Of all the Rococo beds I've had the pleasure of painting....this is without a doubt my favorite. This finish is TRUE to the actual architecture of the bed. The Rococo style (or some call it Late Baroque) is known for being heavily ornamental with lots of scrolls.....and most often found in white or pastel with gilding!
This finish is more of a softened gold gilding....but I still squeezed it in there!
I was commissioned to paint this bed by a local family. It was in great shape other than a few cracks in the headboard and a missing piece of moulding.
They were aware that I do NOT make big repairs on furniture and were completely ok with me just gluing and stabilizing the cracks. BUT......I was able to replace the moulding and that made me really happy!
I used my favorite moulds made by Wood-U-Bend.....and with over 3000 moulds to choose from.....I was able to find an almost perfect match for the missing piece on the headboard!
I replaced this moulding per Wood-U-Bend instructions on live video and you can watch that process here.
https://youtu.be/0Z3aaV4MEYo
I absolutely love that you can repair or enhance your projects with their ready-made and versatile moulds! They adhere instantly so there is no overnight clamping. They curve, bend, fold, reshape in any way you need with just simple heat. And my favorite thing is you can move right along with your painting/staining project....no wait time!
Once the mould was in place I began priming the bed with Dixie Belle's BOSS primer. It is necessary to prime when painting with a light color chalk/mineral paint when painting over wood for the risk of running into bleed throughs caused by wood tannins. You can always read more about prepping furniture for chalk paint here.
I would way rather take the time for a quick single coat of primer.....rather than NOT do it and have a bleed through issue after investing my time in the painting project.
The bed was painted in the following steps:
I started with one coat of Dixie Belle BOSS. Then one coat of Dixie Belle Drop Cloth.
Followed up with one water-color-wash of Gravel Road. Water-color-wash is what I call a technique where I paint an accent color of paint over another color....and intensely spray away the top color with a water....leaving only hints of the color where I want it.
You can learn more about this water-color-wash technique on my water washed gray armoire or check out this Blending with a Bottle video below.
https://youtu.be/tylhBh5w4h0
I then used Moonshine Metallics in Steel Magnolia (the perfect champagne shimmer) to enhance some of the flatwork around the scrolls.
I enhanced the actual scrollwork with Eternal Decor Wax by Redesign with Prima.
And for the last bit of enhancements.....I used Best Dang Wax in Brown....with a very tiny artist brush.....to add a bit more depth around the moulding on the flat facing of the bed.
I coated the entire bed in two coats of Clear Top Coat in Satin for durability with the perfect sheen.
I will admit.....that brush painting a Rococo style bed is a test of patience and a hefty supply of tiny brushes! All those beautiful carvings and scrolls come with a ton of holes in various sizes......that only small brushes can make their way into!
But as you can see.....it is well worth the trouble!
I'm happy....my client's happy.....and that makes for a successful project!!!
Lots of painted beds projects for your inspiration
Did I mention that I've painted a lot of beds/headboards?? Like...A LOT!
You can see some of my favorite unique design inspirations below. Be sure to scroll through to see all the projects and click on any photo for more details!
Shop: Rococo Bed Supplies
The products listed here are what I used for this rococo bed project! Dixie Belle Paint company offers amazing products that will make all of your projects successful no matter what your skill level! Just click on any of the products shown below! You can also find my favorite products and tools in my Amazon influencer list here.
Here's how it works...these products are attached to my name. When you purchase by clicking from my blog.....then Dixie Belle offers a kickback to me for referring you! It doesn't cost you any more to use my links....and the support helps me to bring you new projects! So I thank you in advance!!!
