DIY Chair Decor Using Decoupage Technique: Tips and Ideas

Today, the technique of decoupage is becoming increasingly popular. It consists of decorating household items by pasting them with various designs, ornaments and other materials.

Decoupage of kitchen jars — Kitchen jars for cereals, decorated using decoupage technique

This allows you to refresh the appearance of outdated furniture and give it uniqueness. In addition, decoupage does not require significant financial costs, and the options for updated design are limited only by the imagination of the hostess.

Chest of drawers with decor — Beautiful chest of drawers decorated using decoupage technique

Content

History of development
Main types and styles
Decoupage of a chair with your own hands. The main stages of work, necessary tools and materials
Video: "Handmade". Chair in decoupage technique (30.09.2015)
Photo gallery of beautiful chairs decorated using decoupage technique:

History of development

Many experts believe that the development of decoupage as an art form originated in Germany at the end of the 15th century. However, this technique was first used in China in the 12th century.

Design for the poor — This technique was called design for the poor, since very fashionable things imported from China and Japan were available to few and were simply copied.

Because of poverty, peasants could not afford to buy good furniture, so they tried to make their homes cozy themselves. To do this, they cut out various pictures from thin paper and pasted them onto interior items.

Paper mosaic technique — The technique of “paper mosaic” – many details depicting parts of plants were cut out of paper, painted and glued onto a base, mainly black

The decoupage technique reached its peak of popularity in the 12th century, when Europe was overwhelmed by the fashion for oriental luxury. However, furniture in Japanese or Chinese style was very expensive and not everyone could afford it. Therefore, craftsmen cut out individual fragments of oriental patterns, gluing them to the surface of the furniture. In order for the forgery not to be noticeable, the pattern was covered with several layers of varnish.

Old drawings — Vintage drawings for decoupage decoration

Nowadays, decoupage has become popular again. The development of industry and the emergence of new materials allow craftsmen to bring to life the most daring ideas. It should be noted that today folk craftsmen have divided into two camps - some use ready-made pictures when decorating, others prefer to color black and white drawings themselves.

Modern decoupage — Decoupage - creating home comfort with your own hands

Main types and styles

In the handmade technique, there are five main types of decoration.

Classic – the most common technique, which involves gluing a picture onto the outer surface of an object.
Classic decoupage technique with gluing individual fragments
Reverse – used for decorating glass objects, where the applique is glued on the inside.
Technique “reverse decoupage on glass”
Volumetric – the design is carried out by attaching various small materials to the surface. These can be small stones, beads, scraps of fabric drapery, eggshells, etc.
Volumetric decoupage - red flowers
Deco-patch – this type has absorbed elements of patchwork technique, only instead of scraps of fabric, paper fragments are used. It should be noted that when combining two types of technique, the furniture acquires a completely unique style.
Mini chest of drawers decorated with designer paper using decopatch technique
Artistic – involves the use of various combinations of effects, which allows you to create a complete drawing without visible transitions between the background of the canvas and its motif.
Box in the technique of artistic (smoky) decoupage

When decorating a chair, you can give it any style you like - from Victorian to ultra-modern. Today, the most popular are the following.

Vintage style chairs made using decoupage technique

Viennese chair, restored in a delicate color with roses, made using decoupage technique

Vintage or shabby chic	A chair made in this style is very popular. The necessary condition is to create an aging effect. Several methods are used for artificial aging. For example, splashes of dark paint on the surface will give it the effect of bugs eating the chair, and special gels will help to create cracks. To give the effect of wear, paint in dark tones is applied to the interior item, after which paraffin is applied to the protrusions and corners, and the furniture is completely painted in the base color. After drying, the paraffin must be removed with sandpaper.
Viennese	The distinctive feature of the style is the soft curves of the wooden parts. To add a special sophistication, it is best to decorate the chair in neutral floral shades. When applying the image, it is advisable to use pastel colors.
Provence	Notable for creating a visual effect of French elegance. When implementing the idea, you can use all the light tones, which will subsequently create the impression of flowers faded by the sun. The furniture surface is characterized by the presence of unevenness, as well as imitation of scuffs.
Simple City	It does not provide for long-term use, as it characterizes today's modernity with its immediacy and fragility. Ordinary magazines and newspapers are used for decoration. Printroom style – black and white photocopies of 19th century drawings are used as material.

Provence style chairs — Wooden chairs in Provence style using decoupage technique

Newspaper decoupage — A regular chair decorated using newspaper decoupage technique

Decoupage of a chair with your own hands. The main stages of work, necessary tools and materials

Before starting the restoration, you should prepare the necessary tools and materials, namely: decoupage napkins or paper, PVA glue, sandpaper of different grain sizes, acrylic paint, scissors, brushes, putty, varnish, primer, additional decorative elements (stickers, beads, rhinestones, etc.). To correct the picture or drawing, you may need pencils or markers.

Decoupage of an old chair can be divided into three main stages – preparation, decoupage and varnishing.

The first step is to clean the chair from dirt, dust and peeling varnish. After that, we clean the surface with fine-grained sandpaper, prime it and let the chair dry well. Then we apply the main layer of paint, remembering that the base color should be slightly darker than the top layer.
We thoroughly clean and degrease the chair

We prime the cleaned surface and sand it after it dries.

Apply acrylic paint to the primed surface using a brush, sponge or sprayer.
The second stage is decoupage itself. Cut out a fragment of the picture, in accordance with the size of the surface area to which it will be glued. When using decoupage paper or a napkin, the bottom layer should be peeled off. Glue the fragment to the selected area of the chair and let the applique dry.
We cut out floral elements from decoupage napkins, smooth the design on top with a brush and glue, and leave to dry.

After the decoupage glue has dried, lightly paint the edges of the napkin with background paint for a smoother transition.

Then we apply gold paint using the dry brush method.
The final stage is varnishing the surface. For this, acrylic varnish is used, which must be water-based. To hide transitions and borders, the varnish must be applied in several layers, allowing the chair to dry after each layer.
When the paint dries, we cover the chair with furniture varnish for durability.

Thus, the decoupage technique is a simple process and does not require large expenses. For restoration, you only need a little imagination and desire to create. The result will not take long to come - unique furniture decor will impress guests with its appearance, and household members will be able to fully enjoy the cozy atmosphere.