Redoing a room in Spanish style can be cost-prohibitive. Fortunately, there are a wealth of paints, glazes, tricks and tools in craft stores that can help decorators create the Spanish look without laying out a bunch of Euros. Some sweat equity and a bit of vision will help you lend your home some old world charm. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Get inspired by looking at pictures of Spanish style furniture. Accents of Salado (see Resources below) is a website jammed with images showing Spanish colonial and hacienda styles. There is also advice on add color and texture to a room to give it Spanish pizzazz.
2. Choose pieces to paint in the Spanish style. For an authentic Spanish look, select pieces that are carved from wood. Chests, shelves, side tables and cabinets that feature hand carving, leather tops or wrought iron accents are perfect for a Spanish interior. A simple, rustic wood table is also a good place to start.
3. Select a Spanish palette. You are aiming for bold, warm colors in earth tones. If you want to use wood stain, the classic tones are walnut, chestnut, mahogany, cedar and oak. Go for rich, dark hues, or, on smaller pieces, try a bright gold, deep red, indigo or olive green.
4. Choose a painting style. You can quickly update a piece of furniture in Spanish style by priming the furniture and painting it in two coats of paint from the Spanish palette. You can opt to stain the piece. Or you can try for a faux finish that has a Spanish accent, such as applying a varnish that artificially ages the furniture. Craft stores sell crackle glazes and antiquing veneers that are ideal for this sort of renovation.
5. Embellish the piece. You can create the effect of wear and tear by sanding the edges of the furniture once the paint is dry. You can replace the furniture's current hardware with pieces that look Spanish. Think chunky hardware in wrought iron, aged copper or bronze. You can even add a mosaic tile tabletop or a indigo glass inlay to give the furniture a Spanish artisan look.
Tags: pieces that, Spanish look, Spanish palette, Spanish style, Spanish style