I bought this French-style sofa at an auction and wanted to do something a little adventurous with it.
I was keen to use one of my Coloured Linens for the upholstery and to make something of the fringing. The sofa was covered and a large cushion made with my Louis Blue & Graphite linen. A separate trim was made using the Emperor’s Silk and Aubusson fringing from two of my other fabrics.
With this powerful-looking upholstery I needed an equally striking design for the sofa’s wooden surround. I love the very respectable and traditional history of gilding, but it also has a very daring aspect. Traditionally, the base color for gilding would be Primer Red, an earthy red-brown color, so I decided to beef it all up and use the bright red from my paint range, which is called Emperor’s Silk.
To make as much of the red as possible, I applied bleach to the brass leaf and then wiped it away to reveal the red. I also waited for the gold to darken and oxidize, and go a little verdigris-blue-green in places. The finished effect is a little outrageous, but definitely out of the ordinary.
YOU WILL NEED
• Chalk Paint® in Emperor’s Silk
• 2 small flat brushes
• Fine-grade sandpaper
• Water-based gold size
• Talcum powder
• Loose brass leaf
• Stencil brush
• Latex (rubber) gloves
• Thick household bleach
• Clean, dry, lint-free cloths
• Clear wax
• Small wax brush
1Use one of the flat brushes to paint the wooden surround of the sofa with Emperor’s Silk, making sure that the carvings are all covered. Once the paint has dried, ensure the surface of the wood is smooth by going over it with the sandpaper. This is essential because the brass leaf is very fine and will show up any bumps and brush marks.
2Gold size is a special type of glue for metal leaf that remains sticky for many months. Use the other flat brush to apply gold size all over the sofa surround.
3You will notice that the gold size is white in color when it is first applied, gradually turns a slightly purplish color, and then changes to completely clear. Allow the gold size to dry for approximately 5 minutes (the time this takes will depend on the room temperature), or until it is all clear.
4Dust a little talcum powder on your hands to help you handle the brass leaf. It will adhere to anything that is slightly sticky—even to your hands! Let the brass leaf drop onto the area, aiming for the deepest recesses. Use the stencil brush to dab the leaf gently into all the intricate carvings. Make sure you don’t stroke the leaf, as it doesn’t bend and might break into small pieces.
5Overlap the brass leaf when placing it on the piece so that it joins well at the seams and there are no gaps. The leaf may break and split in some areas, so go over these with another piece of leaf.
6Once the whole area is covered with leaf, remove the excess by brushing/pushing it away. If you find that you have missed a few places, just apply more gold size followed by more brass leaf. At this stage the effect won’t look great, but don’t worry about that.
7Carefully pour some bleach into the lid of the bottle and dip a piece of cloth into it. Take care with the bleach to protect yourself and your clothes—you may want to wear latex (rubber) gloves. Drop small amounts of bleach onto the brass leaf. The bleach will react and tarnish the metal by darkening it; the extent to which this happens will depend on the environment and the temperature.
8Heavy drops of bleach will act very quickly and leave very dark spots, while lighter dabs with the cloth will create a deeper gold-bronze color. If you leave the bleach on overnight, or for a day or so, blue-green verdigris spots will begin to show.
9While the bleach is still wet, wipe away some of the brass leaf to reveal the red paint underneath and then dab the area dry with a cloth to stop the bleach continuing to work. When you are happy with the effect, leave overnight to dry and then apply clear wax the next day.
10Apply the clear wax with the wax brush, doing this gently to avoid brushing away the verdigris marks. The wax will prevent any further tarnishing, as brass tarnishes naturally in the atmosphere over time.
11Brush the wax every which way to ensure the piece is fully coated and remove excess wax with a clean cloth. Leave the piece until the next day if you want to buff it to achieve a polished shiny look. Even though the piece has been waxed, bleach will still work on the surface if you decide you would like more reaction.
Note: For instructions on making decorative fringing, visit www.anniesloan.com/techniques.
