Tags
annie sloan paint, art deco, art nouveau, Furniture Renovation, Painted Furniture, waterfall dresser
Do you ever have the urge to create something fresh, new, unexpected? I do… all of the time. Frankly, it’s something that happily plagues me as an artist. However, to design or create unconventional art just for the sake of it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Instead, concepts that make meaningful connections between two things tend to communicate stories that are worth pondering.
It’s that driving desire for the unconventional that drove me to paint this art deco piece. I spent some time reading on the history of waterfall dressers and then took a look at some of the two dimensional art of that same era. (History lesson below if you’re interested.)
An idea was born: Emphasize the signature curved front edge of the dresser by “dropping” strong asymmetrical lines from top to bottom. The brown lines start on the horizontal top and fall down to the bottom of the vertical front. The brown lines mimic poster design of that same era as you can see below.
Painting Tutorial
1. Painted the entire piece Annie Sloan Coco then used Frog Tape to tape the outside edge of the diagonal sections.
2. Sanded the inside areas of the diagonal sections then removed the Frog Tape.
3. Didn’t like the entire piece in Coco, so I taped off the diagonal sections again (this time I taped them off from the inside).
4. Painted the piece homemade white chalk paint and removed the tape.
5. Sanded.
6. When it was dry, I sealed it with Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane using a lint-free staining pad.
So, I’m wondering, what inspires you when brainstorming new ideas? How do you generate ideas? Do you sketch, sing a song, read a book, take a walk???
History lesson on waterfall dressers
This style of furniture was mass-produced from the 1920s through the 1940s. It was inexpensive furniture in its time. Generally, there is no “frame” — the molded plywood sides and tops are supported by edge moldings. Some is absolutely terrible, and a small amount is breathtaking. Things that look like Art Deco are classed as “modern”. Note that it is only in 1939 that sears calculated that there would be a mass market for “modern” furniture outside the bedroom. Source: http://www.jitterbuzz.com/indfur.html#what
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woven decor said:
Scrolling through your before/after photos, this is my FAVORITE. Love what you did with this. It truly is beautiful and unique.
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks for your comment. I would also agree with you. I would consider that one my signature piece. I’m hoping to do more of it. Have a wonderful day.
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Leslie said:
This is gorgeous! Waterfall furniture doesn’t always look so great painted, but this is stunning. Just might have to (try to) copy!
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks Leslie. This is one of my favorite pieces. Have a great day.
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Katie @ On the Banks of Squaw Creek said:
GORGEOUS! Love it, love it, love it! I see a lot of waterfall furniture around, but not a lot of great re-dos. Great job!
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks Katie for the nice comment. We just picked up two more waterfall dressers for similar design to be painted for my daughters’ rooms. They both love the design. I’ve enjoyed your blog!
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the cape on the corner said:
wow, now that is neat looking.
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Faye (MacGIRLver) said:
Very unique! I love it, great job!
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jillflory said:
I really like what you did to this dresser! So cool! I came over from Miss Mustard Seed’s Blog!
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks so much. Your blog is beautiful!
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becauseiliketodecorate said:
Really love what you’ve done to this piece! Inspires me 🙂
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BeColorful said:
woman, you never cease to amaze me with your genius creativity. 😀 loving all of what you do. thanks so much for sharing your visions on BeColorful.
p
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
You made me smile with comment. Thanks for taking the time. Thanks for hosting your Monday parties!
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laura@Top This Top That said:
everything you do always look so beautiful!
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Thanks Laura!
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Nicole said:
Love this dresser and just let me say I cannot stand waterfall dressers – not sure why, but I really dislike them. You have done a fabulous job with this dresser – way cool! You should be very proud!! Very creative!!
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Hi Nicole: I can’t remember whether or not I replied to your comment but I wanted to also admit that waterfall dressers are not my favorites either. It’s that curve at the top that I dislike so I thought that I would accentuate the very thing I dislike by dropping those diagonal lines down from top to bottom. Thanks for your comment!
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Nicole said:
Yes, it’s the curve at the top that I dislike too, but this looks great! It’s amazing how you were able to minimize that with your lines! Smart girl!
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cassie said:
how cool! i love the funky design!!!
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Kelly @ A Swell Place to Dwell said:
Very cool! The geometric design hardens up the soft lines of the dresser, which I love. The distressing is great too!
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Amy Ng said:
See if this is a better way to get you. How do you link to the items you have on sale?
Amy
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martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com said:
Hi Amy: There is a page at the top called “For Sale”. You can click on that and that page will show you how to get to my sale items. An “ETSY” button also sits in my sidebar. If you click on that, you can get to my etsy shop.
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Courtney said:
this is soooo good Martha – love it!! Love the creativity it shows 🙂
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jaxdecor said:
The dresser looks great! I love that you took the time to think about how you wanted to paint it – the asymmetrical stripes are absolutely perfect 🙂 They totally enhance the art deco look of the dresser 🙂
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Barb Blair said:
You did a fabulous job! Love the angled stripes! Woot!
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judi said:
love. love. love. your designs and work. so much thought but such a simple pleasing design element! your work inspires me.
i’ll stop gushing now. 😉
judi
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cherrill said:
Love it! Sooo interesting…now I’m imspired!
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martha at leonedesign.wordpress.com said:
Inspiration is key. So glad to have helped and thanks for the comment.
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hetty said:
Absolutely stunning, Martha, love your creativity!
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Geri Wurth said:
Hi Martha, You hit a home run here! Love that you did the research on waterfall dressers and art deco. Fascinating bit of history. The dresser is outstanding and creative.
I have a waterfall dresser I am wanting to re-do. I won’t copy, but I sincerely appreciate your taking time to be creative and inspire me. : )
Best, Geri Night Kitchen Vintage
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martha at leonedesign.wordpress.com said:
What a nice comment. It’s all about the idea. Actually, I would go as far as to say that the idea is more important than whether or not our art is “beautiful” or not. Have fun with your project!
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