Applying graphics to furniture is a perfect way to create furniture that goes with the style in the room. Graphics can be used for any style, in any colour. Here are some unique ideas for furniture graphics that will go with any style.
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Lettering Collages.
Lettering works great for every style there is. You can find custom font kits at websites like Fontvilla, Envato, & Creative Market. These allow you to find fonts that are not standard so you can make your furniture look truly unique. You can pick a font that says exactly what you want to say & gives the words the feeling that you want.
- You can use a certain city as a theme as well. For instance, a dresser that is themed around London might feature Mayfair, Shoreditch, Chelsea, Greenwich, Brixton, Notting Hill, & Camden.
- Another great place-themed collage is based around luxury hotels such as The Benson, Gritti Palace, Le Sirenuse, & the Carlyle.
- Another one of my favourites is book title collages. Choose a theme such as Mark Twain, Jane Austen, or Agatha Christie & collage your favourite book titles with a few coordinating pictorial graphics or icons.
If you are into travel, then choose cities from around the globe & make a city name collage. Paint city names on your furniture in fonts that reflect the style of the city. Use block lettering for places like Madrid & scroll lettering for places like Florence. Use rounded balloon lettering for Woodstock, or classic newspaper typeset for New York City.
Feelings Collages.
Use various fonts to paint letters on the piece of furniture that reflects feelings that you want to experience when you see the piece of furniture.
- A favourite outdoor Adirondack chair might have the word peace or relax painted on the back across the slats.
- A makeup vanity looks perfect with the words beautiful, fresh, or ready to go or other inspirational words or phrases that get you going in the morning.
- A dresser can say all different things, depending on the mood you want to set. You may want to put words on bedroom furniture that express love, joy, & trust.
- Child furniture can have easy words that say the inspirational things that you want them to believe about themselves as they grow.
- A coffee table is a perfect place to express your love for a cuppa right on the top. How about the quote, “Coffee, because adulting is hard.” Trace the words in a circle or square around the edge of the table & then paint a doily in the middle of the table.
Consider trying some of these furniture graphic ideas to generate the emotions you want in your home.
Inspirational Quotes.
If you have a favourite quote, Bible verse, or saying that is always welcome when it comes to mind, then consider painting it on a TV console table, buffet, dresser, or the end of the bed.
How about a quote about furniture? Here is one by Terence Conran that I love because it is true. “Furniture & food are ways that people define their attitude about life.”
Nate Berkus said, “Your home should be a story of who you are, & be a collection of what you love.” I think that is a fabulous quote for a dresser or buffet that is holding your precious mementoes.
This quote is perfect for any place that you need inspiration. I think it is perfect on an entry console table or a makeup table. “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.”
If you use inspirational quotes, choose a nice font that has the same visual feeling as the feelings inspired by the quote.
Monograms & Letters.
Monograms are classic & always in style. Monograms are lovely on bedsteads, dressers, armoires, & buffets. A child’s monogram can be an upscale touch to incorporate in a more whimsical design.
Plain lettering is also great, especially for children’s furniture. Painting letters & numbers on children’s furniture is a fun way to reinforce early learning. These are easily incorporated into more whimsical designs that include cartoon characters, fairies, baby animals, or whatever the child is into.
Stained Glass.
Stained glass is an increasingly popular graphic for furniture of all kinds. This is because of the wide variety of designs that can be incorporated into a stained glass look.
- Frank Lloyd Wright. When it comes to timeless stained glass designs, look no further than the stained glass work of Frank Lloyd Wright, the most copied designer in the world. You can study his work & then use transparency film or painter’s tape to create your designs on furniture.
- Famous church windows. You can replicate famous rose windows or other cathedral windows onto your furniture using transparency film. You can paint the spaces with traditional colours or change them up to fit your style.
- Celtic knots. Intricate Celtic knots are some of the most fun designs to work with. Design your own or copy someone else’s work. Transfer it onto the furniture & then paint it with colours that fit your whimsy.
If you want to incorporate diverse & unique designs into your furniture, then the stained glass is an excellent choice.
Painted Mosaics.
Mosaics can be designed to fit any style from French to African, to Middle Eastern, & they are all beautiful. You can choose mosaics that look like mandalas or ones that look like hand-woven rugs. They take patience to trace & paint but the results are stunning & timeless.
The key with mosaic designs is to make the design from squares of paint in varying colours with space in between. Mosaics are made from glass, ceramic, or clay tiles that are fit together to make a picture. Some mosaics include broken glass or ceramic shards. This aesthetic is easily included in a painted mosaic.
Super Heroes.
If you have a member of the family with a favourite Marvel hero or heroine, an easy way to incorporate this fandom into the bedroom is by painting related graphics into bedroom furniture. This can be as easy as tracing & painting a logo, or as difficult as tracing & painting the entire character.
I like to use the traditional Stan Lee drawing approach as it appeared printed in comic books. For the artist with patience, the picture can be drawn using pointillism, which will create the perfect printed comic-book aesthetic on the furniture.
Movie Titles & Logos.
For fans of particular movies or series, the perfect look can be created by transferring movie or show titles along with a graphic that best typifies the show. Here are a few of my favourite examples that are quite easy to do because the graphics & colours are simple & deliver a wow.
- Friends fans can transfer the F-R-I-E-N-D-S logo/title in the right colours with very little effort.
- Jurassic Park fans love to use the dinosaur logo on absolutely everything.
- Sherlock Holmes needs no introduction. A pipe, magnifying glass & a deerstalker hat say it all & are easy to transfer & paint.
- The “I Love Lucy” heart is a classic, with or without the show title. This logo is especially cute when the writing is replicated with the couple’s names in the heart.
Adding graphics with movie titles & logos to your furniture is the perfect way to show your enthusiasm for your favourite shows & movie franchises.
Green Logos & Nature Designs.
Not everyone is into putting environmental logos onto furniture, but some people dig it, especially on items such as recycling bins.
- A wooden or metal bin to collect commingled recycling can take on a life of its own with a recycling graphic painted on the front.
- A bin that holds cans & bottles for deposit recycling looks great with a cool graphic of an old Coke bottle or soda cans painted on the side. This is a great place to use brand logos for your favourite beverages.
There are other kinds of green logos that are very popular. Everything green is in, & this theme can be used all around the home. Green leaves & flowers are a staple of interior design & are coming back with a flourish. Even better, flowers & greenery can be found in many different styles to fit different themes. They look great when paired with lettering as well.
Announce the Purpose with Graphics Icons.
This has become an increasingly popular graphic design choice due to the overwhelming adoption of iconography in all areas of life. In trendy office spaces, coffee shops, & stores, graphics are being used to show what space is being used for.
As an example, a waiting room may have a large graphic on the wall of a stick figure sitting in a chair reading a magazine with one leg crossed over the other.
- Fun & trendy dresser graphics can be an icon that shows what belongs in each drawer. Icons come in such a wide variety of styles that even simple items such as socks can be found in cute icons.
- Buffet drawers can have icons that show which drawer has silverware, tablecloths, aprons, placemats, & so forth.
- A makeup table or vanity looks so cute with graphic icons showing the type of contents for each drawer. Lipstick, hair accessories, & makeup compacts are all very cute & trendy icons.
Graphic icons can be practical & useful in numerous settings in the workplace & at home. Designating the purpose of specific objects or locations with graphic icons helps you & others navigate through life.
Sources.
https://www.furniturecitygraphics.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/egreer0008/graphics-on-furniture/
https://www.speedpro.com/marietta/interior-design-graphics/
https://thegraphicsfairy.com/how-to-transfer-typography-onto-furniture/
Wrapping it All Up.
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