I enjoy the look of old weathered Wood... this ole House has a lot of it and some of the faded hues of the time worn painted surfaces are delightful. Quite often I've dragged a favored piece into the paint section of a store and tried to get it replicated so that we can paint other items and surfaces in those wonderful old time colors. The popular colors of bygone eras appeal to me... Seafoam Green, Dusty Rose, Robin Egg Blue, Conch Shell Pink, Buttercup Yellow. Every era has had its predominant colors, some I'd rather forget *wink*, and others I wish would make a comeback. As you can plainly see by the above photos my all time favorite is the Seafoam Green, I adore it, every piece I see in that hue, whether a Wood scrap, a piece of old painted Metal, a piece of vintage furniture... I gravitate to it and add it to my collections. So many old pieces have been painted over numerous times as time goes on and popular colors come and go, layered like an Onion, a virtual time line of color. I love to see the layers of old paint peeking through... and have discovered that my beloved Seafoam Green is usually on one of the painted-over layers. At times I've stripped down pieces to reveal underlying colors that I prefer and adore... but mostly I leave the time worn surfaces as they are... the chipped, crackled and crazed surfaces preferable to me and highly coveted in fact. I've been known to buy a piece strictly based on the patina, old hues and aged faded elegance or weathered battered appeal.
Exterior surfaces that have aged I just hate to paint over, though sometimes its a necessity, I just like to leave them alone whenever possible, for as long as possible... perhaps sanding a bit and coating with a clear acrylic when necessary to ensure safety from lead based paint chips since we have wee ones and pets still in the home. I've seen pieces I adored in my Treasure Hunts that I was saving towards... only to be utterly horrified upon going back to purchase them when I've saved up enough... to discover that they've been PAINTED OVER!!!!!!!!! *Gasp and clutching my chest!* A large old Victorian pressed Tin Mirror was a prime example of such a devestating discovery... it initially had the most fabulous aged White chippy and delicately crazed surface... there were two identical pieces but alas, I only had enough to purchase the one... determined to go back later and acquire the partner. But when I came back, horror of horrors... the owner of the booth had repainted it pure bright White!!! It's still sitting there to this day and every time I pass by I sigh and regress. Ah, well, perhaps it shall find a Home where they prefer a fresh coat of paint over an original vintage paint job... but not in this ole House... nope, we prefer ours old, original, weathered, time worn and aged to perfection... just like us *wink*... Dawn... The Bohemian
Afterthought: Now after loading my photos for today's post I'm fixating on the fact that I definitely need to get busy and clean my Crystal drops and Brass Candlestick! *Tee Hee* Photos reveal SO much don't they *le sigh*... ah, well, keeps me accountable! *Smiles*