Flea Market Style. Explore creative design ideas, tips and inspirations for this classic architectural design style.

Flea Market Style

Antique Glazes and Aged Finishes

Antique Glaze Create the perfect antique finish. Furniture, objects, paintings, wall and ceilings. Our exclusive line of custom antique glazes are idealy suited for interior and exterior applications. This acrylic based medium is eco-safe, easy application and clean up, with enhanced color saturation. Great for all weather conditions. Pre-mixed colors for historic application, thematic and geographic design styles.

caribbean Style

The Caribbean is a lively array of cultures, set like jewels in a landscape of white beaches, blue mountains and emerald jungle. Along with steel drums, relaxed island culture, and cuisine both spicy and sweet, the charm and vibrancy of Caribbean design make an indelible impression.

Decoupage, the art of applying cut out imagery to furniture and objects, flourished in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. I wanted to introduce this demonstration as an effective treatment for objects, in this case a recipe box, because it seems to fit so well within the French Country style. Colorful, interesting and unlimited in potential, decoupage can offer a simple design solution for dressing up many common items within the home, including boxes, trays, chests and tables.

Flea market style is classy, kitschy, and everything in between!

Weekends spent at swap meets and yard sales pay off with the most individual style of all. If you're among the truly inspired, you can put together a distinctive decor with quirky second-hand finds.

From the formal to the funky and the exquisite to the weird, flea market style is shaped more by individual preferences than by any rigid set of rules. The key is to mix and match decades, regions and materials to come up with your own singular mix. For flea aficionados, the fun is as much in the process as the finished product.

Formerly functional items -- old kitchen utensils, gardening tools -- become purely aesthetic attractions. Collectibles like sports memorabilia, snuff bottles, and antique books can provide a focus, both for your decor and for your weekend rounds of local garage sales.

Collectables such as old thread spools and ceramic figurines.

The middle years of the twentieth century provide some of the most fertile ground for flea market style. Think bakelite phones, fiberglass lampshades, chrome and formica dinette sets. Look for kitschy knick-knacks like flying duck wall plaques, pin-up posters, and atomic-motif ashtrays.

For the cocktail set, a plywood boat bar is a true prize. Those who are serious about their period detail will seek out antique kitchen appliances like an enamel gas range on raised legs. And if the flea gods smile on you, perhaps you'll come away with an Eames chair or an orange vinyl diner booth.

If your tastes run more to hand-painted china or vintage linens, of course, these refined objects can also be found at neighborhood garage sales and auctions. Flea market shopping requires a little more time, but the hunt for great junk is addictive!

Color Essentials

Fundimentals of color. It will set you free!

Using color at home or in the office - for paintings, furniture or any artistic challenge - takes a good eye, a little know how, and a creative imagination. Create custom color schemes and color effects in your home or office. Learn how to use the best base color, create a glaze, mixing colors, and more.

Antiquing Video Tutorial

Turn ordinary objects into heirlooms! Creating the 'Classic Antique' glaze finish for objects, furniture, walls and more. This detailed step-by-step tutorial shows how to mix the right colors to create the perfect antiquing solution for any object, furniture, picture frame and more.

Flea Market Style Inspirations

Where else can you find a match to grandma's Silver?

Paintings, prints and photos abound.

Get these gnomes off the yard and bring them indoors!

Don't wait for that house in the woods...

An unexpected 'angel with flowers' sconce is both whimsical and quirky.

Yup, you can still collect matchbox cars!

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Early American Style

Colonial Amercians drew inspriation from their European heritage. Curent design styles would filter across the ocean and become reinventedin early America. Proportion and scale took reign over ornementation, A neutral color palette of grey blue, greens and rose pinks is readily apparent.

Stucco Rustico - Aged Plaster

Stucco Rustico is a Traditional interior and exterior textured plaster that epitomizes the rustic old world charm commonly associated with Tuscan environments. I love this treatment for its ease of application and the natural, organic glazed appearance that results when using mineral based plasters and glazes. Whether a rough application or a smooth finish, this treatment holds true to the test of time and, in fact, feels as if time itself stopped to wash the walls personally.

The Rustic Color Palette

The Rustic Style color palette falls within a distinct range of color tones and is essential in creating a successful Rustic interior. By using the appropriate color tones you can create a variety of design styles ranging from Period and Historic, regional or thematic. Color helps define our experiences within an interior and exterior environment. It affects us on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level and can be calming and passive, expressive and vital.

Painted Floral Details

Floral patterns used as accents in fabrics and furniture are common place details in the English Country home. These graceful and organic patterns complement the cozy interior of this style and work particularly well with lace window treatments, an heirloom tea service set and the natural and rustic charm of wooden ceiling beams and slightly irregularly textured walls.