The Strawberry Project: Restoring A Vintage Italian Toleware Parlor Furniture Set
Throughout my life I have had a penchant for ridiculously frilly decor. One item in particular stands out as being the source of much delight since childhood: an antique strawberry wrought iron parlor set, featuring a lovely coffee table and two adorable chairs. The set had belonged to my great aunt and was passed on to my mother. Alas, her style was decidedly unfrilly, and so the treasure was relegated to the basement where I fawned over it and dreamed of the day when I would be a grown-up and it could be mine!
This set of table and chairs probably dates to the 1940s. They are made in the Italian toleware tradition, which became popular in Italy around the 1880s and continued in the United States through the early 1900s. Tole painting refers to decorative painting on metal. Toleware pieces were generally made of wrought iron twisted into delicate patterns featuring flowers, fruits, or birds. The colors were vibrant and the style exceptionally whimsical. Today, vintage toleware items remain popular collector items sold at auctions, estate sales, antique stores, and on eBay.
Restoring antiques often destroys much of their collector value, but that was not a consideration for my improvement project. Rather, my goal was to restore the set to its original luster (or better) so that I could enjoy the lovely decor in my home for ever and ever.
The set was initially painted white with subdued green leaves and red strawberries. In my recollection the "white" was always a cardboard brown color, perhaps from rust or from some aging of the lead paint. While all of the metal structures remained intact, much of the paint was chipped or discolored.
This set of table and chairs probably dates to the 1940s. They are made in the Italian toleware tradition, which became popular in Italy around the 1880s and continued in the United States through the early 1900s. Tole painting refers to decorative painting on metal. Toleware pieces were generally made of wrought iron twisted into delicate patterns featuring flowers, fruits, or birds. The colors were vibrant and the style exceptionally whimsical. Today, vintage toleware items remain popular collector items sold at auctions, estate sales, antique stores, and on eBay.
Restoring antiques often destroys much of their collector value, but that was not a consideration for my improvement project. Rather, my goal was to restore the set to its original luster (or better) so that I could enjoy the lovely decor in my home for ever and ever.
The set was initially painted white with subdued green leaves and red strawberries. In my recollection the "white" was always a cardboard brown color, perhaps from rust or from some aging of the lead paint. While all of the metal structures remained intact, much of the paint was chipped or discolored.
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The first step in restoring the furniture was to remove the old lead-based paint. This turned out to be the most challenging and time-consuming portion of the project. Initially I tried scraping the paint with a plastic putty knife. This was unsuccessful so I attempted to use sandpaper and steel wool. Most of the paint did not scrub off, but instead created a gummy goo that clogged the abrasive fibers. Finally I resorted to trying a paint stripper. I am concerned about toxic pollutants and am also quite sensitive to chemicals, so it was difficult to find a commercial product I was comfortable using. I ended up using Citristrip spray.
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An aerosol spray has the advantage of not requiring a brush. This particular type was useful because it sprays on orange and fades to white, indicating when it is dry and the paint is ready to remove. |
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Alas, even with the paint stripper, removing the paint was a difficult and time-intensive project. I went through numerous wire brushes scraping off the paint, and wore gloves and goggles to prevent getting splattered. The chairs were not as difficult because they had long, flat regions. The table was quite a challenge due to the intricate overlapping leaves and tendrils. Also, despite being a "natural" citrus-based paint stripper, the smell was quite noxious and I was queasy with a headache after several hours of working on the project outside.
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After removing as much of the paint as possible with the wire brushes, I used steel wool and fine sandpaper to create an even surface. Finally, I washed the metal with soap, water, and a toothbrush to remove any residual paint stripper.
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The next step was to apply a primer. I chose Rust-Oleum because it contains anti-rust agents that will hopefully preserve the furniture and prevent another re-painting!
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After the primer dried, I applied base coats of white paint, also from the Rust-Oleum brand. The "satin" finish is a semi-gloss that has just the right amount of shine without being sparkly. A spray was the easiest option due to all of the crevices, leaves, and tendrils, especially on the table.
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Now the fun part began: decorative paints! I used Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint for several reasons. This brand is easy to find in stores, it offers over 100 color options, the odor is minimal so you can work inside, and the paint is water-soluble so that if you accidentally smudge while painting, you can wipe off the mistakes with a moist paper towel. I had great fun selecting colors, and chose to go with deep, rich hues to resemble a realistic strawberry vine:
- Christmas Green for the leaves and vine tendrils - Carmesi Cardinal for the strawberries - White for re-painting the flowers and touching-up parts of the spray paint - Bright Yellow for the centers of the flowers |
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For this step I used simple paint brushes from the children's crafts section at the dollar store.
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Here is a picture of the painting in progress. The table was more challenging than it looked at first glance because the bottom is just as intricate as the top.
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.....
Ta-da!
Ta-da!
Two happy chairs, awaiting summer tea.
The magnificent table.
It was an exuberant project and I am happy with how it turned out.
And then one day while browsing eBay, I came across these! I had no idea there were more parts to the set! These particular candle sticks were labeled as being made in Italy around 1890 and are attributed to potter Ed E. Langbein.
And then one day while browsing eBay, I came across these! I had no idea there were more parts to the set! These particular candle sticks were labeled as being made in Italy around 1890 and are attributed to potter Ed E. Langbein.
And so the project began again. Paint removal on these candle sticks took over six hours.
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I love the detail of the green caps!
Here is the strawberry room as it looks today. I will update to a round or oval tabletop in the future. According to my mom, the original top was round.
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The joyful news is that even more elements of the set exist. I will add these to my collection as I'm able to do so, and it will be a fun life-long project to discover and restore these happy items. Please feel free to contact me if you find any more items and/or would like to share your projects!
Strawberry candle snuffer
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Strawberry candle stick - ring
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Strawberry chandelier - cage
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Strawberry glass shelf
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Strawberry lamp
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Strawberry wall sconce - tall
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Strawberry lamp #2
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Strawberry candle stick - curly
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Strawberry candle stick - pillar
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Strawberry candle stick - runner style
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"Saks Fifth Avenue enamel strawberry and leaf candle centerpiece"
Strawberry chandelier - fancy
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Strawberry hook
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Strawberry mirror
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Strawberry pot
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Strawberry wall sconce - wide
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Strawberry wall lamp
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This item was available from Trendy Bindi's Boutique: https://www.etsy.com/transaction/204181459. Thank you to Trendy Bindi's for use of this picture!
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