Wicker was one of the first natural materials used in furniture making, dating back to the Egyptian civilization. Today wicker is mostly associated with Victorian era designs which had a resurgence in the 1970s. If you’ve got one of these vintage furniture pieces you’ll see that wicker furniture can be spruced up with a modern makeover. With a can of spray paint and some new cushions you can be sitting pretty!
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{image from the Lettered Cottage }
The makeover below appears to be a synthetic version of the wicker chair, but the results are still amazing.
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If your wicker is just beyond repair for use as a chair, why not leave it outdoors and turn it into a planter? Debra Prinzing shows you how in this tutorial.
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How to Spray-Paint Wicker
Get tips for cleaning and painting your vintage wicker chair.
Vintage beauty and modern function definitely work well together in the form of the apothecary cabinet. These handy compartmentalized units offer a multitude of storage for small to mid-size objects that you want to keep out of sight. Originally designed for a retail environment, they can vary in size from tabletop to full wall installations.
The word apothecary is derived from apotheca, meaning a place storing wine, spices, and herbs. Early apothecary shops were a mixture of retail grocery stores offering medical advice and drugs. Apothecaries were the precursors to today’s pharmacist.
You can find both vintage apothecary cabinets and reproduction cabinets in wood or metal with anywhere from four to over one hundred drawers. Smaller drawers, as typically seen in the Chinese cabinets were made specifically for herbs. As seen below, these furniture pieces will function well in a wide variety of vintage decor styles and DIY Chic Homes.
Make your own apothecary cabinet
If you are handy with saws and hammers you could just make your own apothecary console, perfect for the modern flat screen t.v. and large enough to house your entire collection of dvds. The following image was made from patterns and directions at ana-white.com.
{ image sources: 1 Home Life, 2 Stabler Leadbeater, 3 Apartment Therapy, 4 Brabourne Farm 5 La Maison Boheme, 6 Hudson Goods, 7 House to Home, 8 Ana White }
Home interior trends for the vintage chic home are moving away from heavy antiques and are now embracing sleeker lines and modern functionality. The mood is lighter and brighter, less cluttered. As Molly J. Deas says in the article Spring home decorating: From discarded to divine:
“Some popular new trends in interiors comprise the use of intense pop colors, mixing colors from a similar palette, metallic accessories, and adding natural accents such as seasonal flowers and plants.”
