a gold makeover and voila!
[ Now the mirror looks fab and glam. See the gold leaf makeover I did on the desk here. ]
1. For all vintage brass, make sure to clean it up with brass polish. This is a must!
2. Metallic craft paints. For my dining table I mixed Martha Stewart 'rose gold' with Anita's craft in 'classic gold'. This was such a pretty finish.
3. Creative concepts Leaf metal in Gold. I use this on mirrors, small items and anything I do with artwork. It's the most gorgeous look, the key with this look is using a clear glossy glue. I'm currently out but its in the gold leaf isle at the craft store.
With these things at home, you can go for gold at home with CONFIDENCE.
