CATEGORY

Tired tables, boring bookcases, cast-off chairs, and other fatigued furnishings take on a whole new life when dressed up with zingy colors and simple paint techniques. In Fantastic Furniture: Intriguing Paint Techniques & Projects, author Mickey Baskett and a team of designers show how easy it is to embellish flea-market finds or new unpainted items with color blocking, stamping, stenciling, or simple drawn motifs, or with slightly more complicated methods like decorative painting, crackling, or detailed hand-painted designs. Step-by-step instructions and patterns are included for all 30 projects. Styles range from bright and bold to softly romantic, with several kid-themed projects as well. This guide takes a very similar approach to Baskett's similarly titled Fantastic Furniture in an Afternoon, but it does not repeat actual projects; overall this one offers more variety. --Amy Handy