I recently discovered a series of berries that caught my attention in a special, peculiar way. The starting point is the village, specifically the Italian countryside, but the colours are a picture of life, traditions and the authentic countryside everywhere. The berries are carefully crafted, managing to finely point out details that only when you see how they have been named do you really understand. Having lived in the countryside for a long time as a child, the colours seemed very authentic and brought back memories of the most diverse kinds: picking grapes, the grape stalk overturned by a mischievous cousin's play, the clay in the ditch we used to play with after the rain, the ashes taken out of the stove early in the morning by my mother, the tar left on my hands from picking tobacco. The colouring products were developed by a large Italian manufacturer of varnishes and paints - ICA Group - but surely whoever imagined them had a childhood very similar to mine.
Natural and rustic, terms increasingly used but less and less understood
Natural and rustic, along with organic and eco are, paradoxically, some of the most modern words. It's now fashionable to live as close to nature as possible, to go organic and to decorate your home with rustic elements. The problem is that we don't always understand what they mean. We often confuse the terms or misuse them to stick to everything we think they should encompass.
We talked about rustic furniture here, trying a list of suggestions for manufacturers of such furniture. But it's not just about sticking to a particular design and not applying thick, glossy coats of lacquer. Rustic means more, including the colours used for the wood veneer. Often, furniture stained in a grey that suggests ageing wood due to weathering looks more rustic and natural than if the natural colour of the wood is left.
Design, colours and finishing materials, carefully combined in the way of authenticity and common sense, can result in unique furniture or decor. A range of lightly dusted bathrooms, created specifically for the rustic style, makes the manufacturer's work easier, eliminating steps such as patination or antiquing.
The 12 bays of the series
They are called Ancient Harmonies, are part of the Iridea Color and there are 12 wood berries that define elements of village life: clay, ashes, tobacco, wine, wine barrel, crushed grapes, wine yeast, wheat ears, peat, wisteria, hemp bag, lake. In fact, that's what they're called. They all evoke the old charm of rural life and satisfy the need to rediscover the warmth and simplicity of nature. Although they appear to be dedicated solely to rustic furniture, the chests of drawers also harmonise perfectly with modern or contemporary furniture style.
The manufacturer recommends wood stains with a distinct natural pattern that the slightly dusty colours will highlight very well. They go very well with softwood - pine, spruce, fir - but also with oak, ash or chestnut. Sometimes delicate, sometimes deep and strong, these stains enrich the design of the wood, making it special. In turn the wood lets the berry unfold, allowing it to show its every shade.
Find these colouring materials at Lomilux, the distributor of ICA Group products in Romania.
Be careful when finishing! The effect can be ruined with the wrong varnish
Bays can be protected with both water-based and solvent-based finishes. For perfect harmony, I recommend using products from the Iridea BIO range. These products are based on resins made from biomass obtained from renewable organic materials that cannot be used for human consumption (leaves, twigs, household waste). Obtaining organic resin It was a long process, with many intermediate steps and tests carried out in the company's laboratories, but in the end it was possible to achieve, sometimes even exceed, the performance of the classic petroleum-based resins.
Products in the rangeOrganic Iridea are resistant to scratching, knocks and other mechanical actions, to staining with water, coffee or paints, to humidity, have a pleasant appearance and a pleasant tuft. They dry quickly, sand easily and are resistant to direct light. They lend themselves to repeated industrial applications and can be used without problems in large factories with complicated manufacturing cycles. Their good moisture resistance allows them to be used for finishing bathroom or kitchen furniture.
For covering Antiche armonie bathrooms, my recommendation is to use as matt varnishes as possible if you want to achieve a rustic effect. Village furniture was not lacquered and had no sheen. The smooth surface resulted from sanding and long use, fading over time. Higher gloss lacquers can be used for modern finishes. Lacquers are versatile and using the right design, give personality to contemporary styles.
Bays, paints and special effects for designers
The success of the berries led to the development of glossy paints and some with a special cement effect having the same colours. In total there are now 4 series of finishing products that have the same 12 colours: wood staining series (berries), gloss paints that can be applied to wood or MDF, cement effect paints and antique cement effect paints. The aim of their creation was to offer unlimited choice to interior designers and architects. The special effects - cement and antique cement - give the substrate on which they are applied the appearance of unfinished plaster. But to achieve it, materials are not enough. The applicator must know the application technique. Lomilux specialists are ready to teach you how to achieve such effects. ICA Group has also produced a series of tutorials, which you can find at here.
Using these finishing materials, similar in colour but different in appearance, you can either rusticise the wood or create rustic industrial or contemporary decorations. On wood, however, they give, in my opinion, their true value. The grey grey, the discreet purple blue of the wisteria, the depth of the wine lees or the delicate dusty brownish yellow of the wheat ears seem to me to be unique colours that bring with them a whole story that transcends borders and unites souls.
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