Introducing Silver Leaf Bedroom Furniture – Style Guide

What is Silver Leaf Bedroom Furniture?

Silver Leaf Bedroom Furniture is a unique furniture finish achieved by gilding solid wood furniture pieces with Silver Leaf. Real Silver Leaf is a thin foil made of metal leaf used for decoration and when applied to furniture it makes an opulent statement as well as giving an exquisite look to your home.

Original Silver Leaf Finish vs Paint Finish

Something you need to be aware of when buying silver leaf furniture is that it can be used to refer to three different types of finish;

1- Authentic silver leaf – Also known as composition leaf or schlagmetal, it’s made of pure silver. Other metal leaf types are made of pure gold, copper, aluminium, brass or palladium.

2- Imitation leaf – As the name suggests, this is a thin foil that looks like silver leaf or gold leaf, but isn’t real. This makes the products cheaper, but if quality and authenticity are important to you, you’ll want the real thing.

3- Coloured paint – If affordability is key, you might go for this option, which is silver-coloured paint on top of grey primer and has much the same effect with a considerably lower price tag.

It’s not just the materials that make authentic silver leaf the most expensive option, a lot of it comes down to the requirement for professional gilders using special tools to apply it to the furniture.

Gilding is the process of applying fine gold leaf or sliver leaf to solid surfaces such as wood, stone or metal to give a luxurious decorative finish.This can be done by burnishing with an agate stone tool, as shown below:

When it comes to wooden furniture, Mechanical gilding is the most commonly used technique to apply silver leaf, by burnishing and water gilding or oil gilding. Water gilding is the most common method of doing this, and it requires experienced craftsmen to achieve the desired effects.

The History of Silver Leaf Furniture

The logic behind applying silver to furniture to signify wealth and power is a straightforward one and has been popular throughout human history, right up to the modern day.

As far back as the fourth century BC, silver was being used to decorate items stored in tombs in Greece, and several fragments of a stool were found in Thessaloniki where all that was left was the parts of it that was covered in silver foil.

Similarly, in Roman times, Sella stools and Fulcra couches were commonly used by people of all social levels, but the rich and powerful had them covered in silver or gold leaf.

Style and Decoration Perspectives: Classic and Contemporary

While metal leaf furniture may have been used down the centuries to either demonstrate or give the impression of wealth and power, it’s actually a very flexible style that fits either a traditional or a contemporary feel.

It all depends how you use it, of course, and what the context of the room is, but silver leaf is a finish that can transform a room into whatever you want it to be. For example, our Régency French Silver Leaf 5 Drawer Chest is available in a choice of two real silver leaf finishes: standard, which has a vibrant silver shine, or antique, which has a rich, mellow tone.

The standard look can really be a statement piece in your room, ostentatious and dazzling, while the more traditional antique style makes it warmer and more classic in look and feel.

How to Create a Stunning Silver Leaf Bedroom Furniture Style

Silver leaf has always worked incredibly well in bedrooms to give that feeling of luxury and opulence, and our authentic Louis French Silver Leaf range is a great example, with distinctive serpentine curves along with delicate hand-carved scrolls crafted from solid hardwood. This piece provides a statement centerpiece in the master bedroom and it is guaranteed to make an impact. This particular style is well suited to contemporary décor with its bright silver shine.

Meanwhile, the Régency French Silver Leaf range is hand gilded and silver-leafed to high standards by our British artisans and comes with the choice between a standard or antique finish to suit whatever theme you are going with in your room. The muted antique finish complements tradition and rustic spaces while the standard finish boasts a bright silver shine which is perfect for adding a modern feel.

Silver Leaf Furniture: Share the Style

Are you enchanted with silver leaf bedroom furniture? Perhaps you have a silver leaf dining table or a beautiful silver leaf cabinet? Let us know what you think in the comments below. If you have used metal leaf furniture to enhance your home, feel free to share with us any images you have too via our social media channels. We love to see how you style it.