Omega-Style Furniture

See the instructions below for how to make a 1920s Omega-style piece of furniture like this one. Figure A Figure B Figure C

Host Renai Ellison demonstrates how to paint a flea-market find in the historically important Omega Workshop style.

Materials:

old or new piece of unfinished wooden furniture
white acrylic gesso
paintbrush
chalk to draw design (in a pale color such as pink or yellow)
oil paints and paintbrushes (in colors that coordinate with your decor; those indicative of the Omega style include ochre, black, white, indigo, red vermilion, crimson, yellow and umber)
mineral spirits
paint pens
shellac
* Optional: book on Omega design for ideas (Check your local library or bookstores.)

Steps:

1. Paint unfinished wooden surface with two coats of white gesso (figure A). Apply rather heavily and allow brush strokes to show. Let dry well between coats. Do not sand smooth.
   
   
2. Loosely sketch a design based on a historical Omega design onto the furniture surface with chalk.
   
   
3. Paint in the design very loosely by thinning colors with mineral spirits. The gesso will soak up some of the paint's oiliness and give the surface a dry-brush look. You want the colors to have a very casual and painterly appearance.
   
   
4. Fill in the designs and background. Allow some of the white to show through for a lighter look.
   
   
5. Use paint pens for small areas (figure B).
   
   
6. Apply a coat of shellac (figure C).

Also in this Episode

Our Place : Episode OPL-234
•	Tile-Embellished Window
•	Handpainted Furniture
•	Omega-Style Furniture
•	Trade Secrets