Painted Grain & Faux Wicker | A Home Meant to Be Lived In

The painted grain furniture, faux wicker baskets, and collected pieces that shape my home.

On a recent Saturday I headed out to a few local antiques stores. It had been a while, since I have been traveling so much.

I was vaguely on the hunt for some fish moulds to add to the expanded display in the kitchen, but, as always, I left myself open to whatever caught my eye.

One thing that I love about antiquing is that you never know what serendipity will send your way. That day, I did indeed come home with two additions to my fish wall — as well as a ceramic teapot made to resemble coiled rope and a plastic sewing box that looks like a wicker basket.

Yes, you heard me right — a plastic sewing basket that looks like a wicker basket.

These might both seem like unexpected purchases for me. But in fact they fit right in with a recurring thread throughout my home.

Have you noticed that I have a thing for items with finishes or designs that are made to look like natural materials? Cottage furniture painted using a faux grain technique. Tin picnic baskets printed with a woven wicker pattern. Metal buckets that have a finish that resembles wood.

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite pieces, plus why my love for them is about more than just aesthetics.

Wood Finishes

I have told the story of the Victorian cottage chest of drawers in the living room numerous times. I was smitten the moment I laid eyes on it at a local auction. The painted wood grain finish. Curvy lines. And sweet pastoral scenes on each drawer, which mimic inlay. I was ready to fight for it, but it turned out I was the lone bidder. I brought it home for a song, and it is still one of my favorites.

Since then I have amassed quite a collection of these whimsical cottage pieces. They were popular during the late 1800s — simple pine furniture painted to resemble more expensive woods such as oak, mahogany, or walnut.

The large blanket chest under the window, also an auction steal, has a birdseye maple finish.

In the Captain’s bedroom is another dresser — this one English, with dramatic two-tone grain painting. I had always admired it in my parents’ house, but I think it feels like it was made for my coastal cottage.

And the standing dough bin under the window, with its simple utilitarian lines, is elevated by its subtle decorative finish.

These painted finishes appear on other ordinary household pieces — metal buckets, storage bins, watering cans — too.

I have several wood-grained buckets, in varying states of wear, that I use to hold plants.

And a wonderful tall faux-grain flour bin holds Maddie and Cisco’s dog food in the dining area. (Of course they “dine”…) When researching for this post, I found one similar on Chairish for an eye-popping $2800. Admittedly it is a little fancier than mine and in more pristine condition (whether that is a plus is debatable), but you know I paid nothing even close to that. I just knew that I loved it, so snapped it up at the Bath antiques show without a moment’s hesitation.

These are but a few of my “wood” pieces. I’ll cut it short here — because I have “wicker” to share too.

Wicker Finishes

My love of “faux wicker” began with 1950’s metal picnic baskets. You know the ones — printed with wicker, woven, and wood designs. I was immediately amused by their unabashed masquerade as something they most certainly were not. Refreshingly kitschy and comfortingly nostalgic at the same time.

These baskets are relatively inexpensive and easy to find, and I quickly amassed a large collection. In our previous home I displayed them in the kitchen. Here, I have them scattered throughout the house. They hold a variety of everyday items, such as mittens in the entry and sewing supplies in the living room cabinet — both practical and stylish at the same time.

From there I progressed to older embossed tin pieces, with even more detail and character. These can be pricey, so I only have two.

An antique Victory lozenge “luncheon basket”, which I found at Brimfield, sits atop a faux-grain wooden box on the kitchen island. Both serve as catchalls for the myriad of small items that somehow accumulate as a result of daily life.

A Huntley & Palmer biscuit tin in the shape of a tall basket with a lid is gathered in a shallow real basket alongside a mix of other faux-finish metal pieces in the entryway. The mix of textures adds depth to this hardworking space.

And as for that plastic sewing basket? I needed a receptacle for my growing collection of thread and other sewing supplies. Is this one a little tacky? Maybe, but it made me smile. And it has way more character than a plastic box from Amazon.

And that, really, is what it is all about.

Why These Pieces Feel Like Home

These faux-finish pieces definitely do some heavy lifting. From a design perspective they partner nicely with all my natural woods and warm the blues. They add texture, character, and a sense of whimsy to a room. They also act as stylish storage, holding everything from plants to dog food, charge cords to pillow covers and table linens.

But for me, there is more to them than all that.

When I really started to think about why I find it so hard to resist that plastic “wicker” sewing basket or wood-grained tin bucket, I realized that they speak directly to my sense of home — a place where the full range of everyday life takes place. Yes, there is beauty, but also nothing too precious or delicate.

So I lean towards sturdy practical pieces elevated by a painted finish. (Even better if they have a chippy patina, earned through years of use.) A humble pine blanket chest painted to look like birdseye maple. A tin bucket with a wood-grain finish. A cheeky metal lunch pail masquerading as a wicker basket.

Because these pieces are clearly not what they are pretending to be, there is something inherently unpretentious about them. They invite you to actually live with them.

And that, in the end, is what I want from home.

This Week Into Next

Thank you for all of your well-wishes on the birth of my fourth grandchild last week.

Maisie and family are doing well and settling into life as a unit of five (including pup Winnie, of course). Poppy seems to be navigating her way as a big sister so far. I will be heading down for a visit in the next week or two. I can hardly wait.

In the meantime here on the coast the heat is still on in the house and I continue to wear sweaters every day. I’ve switched to cotton now, but it is still getting old. Temperatures in the 70s and even up to 80 are forecast for Maine next week, but in our microclimate we will see 50s and 60s. I’ll welcome 60s, though!

I plan to take advantage of the “warm” weather to do some outside cleanup this weekend. Time to get the porch ready for summer. Maybe I will even visit the nursery for some early plants. And I was, ahem, reminded the other day that my U.S. flag is in sorry shape and I need a new one. So that’s on my list too.

That’s the extent of my quiet little life, as I watch the tide come in and go out each day. I am ever grateful for it.

Be well, friends.