Painted Pine Furniture

Where to find Painted Furniture

2010-03-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

Three of the top five websites that receive traffic for painted pine furniture are Pretty Practicals, Hovells and Right Price Furniture, so it makes sense to visit all three and discover what each has to offer.

Pretty Practicals looks to be the smallest of the three. The site lives up to the company name as it is very pretty and has a friendly, stylish appeal. However, its size seems to count against it as the selection of painted ranges is rather limited.

Hovells is a much bigger operation. The company is based in Norwich and according to its website has been selling furniture for over 130 years. It offers a good selection of painted ranges and delivers to customers nationwide. Just a small point, but I disliked the way it shows a 'recommended' price crossed out and replaced by a new 'low' price - when the new 'low' prices are actually similar to those of other online retailers.

The third company in our selection is Right Price Furniture. The look and feel of the site is completely different to the other two sites, with a kind of young, brash, buy-it-now feel. While this kind of approach can be a bit off-putting, they do seem to go to some effort to show more images of the furniture and offer a slightly more detailed description. Another feature of their site are the hilariously cheesy YouTube videos describing their ranges - it's not something anyone else does (I wonder why!).

French Style Painted Pine Furniture

2010-02-06T04:51:00.000-08:00

One style of painted furniture is getting increasingly popular, namely French style.

Right Price have some ranges that headline this style.

The first is the Devonshire French Style Oak pictured here on the right. RPF are well known for their solid Oak Furniture and whilst this isn't painted it is of the same genre as this post so thought it was worth a mention.

The Bergere range from PD Global is as popular as ever it has a slightly distressed finish. The Victorian French Style from Kettle Interiors is made from Pine and is crudely a painted version of their Regency Hand Carved range.

As this style has become more mainstream prices have become more competitive.

The style almost overlaps the Rococo an Louis XIV inspired styling.

So these days it's pretty cheap to add a little French flair to the bedroom.

Painted Bedroom Furniturte

2009-12-31T06:55:00.001-08:00

There is a new blog started up covering all sorts of bedroom furniture and we're sure their bound to cover painted bedroom furniture.

No features yet on that subject but check back soon as more posts go up.

UK Bedroom Furniture

A great 'discovery' - Pine Furniture

2009-11-25T04:02:00.000-08:00

At the weekend I was looking at some pine furniture and it was like meeting an old friend I hadn’t seen for some time. I’d forgotten just how new pine furniture can be so fresh and natural – add a few pebbles and some sisal rope and it feels like the seaside, but add a thick rug and a blazing log fire and it feels like a cabin in the mountains.

For a great choice of pine furniture in traditional and contemporary styles I’d look for pine furniture on Right Price furniture’s website. They have dozens of ranges of genuine solid pine furniture and Right Price Furniture is now one of the biggest and most trusted online furniture retailers in the UK.

The Pros and Cons of Painted Pine

2009-11-25T03:02:00.000-08:00

Painted furniture and 'Shabby Chic' furniture are very much in fashion at the moment but, as with all things that are the very height of fashion, they can become unfashionable just as quickly - those of us old enough will remember the 'fashionable' chocolate browns and bright oranges of the 1970s with a shudder!

Now I'm not saying don't buy painted pine - far from it - just make sure that what you get has at least a degree of classic styling and quality about it (or is so cheap you won't be too upset when it has outlived its time). Right Price Furniture has a painted furniture section on its website that includes several ranges of painted pine furniture that tick all the boxes in terms of styling, quality and value for money.

OK, so you've found something that won't go out of date quicker than a mobile phone, what are the downsides of painted pine? One of the most obvious points is that any painted furniture is susceptible to knocks or scratches spoiling its appearance. With waxed or lacquered furniture, a small scratch will be almost indistinguishable from the rest of the piece but with light paint colours, a scratch is alwys going to reveal the difference in colour of the wood underneath. Is there anything that can be done about it? Well, you've got two choices: don't scratch the furniture, or go for the distressed/shabby chic look.

The other potential disadvantage of painted pine furniture is that, over time, the resin in the timber may bleed through the paintwork - especially around the knots. This is a natural part of the seasoning process of the wood but the resulting uneven appearance of the paintwork is very upsetting to some people. What are the potential solutions? Well, don't blame the manufacturer because they are using fresh pine to make affordable painted pine furniture.

If you want pine that doesn't bleed through the paint it will have to be extremely well seasoned, which is usually much older pine and therefore probably three, four or five times more expensive. Alternatively, if you want low prices and an even paint finish, then look for painted furniture made from MDF. Now MDF or Medium Density Fibreboard was invented in the 1980s and compresses wood fibres together under great pressure. The board is slightly heavier than pine and will not tolerate getting wet or damp (if unprotected by paint) but it does have the advantages that it will not shrink or expand in different environments and it is excellent at producing and maintaining a consistent finish when painted.

All that said, painted pine furniture looks great and undoubtedly adds style, charm and character to a room. Go for a distressed look from the start or a non-distressed look that can age gracefully. Of course the other great advantage is that as time passes, if you would prefer a different shade or want to smarten up your furniture you can just give it another coat of paint! Don't forget to check out the painted ranges on offer at Right Price Furniture

Add Warmth to a Bedroom with Pine Furniture

2009-10-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

With many people leading very hectic lives, the thing they crave most for at the end of a tiring day is to get home, relax and then enjoy a great night’s sleep, invigorating them and getting them ready for the next day’s endeavours. A great way of achieving this is to furnish your bedroom with pine furniture. Pine is a visually appealing wood that embodies itself well to an ambient, relaxing atmosphere and aesthetically it produces great bedroom furniture. It adds warmth and character and is the perfect choice for all homes and bedrooms.

The characteristics of pine as a wood include a rich grain with natural knotting as well as a light, natural tone top it which brings a sense of depth and cosiness to any bedroom it is used in. Pine is great for all sorts of pieces including wardrobes, chest of drawers, headboards and bedside tables. Pine furniture can be painted or stained in a nice light colour, offering the ability to any room to appear fresh and spacious, while painted pine furniture in darker shades gives the impression of enhancing the wood, accentuating the grain patterns.

When choosing pine furniture for the bedroom, regardless of whether it is painted pine furniture or not, it is important to think about the atmosphere you are trying to create. If you want to get a traditional, warm, cosy feel to the room, then pieces of furniture with decorative touches like carvings and mouldings always stand out well. It is irrelevant how the pine furniture is painted or stained in a traditional room as both light and dark shades integrate well. In saying that, darker stains in the more traditional setting calls to mind warmth and richness, ideal for snuggling up.

For those individuals requiring bedrooms that are more light and airy, then pine furniture lightly stained or just having a clear varnish, is the better choice. Pine in its most natural form always offers a more casual, relaxing ambience to any room.

Painted pine furniture in the bedroom is ideal for a fresh, clean looking bedroom. White painted pine has a rather soothing effect, while painted pine furniture as a whole is very versatile. It offers itself more to the contemporary look and is especially ideal in children’s bedrooms and playrooms.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you are after the rich warmness of a traditional looking bedroom, or the cool crispness of painted white bedroom furniture, pine is versatile enough to capture all moods adequately well. Most importantly, pine is very durable and is stylish as it is elegant. Anybody incorporating pine furniture into their bedrooms know that it will provide them with many, many years of great service as well as capturing the aesthetic mood of their rooms.

Pine Bedroom Furniture – From Natural to Painted

2009-09-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

Some families find that they may have to change, or add to, their furniture fairly regularly, and this could be for as simple a reason as needing somewhere for extra clothing, or to as complex as expecting the arrival of an addition to the family. Some wonderful painted pine furniture may have even caught your eye while wondering around the shops or browsing online, so this too could be a reason for the additional furniture.

When it comes to furniture in the bedroom, the largest piece in the room is usually the bed, followed closely by a wardrobe. Even the wardrobes can be extensive in choice though, ranging from simple on-door affairs, to lavish multi-door or sliding door affairs that take up half the room!

As with all wonderful pine bedroom furniture, purchasing a wardrobe can be both exciting and daunting at the same time, with a huge choice of styles and designs available to buy. For example, you have to take the space of the bedroom into account before buying anything, lest you end up with something too big for the room. Will a new wardrobe be used as a replacement for an old one? If so then you more-or0less know the measurements that will be required for the new item.

Be aware of issues such as slanting ceilings as well, if you are buying a new pine wardrobe. Many properties nowadays have slanting ceilings, and this is normally due to loft conversions or extensions. Make sure that there will be no issues also in getting your painted pine furniture to its room of residence; a staircase other than a straight one could cause all sorts of problems.
Another issue for a pine wardrobe in a bedroom is that you have to take the skirting boards into consideration when standing the piece of painted pine furniture against the wall. Some of these wardrobes are designed in such as way that their base is actually larger than the wardrobe itself, meaning that ultimately it may sit further away from the wall than you anticipated.

Over the years, pine furniture, and especially bedroom pine furniture, has become very popular with households all over the country. It is lighter than, for example, oak furniture and because of this lends itself to a more warm and contemporary style and room ambience.

Because of its popularity, pine furniture can come in many guises; from flat-packed DIY boxes, to ready-made exquisite pieces of work from a specialist manufacturer. The quality will vary depending on what you go for, but as a rule of thumb pine is very robust and durable as a material used in furniture. While many people prefer the traditional, natural look that pine offers in bedroom furniture, others prefer the large range of painted pine furniture that is now available, with white being an extremely popular choice.

At the end of the day, whichever incarnation of pine furniture you go for, you can rest assured that you are getting a very durable piece of furniture.

Furniture for the Dining Room – It’s Not Only a Table!

2009-09-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

When people think of dining room furniture, their first thought is to dining tables. However, there are several other types of furniture that can be included in your dining room. Some people don’t always think of adding these extra pieces of furniture to their dining room, but if you have the space, you may want to expand your furniture options.

So what extra furniture should you add to your dining room? Well, first of all, you may want to have some extra chairs. This is especially true if your dining room table expands. If it does, it won’t do you much good unless you’ve got more chairs to place around it. But when you don’t have your table extended, you’ll have to put the chairs somewhere. If you’ve got the room, you can sit them against the wall where they will both look nice and offer extra seating if you have guests over but aren’t serving dinner.

Another option is a china hutch. These hutches, a part of any good oak furniture collection, give you a place to show off your good china. Many have glass doors that keep dust off your good china when it’s not in use. Some feature cup hooks to hang your nice tea and coffee cups and drawers in the bottom for your silverware and napkins. If your hutch has a larger bottom section (the part with the drawers and such), you may even be able to use it as a serving buffet or at least place your desserts on it.

Corner units have become quite popular in recent years. These units are designed to fit perfectly into the corner of your dining room. They have several different functions. Some are designed to be small china hutches, giving you a space-saving way to show off your china. Others are designed to hold cook books, while others are more for decorative purposes and can hold any sort of knick-knacks or small items. Some of these corner units are open shelves, while others feature glass doors. Some even have a door on the bottom shelf so you can hide away extra table cloths or the like.

Sideboards are other nice pieces of furniture you can add to your dining room. As a piece of pine furniture or oak furniture, these sideboards look great and are very durable. They offer storage for various items, plus you can use the top for serving food buffet style. You can also use the top for decoration. You can add a really nice bit of colour to your dining room by putting a couple of bright flower arrangements on the sideboard.

Planning on serving some fine wine at dinner? You can always add a nice wine rack to your dining room. This allows you to show off your collection of fine wines while having them on hand for dinner. Many also provide space for storing your wine glasses and other accoutrements as well. All of these pieces of furniture are, obviously, optional, but if you’ve got the space and want to add something to your dining room furniture, these are great ideals.

Buying the Right Furniture

2009-09-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about furniture stores is that they often have a wide variety of furniture that you can look at, but if you are not sure what you are looking for, then this could cause you some confusion and problems. After all, buying a piece of furniture is a big deal because it is going to be around for at least a few years, so you will want to make sure that it is something that you will like and enjoy. For example, if you are looking to replace your dining tables or your bedroom furniture, then you are looking at replacing furniture that is considered by many as the two focal points of your home, so you will want to be sure that you are getting the furniture that is going to work best for your needs.

For example, when you are looking at dining room furniture, you should take into consideration the size of the table that you are interested in. If you have a rather large family, or are prone to hosting large family events, then you will probably want to get a piece of dining room furniture that will be able to handle these large gatherings. For the most part, pine furniture is not really used on larger dining tables because of the grain of the wood. While it is possible that you might find a large dining table that is made from pine, most often these kinds of tables are made from oak because it is a harder wood, and is therefore more durable.

On the other hand, if you are looking at bedroom furniture, then you should know that while there are great oak bedroom furniture sets, these can be costly, and are often very large and ornate. Therefore, if you do not have a lot of room to dedicate to an oak furniture set, you might want to consider using pine furniture in the bedroom. There are some sets of oak bedroom furniture that are not as ornate, but many of them resemble the pine furniture options and can be more costly; however, the trade off is that oak will last longer than pine. So, you will probably want to weigh your immediate needs for bedroom furniture against the longevity of the wood. Pine bedroom furniture is still very good and reliable, but it is not likely to be something that is passed down through generations, while oak furniture commonly is.

Once you know and understand the differences in oak furniture and pine furniture, shopping for any type of furniture becomes a lot easier, because you can weigh the pros and cons of each set against your knowledge of the durability of the wood and the versatility of the styles offered, i.e., if you want something that can easily blend to match existing furniture and is often a less expensive option, you should go with pine furniture. However, if you are looking for something that will be around for awhile and will be able to stay in the family for many years, then you should probably consider oak furniture.

Painted Amish Furniture History

2009-05-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Amish religious sect in North America is known for its pursuit of humility (Demut) and rejection of ostentation (Hochmut). These values are reflected in Amish furniture which is popular because of its solid construction and simple styling.

However, the original Amish furniture had a painted finish that was often decorated with flowers in styles reflecting the settlers German origins. The plain styling and unpainted finish that is now regarded as typically Amish, was actually based on the furniture made by Welsh emigrants living near the Amish in Pennsylvania.

Painted Pine Furniture

2009-01-15T04:28:00.000-08:00

Pine Furniture became popular during the 17th Century, normally a hardwood such as oak was used. As there was massive demand for Oak (due to shipbuilding) Pine became a popular choice around this time.

Pine being a soft wood is not easily carved or engraved so traditionally has been used in simple designs.

These days Painted Pine covers a range of wildly different styles, e.g. the Victorian Style Bedside (right) or the Devonshire Tarka Painted Pine Range (below)

Painted Pine Furniture
To some purists, hiding the grain pattern of wooden furniture with paint is an act of desecration, but painted pine furniture has a surprisingly long and diverse tradition. Today painted furniture can be the ideal accompaniment to a wide range of decorative styles as shown here.

Origins of painted furniture
Painted Furniture appears to have it origins firmly in Europe, most notably in Italy and France from which developed the flamboyant painted styles of Rococo and Louis XIV furniture. As always, the styles of the rich were copied by the less affluent majority and this produced the cruder peasant-style painted furniture that today is frequently referred to as French-style Painted Furniture.

Perhaps less well-known is that Painting Furniture was also favoured in the kingdom of Prussia (which included modern day Germany and Poland) and was therefore the traditional style of furniture used by the German emigrants to America who founded the various Shaker religious communities. What is today regarded as the typical Shaker style of furniture is usually unpainted, but this was a fashion copied by the Shakers from the communities of Welsh miners that had settled in the coal producing areas of Pennsylvania.

Decorative styles that use painted furniture

Rococo/Louis XIV
These flamboyant, highly decorative styles can vary in complexity – and price – from the affordable pine and mdf collections that echo the styling flourishes to the ultra-expensive pieces that may be decorated with semi-precious stones, gold leaf or other ‘exclusive’ embellishments.

French Style/Shabby Chic
Originally shabby chic was meant to convey the use of high Quality Furniture and soft furnishings that, although well worn, were still used in preference to poorer quality modern replacements. Now however, the well-used, slightly down-at-heel look has taken on an appeal of its own and distressed painted furniture supplemented with interesting fabrics and ornaments, produces a charming look that is unique to the individual.

Shaker
Shaker style is less fussy than the styles mentioned above. It can either be presented in a similar distressed look or immaculately finished where the simple lines of the furniture are enhanced by pristine, neat paintwork.

Colonial/New England
This look is very bright and fresh, with neat paintwork usually chosen in preference to the distressed finish. It is often chosen for bathrooms and seaside homes to add to the clean, fresh atmosphere.

Mexican
Another surprise here is that traditional Mexican Furniture was often painted and not the distressed pine look most usually associated with the style today. Research suggests that the pine look came about when Mexicans put their unwanted old furniture onto verandas or other exposed or semi-exposed locations. After many years the paint would have been sandblasted away by the prevailing weather and the resulting furniture was then bought by American tourists who regarded it as the ‘traditional’ Mexican furniture style.

Contemporary
Of course many contemporary furniture designers appreciate the look that can be achieved by Painted Furniture and there is a wide range of modern painted styles from which to choose.

Examples of all these furniture styles can sometimes be difficult to find in high street shops but a number of internet retailers offer comprehensive selections of painted pine furniture. One such company is Right Price Furniture