Bacon Quentin - Rescue, restore, redecorate: Amy Howards guide to refinishing furniture and accessories

To the love of my life, Gene. From unloading trucks, carrying heavy books from the Paris flea market, setting up displays at midnight, traipsing through flea markets and antique malls all over the globe, hauling furniture and redoing it more times than we could count, to rescuing and building thirteen homes in twenty-six yearsand having a smile on your face the entire time. Without you, truly none of this would have ever happened. Your unconditional love gives me the feeling that I can do anything.

CHAPTER 1
THE THRILL OF THE HUNT

CHAPTER 2
THE CREATIVE PANTRY

CHAPTER 3
A REPERTOIRE OF FINISHES: THE BASICS AND BEYOND

CHAPTER 4
CHALK-BASED PAINT

CHAPTER 5
GILDING

CHAPTER 6
LACQUER

CHAPTER 7
MILK PAINT (CASEIN PAINT)

CHAPTER 8
ANTIQUED MIRRORS

CHAPTER 9
AGED SURFACES

CHAPTER 10
TRANSFERS

CHAPTER 11
CRAFTING A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

Imagine your favorite place in the whole world. In my case, I would be sitting in a quaint French caf, sipping espresso and enjoying a decadent meal with my husband. If I close my eyes, I can almost take in the aroma of freshly baked bread, or hear the sounds of laughter filling that bustling spot. I can almost see the zinc-topped bar, and feel the painted chairs, worn with age and smooth under my hands. And theres a warm glow over everythingthat Parisian light melting through the windowthat makes us feel like part of a long, wonderful story, yet entirely alive in this moment.

When we surround ourselves at home with things we lovethings that have a historyit makes each day not only more comfortable, but also more beautiful and meaningful. Theres no reason you cant have a chair with a patina of age like the one at your favorite restaurant, or a dresser thats as gorgeous as the one youve been coveting in the window of that antiques store. Not only can you have pieces like theseyou can make them look that way yourself. Thats what this book will teach you.

Now, of course, being able to renovate furniture that appears to belong in the finest store or the most luxurious home means you will earn some serious bragging rights (especially when you bought the original piece for a song!). The pride that comes from your guests awed responses can be very satisfying. But even more, theres the satisfaction that comes from knowing you made something special with your own two hands, something that you can use and enjoy every day.

Your home represents you and everything you hope to convey, and even having a single piece in it that youve restored is an expression of your personality and what makes you happy. If youve never rescued a flea market find or an heirloom in need of attention, it may feel like a challenge to know where to begin. Heres the good news: You can start small, quick, and cheap. Its likely that the design styles you love most are right under your nose. Maybe they are pieces passed down to you that youd cherish if only they had a little refresh. Maybe theyre waiting around the corner at an antiques market you can pop into this weekend, or at a yard sale youll drive by. The world is full of promising items that have been discarded. You just have to look a little further than your coffee table catalog; and thats what this book will teach you to do as well. It doesnt have to cost you a lot (though I promise it will look as if it did). It doesnt have to take you a lot of time (youll be amazed at how little time it takes to renovate pieces youll want to keep forever).

Over the years, I have found that learning to rescue, restore, and redecorate furniture and objects begins with tapping into your imagination. Through the projects in this book, I will teach you how to recognize potential beyond what your eyes behold. Instead of seeing a wood chair in a boring shade of brown... or an unremarkable mirrored tabletop... or a dated dresser with dull hardware... you will begin to see each item as a canvas for your creativity. Youll start to think, I would adore this chair in a soft Swedish blue, or This tabletop could look like the mercury glass walls in my favorite bistro, or That dresser is crying out for some swanky fire-engine-red lacquer and gilded handles. Once you get some practice, youll realize that any of these transformations can happen over a weekend, for less than the cost of one dinner out.

Not only that, but every piece will have a story. This is true even if you are working with new materials, not antiques. No matter how the piece became yours, you will have rescued it from being ordinary, cookie-cutter, or dated. You will have restored and redecorated it to be extraordinary.

In this book, I will introduce you to seventeen different categories of finishes, from gilding to painting to antiquing a mirror. The eighteen step-by-step projects often mix and match several techniques. Each project will build your skills, and by the time youve made your way through the pages that follow, you will have mastered a repertoire of finishes. To me, this is where the most fun comes in: Once you have that arsenal of techniques, you can dream upand makeyour own custom creations. I hope youll experiment, combining several techniques on one item or trying an unexpected finish on an old piece to give it new life. I hope youll walk away with a new sense of confidence, and a new level of connoisseurship about what makes a home beautiful. Most of all, I hope youll see that learning these amazing, easy, versatile finishes is just the start.

When I have guests over, they always notice my treasures. Sometimes, their eyes go to the creamy-white table with gold accents in my entryway. Other times, they cant help touching the antique mirrored tray under the glasses of sweet tea, or the deliciously shiny blue lacquered nightstand. They often ask me where I find all of my amazing goodies. For years, I would just smile and say, Oh, here and there really. I had traveled around my cityand a few otherscurating a little list of the best shops with the best finds. But one day, something changed in my outlook. Maybe it was that I had ended up gathering so many treasures that I had to start selling some. Maybe it was that my heart ached to think of all of the incredible pieces of furniture being wasted, when they could have been transformed by a little TLC. But I think that most of all, it was when I realized how much joy it gave me to transform them myself. I started teaching my friends, and then many other people, how to rescue furniture, restore it with antique-style finishes, and redecorate with it. An all-new level of joy came through teaching others to create their own treasures. These joys are at the heart of the Rescue Restore Redecorate lifestyle. Its not just about a single craft project, its also about crafting a beautiful life with your own hands. Its about tapping into the potential of what you see. Saving money and reducing waste is one part of it (and one that means a lot to me personally). And, of course, who doesnt love a good Cinderella story? There are so many pieces out there that just need a bit of love to become as breathtaking as a belle at the ball.