The chest is considered the ancestor of a number of modern furniture elements: wardrobe, wardrobes, chests of drawers, nightstands and even caskets. Previously, for lack of a different storage system, all the most valuable things were stored in it. In the chests they placed expensive fabrics, the best dresses attached to the girl’s wedding, jewelry. With a thorough move, they were used instead of practical suitcases, which appeared much later. Nowadays, many mistakenly attribute the chest exclusively to vintage elements that are only suitable for authentic interiors that mimic the decoration of rooms of a certain era. In fact, with proper design, this detail can become an adornment of many stylistic trends. You can decorate the "grandmother" chest and give it a chance for a new life with your own hands using improvised materials and a bit of imagination.Let's talk in the article about what you can combine this colorful element with and how to update it yourself.
There is no generally accepted classification of chests. They can be conditionally divided into:
Vintage;
Modern.
There is a definition of "casket" or "casket". This is still the same chest, but made more crudely not for beauty, but for the sake of functionality. They used to be used to store food, mainly flour and cereals. The box is a light, elegant variation of the chest, the bottom of which is made of wood, and the side walls of the bast. On ships, lockers are used - a marine analogue of the casket in which work equipment is stored. Chests differ in size, workmanship, decor and shape of the lid (flat or convex). They can be either a bulky cabinet replacement or tiny parts for storing small things like rings and earrings. Old chests are the same vintage models that emphasize interiors decorated in ethnic (oriental, Russian), rustic or even classic style. There are original models made of frosted glass or plastic. Such options are suitable for high-tech, minimalism and a luxurious loft. The main thing is that the smooth surface of the furniture does not have patterns and is painted in one of the neutral colors. Rough white wooden caskets with slightly cracked paint are ideal for easy provence. To emphasize the detail of the decor, it is decorated with a floral pattern using decoupage technique. For free country at the cottage "grandmother" chests are ideal, which often litter the attics.They have an unpretentious appearance, a rough surface, but with the help of sandpaper you can get to a light shade of wood with an original pattern, which is coated with varnish for fixing. And also the caskets are well combined with the exotic colonial style, because the immigrants transported the belongings in the chests, which later became the first details of furniture in new homes in the developed territories.
Chests are historically associated with wedding preparations, but now instead of storing the dowry, they hide the money donated by young guests. Such models are decorated with lace, rhinestones, satin ribbons and beads. The simplest options are made of ordinary cardboard and, as a rule, have a hole for envelopes in the lid, like a slot in the mailbox.
Materials used in the manufacture of chests
Classic chests are made of wood. A little later, the element was first decorated with metal, and then completely made from it. The most reliable is considered a combination of wood and iron. Modern models are even made of plastic, but it does not differ in durability, although it is lightweight. Another disadvantage of PVC parts can be the unpleasant smell of plastic. Beautiful, neat chests are made of twigs using the weaving technique. They also have light weight, but are used exclusively for storage. Such a chest cannot be used as a chair or table.
Using the chest in different rooms
Chests are universal. They organically merge into the interior of any room, since an extra storage system is useful everywhere. Large models stack things, fabrics, linen, blankets, shoes, pillows and towels. Smaller caskets can store money, jewelry and be used as an organizer for the workshop. For example, brushes, paints, palettes, pencils will fit perfectly in them, if the chest will decorate the artist's workroom. There are only two options for placing an element:
Central;
Near the wall.
If the chest is placed in the middle of the room, then its surface is usually used as a countertop. The choice of color palette and pattern depends entirely on the stylistic features of the design. For strict interiors, a monophonic surface painted in neutral, natural shades: brown, white, gray, black, is suitable. If you need decor with an accent, then the chests are made in purple, red, blue, green, yellow.
In the hall
In the hallway, the chest performs two functions at once:
Storage of shoes, umbrellas, canes.
A place for changing shoes (replacing a bench).
To sit on the top cover was softer, it is decorated with upholstery and decorated with pillows.
In the living room
In the living room, chests are used instead of a coffee table. If it is equipped with wheels, then mobile furniture can be transported, if necessary, to another room. As a rule, such a colorful element is located in the center of the recreation area inside the "circle" formed by a sofa and armchairs. If the area of the room allows, then the casket can be installed under the window as a separate reading or tea zone, with a view of the street landscape. It stores books and magazines that are cleaned inside during the arrival of guests so that you can arrange a coffee pot and cups on the lid.
In the bedroom
The chest in the bedroom can be used instead of a bedside table or act as a couch. Inside, bedding, pajamas or spare blankets / pillows are usually stored. Looks great old chest located at the head of the bed at the feet. You can sit on it or use it as a table. If there is not enough space in the bedroom and there is nowhere to place a closet, then the chest will become a real salvation of cramped rooms, due to its multifunctionality. Recently, dolls sets appeared on store shelves. They have three or four chests, one smaller than the other, stacked into each other.The smallest one will replace the casket for storing jewelry, and in those larger ones, you can store documents, cosmetics or money (instead of a safe).
In the kitchen
Previously, chests were not set in the kitchen. They were located in the most secluded corners of the houses. Now this piece of furniture will become a stylish solution in the design of the kitchen and an additional storage space. It can be adapted as a mini-cellar, in which jars of pickles or bottles of alcohol will be stacked. Traditionally bulky chests are placed near the window sill under the window. They also play the role of a bench. When there is very little space in the kitchen, such furniture can be pushed under the table if it is placed against the wall (so as not to interfere with diners).
In the nursery
A chest in a nursery will help create a real fairy tale. For the room, girls choose gentle shades: white, pink, lilac. Additionally, the surface is decorated with a floral pattern. Inside, you can fold toys or books, things. The original solution will be the doll house in the chest. It is divided into miniature rooms and decorated with toy furniture. In the boy's room, the chest will be a continuation of the marine style. A wooden casket with metal inserts can turn into a pirate treasury, a magic treasure that is hidden on the "island" of your apartment.
In the bathroom
Chests are combined with cramped bathrooms "with a creak," since there is little space left for furniture in such rooms. They are located, as a rule, in a free corner, complemented by hinged-type storage systems. The top cover can be used instead of a chair or shelf for shampoos, soap, and inside place stacks of towels, bathrobes, household chemicals. If there is not enough space, but you really want to get a casket in the interior, then use narrow, tall models. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the second parameter, since a person should freely reach the bottom.
In the design of the bathroom, it is better to use plastic or metal chests. The traditional tree is abandoned due to its impracticality in an atmosphere of high humidity.
DIY chest decor
Decorating the chest can be done using a number of popular techniques. Most often, old caskets are used as an experimental sample, which for a long time dusted, being forgotten, from which they acquired a very unpretentious appearance. You can correct the situation in several ways:
Decoupage. The technique involves the transfer or implantation of images from napkins and prints on the surface of the chest with its subsequent fixing.
Painting. The casket can be decorated with one’s own various thematic patterns. The original painting looks on ethnic chests. If the decorator does not have the skills to use a brush, then stencils will come to the rescue, the contours of which are circled “on rough”, and then filled with paints.
Artificial aging with brushing. Only suitable for wooden chests. Their surface is treated with a special stiff brush with a metal pile. Soft fibers of wood are scraped by it, as a result of which an original texture is obtained. To emphasize the relief, it is varnished.
Painting. The easiest way to decorate. The chest is simply covered with paint of the same color or a combination of several shades on different parts of the furniture.
Dressing with fabric or leather. Materials can be combined. Moreover, you can close with textile as one lid, and the entire surface of the chest.
Decoration with accessories, beads, eggshells, pieces of ceramic tile.
Dressing with brass stripes, leather belts with rivets, padlock and letters that make up the inscription.
Decoration with forged elements (rings, chains to limit the opening of the lid, loops, handles, corners) and thread.
This is not an exhaustive list of options for transforming chests.It is enough to connect your imagination and skill. The methods can be safely combined with each other, if the style of the interior justifies it. Consider a workshop on aging a chest by firing and brushing, followed by decoupage.
Chest Decor Workshop
A layer of varnish, paint or other type of coating is removed from the wood. The cleaned surface is subjected to mild firing, so that it is slightly "smoky". Then, with a brush with a metal pile, they begin to clean the wood from soft surface fibers. You need to move along them to get a neat, natural relief. To make the texture coarser, press the brush with great effort. Individual areas can be processed more strongly if they need to be emphasized. Accents are usually marked at the edges of the site where the picture will be located. This place must be selected in advance and the smoothness of the surface should be left untouched, since the relief will affect the quality of implantation of the image. After the brushing process is completed, a surface is prepared for decoupage. It is painted, and after drying, the paint is coated with two layers of water-based varnish. In the process, the dried composition is lightly sanded to give the surface additional smoothness. A layer of acrylic varnish is applied to the printout with a mirror image. After drying, the procedure is repeated and the decorated surface of the chest is covered with the same composition. Then immediately apply the face-down image cut from the sheet to it. It is coated with cellophane and carefully expelled excess varnish and air bubbles with a spatula or other tool with a flat, solid work surface. Now you need to wait 4-5 hours until the composition has completely dried. After that, the implanted printout is moistened with a wet sponge and fingers roll up a layer of paper, periodically helping yourself with a sandpaper. The drawing will gradually "bare".When the paper residue is completely removed, the image is again varnished for fixing. Creating such a decoration will require skill. From the first time, not everyone can carefully remove the paper. There are simpler methods of image transfer, but implantation is considered the most beautiful.
Conclusion
The birthplace of the chest is East. It was used everywhere in any room and stored a variety of things: from weapons to kitchen utensils. Oriental chests were used instead of ottomans for reclining in moments of rest. They were surely decorated with pillows and a bedspread. In Italy, caskets generously decorated with exquisite forging. Large chests could be afforded only by wealthy people, while the poor were content with simple wooden elements of modest size. Not a single Russian hut could do without a chest. It was he who became the prototype of the first suitcases.
The chest is considered the ancestor of a number of modern furniture elements: wardrobe, wardrobes, chests of drawers, nightstands and even caskets. Previously, for lack of a different storage system, all the most valuable things were stored in it. In the chests they placed expensive fabrics, the best dresses attached to the girl’s wedding, jewelry. With a thorough move, they were used instead of practical suitcases, which appeared much later. Nowadays, many mistakenly attribute the chest exclusively to vintage elements that are only suitable for authentic interiors that mimic the decoration of rooms of a certain era. In fact, with proper design, this detail can become an adornment of many stylistic trends. You can decorate the "grandmother" chest and give it a chance for a new life with your own hands using improvised materials and a bit of imagination.Let's talk in the article about what you can combine this colorful element with and how to update it yourself.
Content
Chest in different styles
There is no generally accepted classification of chests. They can be conditionally divided into:
There is a definition of "casket" or "casket". This is still the same chest, but made more crudely not for beauty, but for the sake of functionality. They used to be used to store food, mainly flour and cereals. The box is a light, elegant variation of the chest, the bottom of which is made of wood, and the side walls of the bast. On ships, lockers are used - a marine analogue of the casket in which work equipment is stored. Chests differ in size, workmanship, decor and shape of the lid (flat or convex). They can be either a bulky cabinet replacement or tiny parts for storing small things like rings and earrings. Old chests are the same vintage models that emphasize interiors decorated in ethnic (oriental, Russian), rustic or even classic style. There are original models made of frosted glass or plastic. Such options are suitable for high-tech, minimalism and a luxurious loft. The main thing is that the smooth surface of the furniture does not have patterns and is painted in one of the neutral colors. Rough white wooden caskets with slightly cracked paint are ideal for easy provence. To emphasize the detail of the decor, it is decorated with a floral pattern using decoupage technique. For free country at the cottage "grandmother" chests are ideal, which often litter the attics.They have an unpretentious appearance, a rough surface, but with the help of sandpaper you can get to a light shade of wood with an original pattern, which is coated with varnish for fixing. And also the caskets are well combined with the exotic colonial style, because the immigrants transported the belongings in the chests, which later became the first details of furniture in new homes in the developed territories.
Materials used in the manufacture of chests
Classic chests are made of wood. A little later, the element was first decorated with metal, and then completely made from it. The most reliable is considered a combination of wood and iron. Modern models are even made of plastic, but it does not differ in durability, although it is lightweight. Another disadvantage of PVC parts can be the unpleasant smell of plastic. Beautiful, neat chests are made of twigs using the weaving technique. They also have light weight, but are used exclusively for storage. Such a chest cannot be used as a chair or table.
Using the chest in different rooms
Chests are universal. They organically merge into the interior of any room, since an extra storage system is useful everywhere. Large models stack things, fabrics, linen, blankets, shoes, pillows and towels. Smaller caskets can store money, jewelry and be used as an organizer for the workshop. For example, brushes, paints, palettes, pencils will fit perfectly in them, if the chest will decorate the artist's workroom. There are only two options for placing an element:
If the chest is placed in the middle of the room, then its surface is usually used as a countertop. The choice of color palette and pattern depends entirely on the stylistic features of the design. For strict interiors, a monophonic surface painted in neutral, natural shades: brown, white, gray, black, is suitable. If you need decor with an accent, then the chests are made in purple, red, blue, green, yellow.
In the hall
In the hallway, the chest performs two functions at once:
To sit on the top cover was softer, it is decorated with upholstery and decorated with pillows.
In the living room
In the living room, chests are used instead of a coffee table. If it is equipped with wheels, then mobile furniture can be transported, if necessary, to another room. As a rule, such a colorful element is located in the center of the recreation area inside the "circle" formed by a sofa and armchairs. If the area of the room allows, then the casket can be installed under the window as a separate reading or tea zone, with a view of the street landscape. It stores books and magazines that are cleaned inside during the arrival of guests so that you can arrange a coffee pot and cups on the lid.
In the bedroom
The chest in the bedroom can be used instead of a bedside table or act as a couch. Inside, bedding, pajamas or spare blankets / pillows are usually stored. Looks great old chest located at the head of the bed at the feet. You can sit on it or use it as a table. If there is not enough space in the bedroom and there is nowhere to place a closet, then the chest will become a real salvation of cramped rooms, due to its multifunctionality. Recently, dolls sets appeared on store shelves. They have three or four chests, one smaller than the other, stacked into each other.The smallest one will replace the casket for storing jewelry, and in those larger ones, you can store documents, cosmetics or money (instead of a safe).
In the kitchen
Previously, chests were not set in the kitchen. They were located in the most secluded corners of the houses. Now this piece of furniture will become a stylish solution in the design of the kitchen and an additional storage space. It can be adapted as a mini-cellar, in which jars of pickles or bottles of alcohol will be stacked. Traditionally bulky chests are placed near the window sill under the window. They also play the role of a bench. When there is very little space in the kitchen, such furniture can be pushed under the table if it is placed against the wall (so as not to interfere with diners).
In the nursery
A chest in a nursery will help create a real fairy tale. For the room, girls choose gentle shades: white, pink, lilac. Additionally, the surface is decorated with a floral pattern. Inside, you can fold toys or books, things. The original solution will be the doll house in the chest. It is divided into miniature rooms and decorated with toy furniture. In the boy's room, the chest will be a continuation of the marine style. A wooden casket with metal inserts can turn into a pirate treasury, a magic treasure that is hidden on the "island" of your apartment.
In the bathroom
Chests are combined with cramped bathrooms "with a creak," since there is little space left for furniture in such rooms. They are located, as a rule, in a free corner, complemented by hinged-type storage systems. The top cover can be used instead of a chair or shelf for shampoos, soap, and inside place stacks of towels, bathrobes, household chemicals. If there is not enough space, but you really want to get a casket in the interior, then use narrow, tall models. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the second parameter, since a person should freely reach the bottom.
DIY chest decor
Decorating the chest can be done using a number of popular techniques. Most often, old caskets are used as an experimental sample, which for a long time dusted, being forgotten, from which they acquired a very unpretentious appearance. You can correct the situation in several ways:
This is not an exhaustive list of options for transforming chests.It is enough to connect your imagination and skill. The methods can be safely combined with each other, if the style of the interior justifies it. Consider a workshop on aging a chest by firing and brushing, followed by decoupage.
Chest Decor Workshop
A layer of varnish, paint or other type of coating is removed from the wood. The cleaned surface is subjected to mild firing, so that it is slightly "smoky". Then, with a brush with a metal pile, they begin to clean the wood from soft surface fibers. You need to move along them to get a neat, natural relief. To make the texture coarser, press the brush with great effort. Individual areas can be processed more strongly if they need to be emphasized. Accents are usually marked at the edges of the site where the picture will be located. This place must be selected in advance and the smoothness of the surface should be left untouched, since the relief will affect the quality of implantation of the image. After the brushing process is completed, a surface is prepared for decoupage. It is painted, and after drying, the paint is coated with two layers of water-based varnish. In the process, the dried composition is lightly sanded to give the surface additional smoothness. A layer of acrylic varnish is applied to the printout with a mirror image. After drying, the procedure is repeated and the decorated surface of the chest is covered with the same composition. Then immediately apply the face-down image cut from the sheet to it. It is coated with cellophane and carefully expelled excess varnish and air bubbles with a spatula or other tool with a flat, solid work surface. Now you need to wait 4-5 hours until the composition has completely dried. After that, the implanted printout is moistened with a wet sponge and fingers roll up a layer of paper, periodically helping yourself with a sandpaper. The drawing will gradually "bare".When the paper residue is completely removed, the image is again varnished for fixing. Creating such a decoration will require skill. From the first time, not everyone can carefully remove the paper. There are simpler methods of image transfer, but implantation is considered the most beautiful.
Conclusion
The birthplace of the chest is East. It was used everywhere in any room and stored a variety of things: from weapons to kitchen utensils. Oriental chests were used instead of ottomans for reclining in moments of rest. They were surely decorated with pillows and a bedspread. In Italy, caskets generously decorated with exquisite forging. Large chests could be afforded only by wealthy people, while the poor were content with simple wooden elements of modest size. Not a single Russian hut could do without a chest. It was he who became the prototype of the first suitcases.