Furniture gilding is a traditional craft that has existed for centuries.
Not only does gilding make furniture look more aesthetically pleasing, it also gives the item a lot of class.
You can easily find luxurious gilded furniture in high-end entertainment centres like malls and hotels.
Since gilded furniture is usually very expensive, naturally, it requires more comprehensive and careful maintenance.
Today Deco-Man is going to share some knowledge about gilded furniture, and how to maintain it so that its beauty can be preserved.
Characteristics of gilded furniture
The gold decoration on gilded furniture makes the item bright, eye-catching and extravagant. The colour of gold can give class and a unique metallic texture to the item.
In terms of style, the design of gilded furniture tends to be classic, mainly featuring a classical Chinese or French aristocratic style.
The intricacy of the furniture’s structure reflects the taste of the home owner; the resulting luxurious interior is both grand and decorous.
Domestic application of gilded furniture
Furniture with large areas of gold leaf application is not rare. However, modern gilded furniture tends to have gold leaf decorations only on some parts of the furniture.
The delicate beauty of it gives the item just the right amount of brightening, which is not excessively extravagant and suits younger people’s taste.
Normally speaking, introducing one to two pieces of gilded furniture to an interior will not turn your home into a Disney palace. Instead, it simply brightens up the space.
With a bit of classic decorations and furnishing, your home’s uniqueness will easily stand out.
How to care for gilded furniture
Keep gilded furniture away from harsh chemicals. Cleaning detergents that contain chemicals should not be used to clean this type of furniture.
Also, this type of furniture should not get in contact with water, because the glue and lacquer used in traditional gilding craftmanship are dissolvable in water. Water contact will cause the gold leaves to fall off.
Moreover, do not use a damp cloth to clean gilded furniture. Instead, use a soft brush to dust off any dirt on the surfaces.
Avoid hitting the gilt surfaces with hard and sharp objects. This will cause the protective coating to get worn and consequently, the gold leaves will become oxidised, discoloured or even come loose.
In addition, sweat can also oxidise and tarnish the gold. Avoid touching gilded furniture with sweaty hands!
Remember, when cleaning the gilt surfaces, only used soft, dry cloth or brushes with soft bristles.
Reminders from Deco-Man
If you discover any small damage of peeling on gilt products, do not scrape the damaged area with fingernails or hard objects, so as to avoid the damage from spreading.
Contact professionals for swift repair and re-lacquering so that the gold decoration is under protection.
Gilded furniture is a delicate object. Therefore, when moving this type of items, you should cover the gilt surfaces with soft, protective covers.
In addition, try to avoid direct sun exposure so that the lacquer will not become oxidised and discoloured. That way, the beauty of the furniture can be preserved for years to come.
