Whitewash Bedroom Furniture

Mercer's pared back style works brilliantly

Pairing the catchy Marvin Gaye tune of “Mercy, Mercy Me” to the Mercer condo project was a sweet bit of advertising genius. Heard once, the tune is impossible to get out of your head — not only for aging yuppies like me raised on Motown, but also for thirtysomethings into ’70s nostalgia.

But this is a second time around for the Mercer — the initial launch in 2010 prompted developers to do a market re-evaluation. They discovered that buyers wanted smaller unit sizes and lower price tags. So, after a brief hiatus while the suites were redesigned, the Mercer relaunched this past spring and is now over 60 per cent sold.

Though the building is a lovely piece of architecture, it’s the model suite that’s so successful — small but spacious, minimalist but warm. Designer Allen Chan, from The Design Agency , took a minimalist approach because he finds buyers are “put off by complicated spaces.” Call it designer fatigue, if you will, but the unit works, and the pared back style also allows the quality of the space, rather than the stuff in it, to shine through.

Though small, the suite has none of that spartan sense. It certainly helps having high ceilings since the volume makes it feel larger. But partly it’s the palette — whitewashed out to cream, espresso to mink-brown are so subtle they blur boundaries. Where there is colour, it’s minimal on pillows, fabrics and books.

“My aim here,” Chan explains, “was to offer a picture of how warm and inviting the space can be, even when surrounded by three walls of glass.” The warmth is introduced through rich materials, like the grey-brown sofa, matte leather side chair, thick area carpet, grey flannel bedroom curtains. He also incorporated things that “real” people might collect, like the iron coffee table with top of grey hardwood strips, and the tripod floor lamp, for a quirky studio look.

Thanks to a granite topped kitchen island — long enough to act as buffet server and open at one end to form a very nice dining table — Chan was able to dispense with the dining room. It’s big enough to provide storage underneath, with an overhang to accommodate four modern chrome stools. Acting as a bridge between the kitchen and the living room, the island makes the space suitable for larger gatherings as well.

The connection between the two areas is further enhanced by the material palette — the grey-brown furnishings, lower kitchen cabinets in walnut veneer, dove grey uppers and a backsplash of brown-grey glass mosaics. It’s a textural variety that creates more depth to the design.

White washing your bedroom furniture

If it’s time to give your bedroom an overhaul, opting for white furniture is not only really on-trend at the moment, it’s a great way to create that cool, calm ambiance that works so well in a bedroom. Forking out for a brand new white bedroom set can be expensive though, and you may be put off buying identi-kit discount white bedroom furniture . It’s actually quite easy to update and revamp either your current wooden furniture or inexpensive but stylish second hand furniture by giving it a simple white wash. This effect gives a beautiful distressed look, allowing the natural grain of the wood to show through – perfect if you love the country house or shabby chic look.

How to white wash your bedroom furniture First of all you’ll need to remove any existing paint from your bedroom furniture, either using sandpaper or paint stripper. You’ll want a completely bare, raw surface to paint onto, to make sure the wood can absorb the white wash nicely – give your furniture a good wipe over once the paint has been removed and leave it to dry.

Next you’ll need to mix up your white wash. Make sure you choose white latex paint with a flat, matt finish – gloss won’t look right for this effect. Stark whites can look a bit too clinical, so try subtle antique off-white shades. Add water to dilute the paint until it has the consistency of thick cream and test on a discrete area to check you’re happy with the look.

Paint on your white wash using even strokes, allow the paint to soak into your bedroom furniture for a few minutes then get hold of your rags to wipe off the excess paint, leaving just a subtle wash of white behind. Repeat this step until you’re happy with the finish, then paint on a few coats of varnish, making sure each one dries thoroughly before applying the next.

That’s all there is to it – a few simple steps to creating beautiful white bedroom furniture with plenty of character.

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