FRESCO ON FURNITURE

This blog was originally posted on my other blog page - http://r-sharma.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm

FRESCO ON FURNITURE…INTERIOR DECORATION MY WAY

This is Part 3 of my series on my artsy hobbies.

Part 1 was titled “My Pencil Sketches”.

Part 2 was titled “My Acrylic Paintings Gallery”.

(All personal photos, Fresco design techniques and art shown below are a copyright of Ranjini Sharma.)

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My Dining Room

This blog is for my son as a keepsake! It is also going to be my catalog! A blog hopefully lasts longer than the decorations themselves!

Decorating my interiors has always been a cathartic experience for me. Nothing like a good shake-down! Your's truly has tried some radical concepts in interior decoration. If done my way, reorganizing any interior requires a complete overhaul of the old to replenish with the new. If only doctors could use my formula to rearrange interiors, medicine would truly become revolutionary! However, this is an expensive proposition, no two ways about it.

I have always been very interested in intricate designs and extensive carvings on wood. My eyes are particularly drawn towards inlays on furniture. But the lengths to which I went to bring that décor and create that ambiance in my own home is worthy of recording in this blog of mine for future generations of Sharmas to behold and be forewarned! This is where I would like to introduce the phrase “Interior Rehashing” which requires generous amounts of gumption mixed with substantial amounts of stubbornness and a heavy dose of Herculean tenacity. A backbone befitting Hercules’s broad back never hurts!

One boring summer, about 8 years ago, I decided to try furniture art for a new hobby! Crazy idea? Yes, absolutely! A monumental jump from pencil sketches and acrylic paintings to furniture creations! But I wanted to work with indigenous products and create something impressive with the same intricate carvings and inlay designs for less! I wanted to make my own designs on wood and dispel the belief that beauty has to be expensive! I did not want to limit my creativity to what I had seen in India alone. I wanted to incorporate design techniques from Europe, Thailand and Japan into whatever it was that I wanted to create!

However, I immediately ran into my first roadblock!

Myself! I weighed all of 110 pounds and I could not find one useful muscle on my frame! Any kind of tinkering with furniture requires brawn. How was I going to do it? After a decade of living here, our home was already furnished with regular American store furniture. We had purchased all the essential pieces to fit my lifestyle with a young boy running amuck! Our furniture already had some kind of standard wood finishing ranging, all the way from oak to maple. They were all big solid pieces like armoires, drawers and nightstands that were too heavy for me to move. My husband would probably help me carry each piece to the garage for my experiments. But who had the time or the drilling tools to reproduce those delicate designs?

That’s when I switched to plan ‘B’. I was going to restore my furniture in situ! I was not keen on overworking my bamboo arms. I decided to work only with paint and still create raised designs that one could feel with the touch of a hand. Stenciling had already been done in my home and I was not keen on repeating the same boring stuff. I looked around for small individual readymade carved wooden pieces which could be nailed or stuck to existing furniture, but they were super expensive! I then checked wallpaper and even plaster of Paris. Nothing really caught my eye. That’s when I came across this word called “Fresco”. I knew a little bit about Fresco. It was widely used in old European architecture to create the carved interior and exterior moldings. It normally comes in the form of white putty in a bucket. But as I was looking for molding material, I came across semi-finished ready-to-use rolls of sheets with wonderful “outlay” designs on them. These were raised designs, but they were plain and stark white!! These are not exactly Fresco but simple polyurethane type of soft material not suitable for rough use. The sheets were piled up for a clearance sale with no one to claim them! They were the very broad and cumbersome to work with. However as I stared at them, I was able to imagine what all I could do with them. I picked a few rolls and decided to work on my first masterpiece. They cost me about 25 dollars, but worth a try. This is the way each sheet looked like before painting.

Source: Internet

I also purchased several rolls of sandpaper and a can of high gloss wood varnish.

That night after dinner, I dragged an old oak nightstand from my bedroom into my garage. It was small and easy to work by myself.

I immediately started sanding down the solid oak piece without hesitation! For the next few hours, I gave the wood several coats of dark Cherry color varnish. Not an easy job because I wanted the varnish to have a smooth mirror finish! Each layer had to dry for several hours in between. By next evening, it was ready to take the designs. I measured the Fresco sheet and selectively cut patterns out of them. Symmetry is the essence to great furniture design. They were then glued according to my blueprint, directly to the furniture. A very messy process! Once dry, I reapplied the same varnish directly onto the Fresco design itself. I stood back and looked at the finished design. Although I had achieved the wonderful lacquered cherry finish I had craved for, the intricate designs were not distinct enough or outstanding in any way! I went to bed that night wondering what more I could do to give more depth and contrast to the designs.

Then it hit me!

Nail polish!! Acetone!! Paint remover!!! Eureka!! I couldn’t wait till the morn!

I ran to my garage with nail polish remover and a rag cloth. Dipping the cloth in acetone, I started delicately removing and peeling paint off the Fresco superficially. Voila! There they were! The designs stared back in all their glory! But, the Fresco seemed a bit soft to the touch! Who wants soft furniture that can be scratched easily, especially when you throw a young cat into the mix! So, I went back and painted another three coats of clear high-gloss varnish! I was amazed at the finished piece! I could see myself in the luster, and I had created an international mix of Thai intricacy, Taiwanese finish, and European Fresco with Indian carvings! The surface felt exactly like leather! It was easy to clean and hard enough to last forever!

(Please see all the photos of my finished furniture below)

With sheer tenacity (audacity is more like it), I decided to work on my entire set of brand new living room furniture!! The next few weeks were a crazy time for my poor husband. My arms and joints were not spared either. I had been sanding for many days and painting several layers on each surface!

“You are not going to sand down and paint our new Buffet & China Hutch, are you,” he asked meekly. I felt a bit nervous, but it was too tempting! I did exactly that!!

Every evening for almost a month, he would walk into a home with furniture in various stages of disarray! I had mop cloths, sand paper, varnish cans, brushes, cut pieces of designs and misarranged furniture all over the house! I had varnish on my skin and inside my nostrils! There was wood dust all over the house. However, my son never missed my presence because I somehow managed to cook, clean and help him with his homework as well! I cannot imagine what kind of creative ghost had gotten into me, but I was already in a muddle with partially sanded down furniture which needed to be fixed! I wanted all the pieces to match with each other, and yet have uniqueness to them. They each had their own patterns with slight variations. In about 25 days, I had completed my entire living room furniture designs. I had refurbished over 15 separate items in all! I had even managed to drag and push several of the big pieces all alone using brain over brawn…muscular men, make note!

It was time to start arranging and layering all the furnishings to showcase each piece of furniture. I layered silk fabrics, pillows, silk flowers, china, and porcelain pieces in varying levels to create height. I even tailored tablecloth with lace! Lighting was placed strategically to create an ambiance of an ornate hotel lobby. A lot more work went into the whole interior rehashing than I can describe here! All I can say is that the entire Fresco & painting project cost me only about 100 dollars altogether, not counting one lone woman’s labor!!!!!!

After 8 years of living with them, they have not been damaged in any way, except for minute nicks from my cat! Any kind of scratch is easily fixed by nail polish in a jiffy!

Amazingly, everyone who has walked into our home since then has wondered if our “expensive” furniture was imported! We have quizzed quite a few, but no one has guessed so far that they were all homemade!
I am never going to spend a fortune on beautiful furniture!

(Please see all the photos of my finished furniture below)

I will walk you through the following pictures from my living and dining rooms. Each photo has a brief description for those who are interested in furniture rehashing! I have tried to provide as many before and after pictures as I could. There are many more below simply as a catalog of everything I have done in one place!

1. Below is the before photo of my old wood finish. Drab!

2. Below is the before photo of the old nightstand with basic oak wood. Yucky brown dull oak!

3. Below is the after photo! I placed the nightstand on top of my bedroom drawers and painted them both. These were my first guinea pigs for my Fresco experiment. This is now in my living room with one lone Japanese lady and a decorative lamp.

4. Below is the close-up of the same nightstand. The various Fresco pieces were elaborately arranged to highlight the dark cherry color of the wood. I created a saree border like design. You can see the light shine off the varnish!

5. Below is the same nightstand with the light on. You can see the light reflecting from the inner walls of the stand. I glued brass angle fixtures on the corners of the bottom drawers to give it a professional touch!

Below is the top view!

6. The same below from a different angle to show the sheen from the painstaking layers of paint.

7. Below is the before picture of my new China cabinet also known as Buffet/Hutch or armoire. Ignore the young Ninja fighter ( my son about 8 at that time) in front of it. As you can see, the wood has a plain oak surface with no fanfare. This is the one that needed a brave heart to rehash!

8. Below is the after picture of the China cabinet. It was decorated from top to bottom with carefully placed Fresco. I never wanted to compromise the wood and cover it all up. Placing the Fresco at the right places enhances the design and the color of the wood itself.

9. Below is the China Hutch from the front. I went ahead and painted the surrounding tripod stand the same color for a cohesive look.

10. This below is the close-up of bottom half. Notice the smaller designs that had to be cut individually by hand from that enormous sheet of Fresco. Symmetry is the key! I wanted to enhance the brass on the drawers and the two doors separately with uniquely cut Fresco.





Another close-up below!



11. Below are a few close-up pictures of the side wall of the China cabinet. I had to be extra careful painting this one, and I was getting better at it after a week!



Another angle below:




Another angle:






13. Below is a small hexagonal table with a unique hollow design. It was also drab oak originally. I gave it a complete paint-over and “Frescoed” it. It now houses Indian dancing girls!





Another angle:

14. Below is an old oak bookcase which had great glass doors. It had a large surface to experiment with Fresco art to my heart’s content! So, I went berserk with shell like cutouts and silky smooth painting! Notice the large borders again.

15. Below you can see that I did not forget to leave space on the top of the bookcase for decorative objects and building height with the use of flowers. I even did Fresco on the blue vase with rose cut-outs! (Blurry? Sorry!)

16. Below are two photos of the side wall of the same bookcase.

Below close-up of top:

17. Below is the same with overhead lights on! Strange yellow!

18. Below is an old Pooja Mantap that my parents had brought from India in a suitcase! It had a good form, but the wood color and the finish were not very good. So, I decided to give it a makeover!

19. Below is the Pooja Mantap after my Cherry varnish and some Fresco! It now houses a wedding ceremony that has been going on non-stop. You can even see the silver dowry piled up in front of the groom's mother!

20. If you look close-up, you can see a slightly different technique. I used acrylic Brown paint on the Fresco to match with the wood. It now looks like Ivory inlay! See both pictures below of close-ups.

21. Below, ignore that little cute guy standing with the umbrella in the middle of dry summer in California’s desert!

Next to him is the before picture of my dining chair. I had six of them; all were brand new at that time! I did not know what to do with them, but they somehow had to match the rest of my newly furbished pieces.

22. Well, below is the after! I cut out large pieces of roses and pasted one on the back. The rest of the chair was painted with great care to create that transparent look.



Another close-up below:

23. Below; for the front of the chair, I used its natural carving and enhanced it by giving a gold rub with a sponge. The gold paint gives a raised look to the design.

24. The following pictures below are from my living and dining rooms. They give a glimpse into the total look after all the pieces are arranged. Flowers, vases and other curio items provide color, character and height to the rooms.

This first two below show my dining area. I even painted the bottom half of the dining table. The table top is waiting for my resurfacing, someday!






Another view below:

25. Below is my living room with the fireplace in the background. I like to create varying heights with objects. I found two wonderful Indonesian carved tall lamps right here in America! They did not cost me my bony arm or knotty knee!

26. Below is a picture of my entry way near my front door. I had several beautiful tapestries from India, but most of them are silk/cotton, and do not have fast colors. So, instead of using them as a table cloth and having to wash frequently, I simply like to hang them on the walls. I even ironed them in situ! I have now successfully covered all the walls in my house!





27. Below is another angle of the same entry way. I stitched the chair cover to coordinate with the Fresco!

28. This below is my living room with the focus (slightly blurry may be) on the far wall. The silk tapestry on the wall was actually used as a backdrop in my wedding! It was safely tucked away in my closet for several years before I decided to give it a new life. I purchased two wall sconces and draped the tapestry on a curtain rod. I then bought a super large rope with gold tassels to unify the look.

29. Below: My sofas are ivory color underneath for a mellow look overall. But thanks to a furry feline in my family, we have been forced to cover all our scratchable furniture with large sheets. Well, I love Poppy more than I love any of my inanimate possessions!

This concludes the exhausting project of my interior rehashing. I have a stage two planned for the next couple of years. I want to work on my bedroom furniture. I shall post my next generation upon completion.

Until then!

Thanks for staying with me! Now, please go ahead and find yourself a tall glass of water!

Leisurely, please also visit my two previous artsy blogs below, if you haven’t already!

Part 1 was titled “My Pencil Sketches"

Part 2 was titled “My Acrylic Paintings Gallery"

Copyright © 2008 Ranjini Sharma All Rights Reserved