DIY Brass Etagere – Gold Leafed Ikea Vittsjo Hack!

I think etagere is just a fancy french word for shelf, but it’s so much lovelier to say :) Whatever you want to call them, I’ve been crushing on brass and gold étagères for ages. They’re so stylish and elegant and the perfect way to display a few pretty treasures.

Tiffany Richey Design via Decorpad

Emily Henderson

I fantasized about finding a fabulous vintage étagère, though I never bothered searching for a new one – even if I could afford it, I wouldn’t know where to look (where do fancy people who buy these kinds of things even shop?). So when I came across this DIY version by Ana Antunes, I was instantly inspired! And I had the perfect spot for it in my new living room :)

I started with the Vittsjo shelving unit from IKEA. These units come in 2 sizes, for my space I went with the larger one - it's $90 in Canada but only $70 if you're in the US.   

I love the soft and elegant gold Ana painted her Vittsjos, but I had no idea how to recreate it. I tested out some different spray paints and initially went with Krylon’s metallic brass. But after a few weeks living with it I was kind of disappointed. The colour was more yellow than I wanted for this project, and the finish was flat. I decided to try gold leaf instead, and I’m so happy I did - this time around I’m completely in love!

The finish is smooth to the touch, but it still has a really cool distressed look that I love.

Plus it’s more reflective than paint (which was just sort of glossy), giving the étagère a metallic effect.

I love that bit of sparkle that it adds to our living room! Plus after moving into this home we moved our bookshelves upstairs to the study room, so I like the height of this piece in the space too. 

I’m still playing around with the styling of the shelves, but it’s so nice to have a space in our living room to display some of our favourite things. A few special books, sentimental knick knacks, and other accessories that make me happy :)

Eventually I want to change the bottom and top wood shelves into mirror or glass, but for now I left the original ones. The bottom shelf is housing some of our drum collection.

I have to admit, the process was pretty long, and at times a bit discouraging. If you’ve never used gold leaf before like me, think twice before starting on something this big! That said, I did eventually get it done, which also means it’s totally doable with a little time and patience.

To hack your own Vittsjo, here’s what you’ll need:

• 3-4 books of gold leaf (for this size Vittsjo; they usually come in 25 sheets per book, I found mine at a local art shop for $5 a book, they’re also sold online or at craft stores)
• size (leafing adhesive)
• a couple foam brushes
• a soft artists brush - I used a makeup brush instead
• sealer (optional)
• a vacuum (the gold bits will get everywhere :)  

 For any first-time gold leafers like me, here's what I did:

Before you start, think about doing a few practice pieces in inconspicuous areas (like the back legs). I did a few test pieces to make sure I liked the finish of gold leaf since this was my first time using it.  
 

Step 1: apply an even coat of the leafing adhesive (found in my local art shop) with a foam brush, working in small sections. Be careful that it doesn't puddle in the corners! Let it dry until it’s clear and tacky, according to the package, in my case it was about 45 mins.

Step 2: cut the gold leaf books in half - half a leaf was plenty to wrap around the thin sides of the Vittsjo. It’s much easier to cut the sheets in the books, or at least between pieces of the wax paper they come in, than cutting them individually.
 
Step 3: lay a sheet of gold leaf (one sheet at a time). Handling the leaf is a bit tricky - if you even breathe too hard on it it’ll flutter away - but after a bit of practice I got into a good groove. The easiest way I found to handle them was holding the leaves using bits of the wax paper. 

Step 4: gently smooth out & flatten the leaf using the tip of your finger (or a brush, I found using my finger easier, just remember not to use sticky fingers!). As you're smoothing it out, wrap it around the sides of the Vittsjo.

Step 5: burnish the gold leaf (basically rub it) to smooth it out, flake away the excess pieces and also buff it up. I used my fingers in some areas as well as a soft make-up brush, which was good for getting into the corners. You can also use a soft cloth.
 
Repeat steps 1-5 until you've covered the whole Vittsjo. You can even do step 5 all at once after leafing the whole shelf. As you work, you’ll likely have some areas where the leaf didn’t stick, which you can go back and redo with some of the bigger flakes that fell off. Don’t freak out about it, my inner perfectionist had a hard time with this, but it’s almost impossible to get a totally smooth application without any little pieces that you have to fill in. The little imperfections are hardly noticeable once you’re done though, and they add to the distressed/textured effect of the gold leaf. 

I worked on this project a little bit every day for over a week. You might be able to knock it out in a day or two, but I just preferred doing a little at a time. That way it was still fun and it didn't become too tiring or frustrating :)

Step 6: apply a sealer if desired. It won’t really get a lot of wear & tear, but I wanted to make sure the finish was still somewhat durable, and it only took about 10 minutes to do. This particular sealer didn't dull the finish at all. 

The gold leaf was definitely a lot more work than painting, but I’m so happy with how it turned out! I didn't really love my Vittsjo with my original spray paint job, but now I totally do :)

Our new etagere looks great in our living space - reveal of the full room coming soon!

Linking up at the Fall Pinterest Challenge, Furniture Feature Friday, well as the November Before & After Party! ! Be sure to check them out for tons of great projects :)