Thursday, August 15, 2013

APARTMENT THERAPY & THE DEBATE OVER PAINTED WOOD


















Wow, I have to say some of the comments on Apartment Therapy can be harsh!  While I was lucky enough to receive overwhelmingly amazing and positive comments about my lovely settee that was featured in the before&after section a few days ago, I did notice quite the heated debate regarding painting wood furniture.  I found it absolutely fascinating how much this topic arose and how polarized the opinions were, despite the fact I had in fact NOT painted any wood, or even mentioned the notion of painting any wood! 

So, while I am somewhat hesitant to join in the fun, I do feel I need to give my two cents.  Sorry, I just cannot help it.  And I guess since I feel my opinion is reasonable, I am sure everyone will see the light and agree with me!  Of course, it was most certainly drilled into me at Sotheby's that one must NEVER, EVER, EVER refinish the surface of a true, good antique.  And I certainly agree there.  Wood is beautiful, much more beautiful than paint, and the craftsman who created the piece 100+ years ago clearly did not intend his creation to be painted (or he would have done it himself).  However, there are those pieces of furniture that are just nothing speciaL, not worth much, and you know what, I am fine with someone painting their old 1980s, unattractive, not very well built, dresser (that has been in their parent's garage for 20 years), a bright pink or orange, if it makes them happy and it might well have ended up in the dump otherwise.   

However, the thought of painting my settee makes me more than just slightly nauseous, and the thing I really find frightening is the thought of people gathering up 'old' furniture they know nothing about, and painting it bright colors just because it is trendy.   They may have something on their hands they don't fully understand, and the prospect of causing damage to an amazing piece is a bit disconcerting.  It is the 'trend' part I suppose I am not totally on board with, not the individual, occasional piece being painted.

So there, I have put it out into the universe, anyone else care to add their two cents?  Or want to read everybody else's two cents?  Here is the Apartment Therapy post!

No comments:

Post a Comment