Painted Antique Furniture
MELISSA WHITE AT FLEET GALLERY
French Painted Buffet Deux-Corps. *** SOLD ***
Monochromatic fish scales entirely cover all three sides of this handsome piece, whilst the inside is painted red ochre. The semi-scallops are stencilled in three shades of grey on a white background and a dark grey shelf divides the top and bottom. Distressing and waxing was a joy as the buffet’s old layers of paint and texture merged with my new brushwork. A final buff brings the patina to life.
Swedish Painted Corner Cupboard. Dated 1819 and made using the finest knot free Red pine. *** SOLD ***
I’ve hand painted this elegant piece in the spirit of Swedish painted furniture but using an English design I call “Saffron Walden”. We thought the flowing geometric would enhance the character of this unique little corner cupboard. The pattern’s delicate lines and shapes are spacious enough to allow the cupboard’s patina and layers of old paint to breathe.
The “Saffron Walden” design derives from a floor-to-ceiling black and white Elizabethan wall painting found in a house in Saffron Walden in Essex. This wall painting, in turn, probably came from a craftsman’s pattern book of wrought ironwork. The itinerant artists who painted the interiors of Tudor homes often re-purposed designs from various pattern books for use on walls including those of glaziers, embroiderers and metalworkers.
French Buffet c.1800 hand painted by Melissa White.*** SOLD ***
The black and white cogwheel design comes from the fireplace of a late medieval cob-built cottage in Devon. It was common to decorate fireplace linings with geometric designs imitating the sgraffito technique. The soot from the fire could be used as pigment. For this cupboard I've used chalk paint by Colourman Paint and a series of hand-cut stencils. Distressing and waxing the paintwork allows the extant textures and history of the piece to tell their story.
This 18th century English cabinet was our first piece painted with a small pin wheel design *** SOLD ***
Project Type: PAINTED FURNITURE
Client: FLEET GALLERY
Website: www.fleetgallery.co.uk
Location:
St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
Date: From Autumn 2022
Our painted antique furniture is available directly from Fleet Gallery:
The Project in Brief
I’m delighted to be collaborating with FLEET GALLERY on this painted furniture adventure.
I’ve long since been enamoured of a certain style of painted furniture, with its origins in Italy, that features strong geometric designs painted in an all-over fashion. The bold, structured patterns, often in black and white, have a rhythm and energy that I find very exciting when they cover characterful pieces of antique furniture.
When I found that antique specialist Patrick Robbins of Fleet Gallery shared my enthusiasm it made perfect sense to bring our skills together. Based in St. Leonards-on-Sea (not far from my Hastings studio) Patrick has great experience in sourcing beautiful pieces that have provenance and character, but he also recognises the potential of pieces in need of sprucing up.
From cupboards to cabinets, drawers to commodes, we will let his finds speak to us and select suitable patterns to enhance and elevate them which I’ll then apply back at my studio.
For furniture painting I use natural, chalk paints to apply the designs free-hand or with the aid of simple stencils in the English tradition. I’ve avidly collected patterns for many years with a particular interest in Elizabethan wall painting but also a love of European folk art and vernacular decoration.
With the design painted I gently distress the surfaces. This stage is especially rewarding when working with antique furniture because all the history imbued in the surface; layers of paint and years of wear and tear, melds with the new paintwork in thrilling and serendipitous ways. A waxed finish further enhances the inherent patina and gives the piece longevity. I think this painted furniture can add vibrancy and personality to any space serving as a standout, statement or as a key piece to an inspired room scheme.
