Thursday, April 5, 2012

New Name?


Distressed finishes are designed to mimic antique furniture; but to me this seems to be a very inaccurate term.  How can you call something 'distressed' that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed?  The imperfections that are characteristic of distressed furniture are designed to evoke an emotional response.  The worn edges on painted finishes speak to generations of hands running over the surface.  The dimples, knots or gouges would be commonplace as children play on the surfaces running their toy cars around the room.  Hand scraped flooring reminds us of the sacrifices our great grandfathers made to allow us to live as we do today.

Why don't we coin a new term for this genre?

Well loved? Okay.  Corny.

Time worn? Sounds shabby.

Patina? Maybe a bit snobby.

Shabby chic? No, nothing shabby about it...

Think Breckenridge, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Sundance?  Not too shabby!  Help us coin a new term that speaks to this finish on furniture and flooring.  Comment below, E- mail, Facebook—give us a shout! Let's change the industry with a term that defines an emotion!

~Peg

1 comment:

  1. Consider "Weathered," or you could go for that beloved Dutch word "Gezelig" (although that might be regionally limiting and difficult to say without spitting...). "Gezelig" defines that emotion of cozy, homey, and something with character.

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