The Vintage Label Effect

Put your own stamp on upcycled furniture with a vintage label look, it might be simpler than you think! There are free clip art websites like The Graphics Fairy that offer a catalogue of beautiful olde-worlde artwork, which is ready to print out and use as a transfer to guide your paintbrush along it’s merry way.

Several different routes lead to an interesting labelled effect; elegant scripted French affairs pretty up a piece, whilst industrial stamps are intriguing and bold. I also love instantly recognisable commercial typography that has made it through the ages, like the traditional logos of Coca Cola or Pepsi, which provide the opportunity to introduce a splash of colour and pop culture.

If the thought of wielding a small paintbrush drags up childhood insecurities from the time your teacher failed to stick your picture on the wall (who said a stick man needs arms?…) then fear not, hessian coffee bean sacks are another great way to create a well travelled look, and even modern day examples can be craftily mistook for a souvenir from yesteryear; just grab yourself a staple gun and upholster at will!

Of course, you could always use standard letter and number stencils to achieve a neat finish without exhausting too much time and effort, just keep the concept simple with casually placed country of origin and date reference stamps, or imaginary shipment numbers.

So get to work and give your home the vintage advantage!

Look out for the How-to links in the gallery below for amazing step-by-step tips and tricks!

You can share your own home design ideas with us too! Just take a photo and send it using my quick and easy Submission Form.

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