Amazon.com
A selection of paints, a variety of applicators, and a little imagination are all it takes to breathe new life into all sorts of furniture. Plaid's
Fresh & Fabulous Painted Furniture offers 28 step-by-step projects for enlivening chairs, tables, chests, benches, cabinets, and even a bathtub with stencils, stamps, block prints, decorative painting, and simple hand-drawn motifs. A tall cabinet sports bright rectangles of color and a bold outline vine pattern inspired by Matisse. An inventive patio table is actually an oversized clay flowerpot upended beneath a large clay saucer, both adorned with a gardenful of flowers. A pretty writing desk exhibits delicate floral-spray designs. Kids' furniture gets perked up with a mix of striking hues and an assortment of smiling, cartoon-like children. Styles tend toward either the romantic-country look or the vivid-multicolor approach. Most projects are fairly easy, though the decorative-painting methods will require some practice. Complete painting patterns are included when necessary.
--Amy Handy
From Library Journal
There are many decorative painting books, but few give as detailed instructions as Trout's book does. Trout, a professional decorative painter, shows only nine projects, but each has careful, well-illustrated instructions that go step by step through the process of painting, including patterns for the designs and a list of materials and colors needed. The method to achieve the realistic, handpainted scenes of leaves, fruit, animals, and even a landscape are clearly depicted. Plaid and Delta, both manufacturers of decorative paint supplies, provide more projects but with less-detailed instructions. Trout's book will be good for inexperienced painters, while the Delta and Plaid books are for collections where there is a strong demand for this topic.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews