If you know me, you might already know that I am not a fan of chalk paint. No farm house style for this girl. I’ll take all shine and all bling all of the time. I have a thing for metallic furniture. There is something about the shiny reflective finish that just pulls me in. This style has been around for quite a few years, and I have been pinning images of these pieces for a couple of years. And based on what I’m seeing in stores, it seems to be making a bit of a comeback, or maybe it just never left? So, now I feel like it’s time to take the leap and start working on some pieces. But before I do that, I am going to gather up all of my inspiration here. This always ramps me up to start working on a new piece (or two) 🙂
Finishes
There are quite a few ways to go with finishes. You can use spray paints, latex paints, glazes and silver leaf.
Silver Leaf
Silver Leaf is such an impressive looking finish. Here are a few examples of metallic furniture pieces done in silver leaf. Silver leaf is super thin sheets of actual or imitation silver. They also come in gold, copper and even rose gold – nice! I’m a hard core fan of silver 🙂 They are attached to the furniture piece with either Spray Adhesive
Tracey has done a lot of furniture refinishing and a lot of work with leaf and has a great little video tutorial, that you can see here. Check out this beauty, which has silver leaf on the drawer fronts. The difficulty is where to get hold of those French provincial dressers!! Where I live they don’t come up often and when they do…they don’t come cheap 🙁 But if you can find one, this is one way to glam it up!
This one is a combination of silver leaf on the drawers and top, and silver spray paint on the rest.
BEFORE
AFTER
This little desk above, was my inspiration, when I did my Condo renovation and up cycled these little bedside tables, so that they matched the rest of the renovation. They are just spray painted. If only I knew what I know now!
I replaced these skinny little silver tables above with these much chunkier silver glazed end tables.I call this the ugly step sisters furniture makeover.
Here are a few more beautiful examples of silver leaf furniture
Via:JuniperHome formerly Little Green Notebook
Lilyfield Life is based out of Sydney, Australia. The table below is painted. Again, where do people find these great pieces!!
Paint
There are a lot of paint finishes that you can use for metallics. Some of the big guns include:
Modern Masters
This piece is from Jennifer Allwood, and I’m sure you have seen it before. I am so IN LOVE with this furniture, I am keeping my eyes opened for something similar with a lot of detail. Might be a bit of a wait. This looks so Roccoco – LOVE. The paint here is Modern Masters Warm Silver. It’s more of a champagne than silver.
Here is another piece with more of that beautiful french provincial furniture. These are done in Nickel and Champagne so gorgeous! 
I have had a ‘bit of a crush really’ (in case you didn’t get that, it was a blatant reference to Bridget Jones diary :)) on this paint for quite some time. I currently own an entire gallon of the warm silver which I have not really managed to use on a project yet. But here is a piece of furniture that I have been thinking about using it on, check out this beauty below:
Oh she’s a beaut!! Ain’t she? I’ll be sure to add a photo of her when she’s rehabbed.Just think how amazing it will look with a coat of metallic paint on it!! Like these gorgeous chests!
I did makeover the ugly Bombay Chest above. It’s beautiful. Here is what it looks like now:
via:Design by D9
General Finishes
I’ve not yet used General Finishes metallics. But I have seen some really beautiful results like these ones below:
This piece is entitled Cinderella’s Silver Slipper Transformation, which is fitting since it started out as an orangish looking pumpkin colour. This piece won 3rd place in the Custom color mix category in General Finishes 2018 Design Challenge. Personally, I think it should have taken 1st place. This included General Finishes Argentine Pearl
via General Finishes 2018 design Challenge
Here’s another one that also used the Argentine Pearl effects
Rustoleum
Personally, I’m a big fan of Rust-Oleum Metallic Paints
Here is the Rust-Oleum sea shell
Panhandle Fabrications Facebook page
Martha Stewart
This little bedside table by Christy uses Martha Stewart Paint
via: Confessions of a serial DIYer
Spray Paint
Spray Paint is also an option. Check out how fabulous this one shiny gold stripe is on the chest of drawers. And yes this was done with spray paint!
This outdoor table has gotten a coat of Rust-Oleum Rubbed Bronze
Other Metals
I have concentrated mostly on silver pieces. But there are a lot of metallics besides silver. Here are a few more:
Gold
OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS!!! Crap, Now I also need to buy Modern Masters Olympic Gold paint too! But it’s really all about the amazing details in this piece. Lori knows her way around a piece of furniture. I really need this in my home 🙂
Copper
Okay, I love copper too! Add this finish to the list.
via: General Finishes Design Challenge
Dixie Belle Metallics
And let’s not forget all of those Dixie Bell Metallics in so many beautiful shades. Here are a few stunning pieces that will make you swoon just a little…
This beautiful piece by CeCe Restyled is just one of her many bombay style pieces. Honestly, I think this girl found the elephant’s graveyard of Bombay chests! But. that aside, look at the beautiful metallic sheen on this piece.
This beauty in a blush shade, is by none other than my favourite furniture painter, Brandy Kollenborn, of Brushed by Brandy.The link below will take you to the youtube video of this piece
Another one of Dixie Belle’s brand ambassador’s Crys’Dawna used metallic finishes to create this amazing piece wihich was inspired by carnival glass. The link to her tutorial in below the photo.
And last but definitely not least is Crystal Min, who really does know how to work with metallics. Crystin works primarily with Modern Masters and Rustoleum Metallics. The link below is to her Etsy shop.
Rustoleum also has a couple of new colours that I am dying to try. I looked high and low, but couldn’t find any furniture done in these colours, so I guess I’ll just have to buy them and try them out myself…
I will drop a link when I have used them in a project.
There you go – so many different metallic finishes. I am currently working on the Bombay chest that I showed you above (you know the really beautiful one 🙂 I’m also keeping my eyes open for just the right piece to try some these many other colours on.
Sometimes refinishing furniture is about hunting for the right piece, and having the vision to see beyond it’s ugliness to the it’s potential fabulousness l. Fabulousness is a word right?
I’m currently working on 3 different pieces of furniture, so come back and see what I create! Or follow me on Instagram for works in progress.
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Your work looks AWESOME! I’m trying to dabble with accent paint but I have brush streaks.
How do you use metallic accent paint without leaving brush marks or streaks?
Hi Angie,
A couple of things you can do to avoid brush streaks. There are self-levelling paints, which help ALOT with reducing brush stroke marks. Both chalk paint and regular paint come in self-levelling formulas. Also, use a good quality angled brush. It doesn’t need to be the top of the line, but don’t buy the cheapest brushes for detail work. Also, do more thin coats vs one or two thick coats. And,not a bad idea to test out your paint before applying it to your piece, to see how it applies. Good luck with your project Angie.
Dear Design by D9
do you have any places in Sydney we can bring furniture to you for repainting with silver metallic paint?
Hi Stephenie,
I do not have a store front. But thanks for inquiring. Also I’m located in Sidney in Canada.
Really enjoyed that. Thought I would hate metallic furniture but the silver ones were exceptional. Just starting refinishing but keep picking up some poor forlorn piece that needs a ton of work