Have you ever seen those classic antique windows, the ones that have a distinct title on them like “ticket office” or “Dr. Smith”? They are characterized by their frosty look, gorgeous antique glass, and a quintessential vintage style font that was typically painted on the window. I missed a window like this at a flea market last year and it still haunts me, but it inspired me to create my own.
In our Deadwood Bed & Breakfast – the Victorian on Van Buren, we created a laundry room closet in the upstairs bathroom of the home. For the closet, I used an awesome Facebook Marketplace find for the closet door. The window on the door was clear, so it needed some revamping to hide the closet contents but also to denote where the laundry room was for guests.
Here is the before of the laundry room door. Lots of character, just needs a little more character! Here is the step by step for achieving that antique frosted look!
Supplies
- Antique Door or Window
- Vinyl Template (I used my Sillouette to create the text)
- Black Acrylic Paint (I used this paint)
- Rustoleum Frosted Glass Spray Paint
- Paintbrush
Directions
1. Clean glass
2. Create a vinyl template and affix to the glass
3. Use a paintbrush to paint the glass “title” template
4. Use painter’s tape to tape off around the edge of the back of your glass.
5. Use the frosted glass spray paint to spray the back of the glass
6. We did two coats on the glass but plan to do more for a thicker frosted look.
I chose the word scullery to give the door a more “Victorian” feel. A scullery is a room in a house, traditionally used for washing up dishes and laundering clothes, or as an overflow kitchen. I love the look of the painted text verses applying a vinyl sticker. I think the imperfections in the chippy lettering of the paint make the text look older and adds character.
But a great alternative to this project is to use a decal. Here are a few fun vintage style decals I found! I really adore the look of the gold metallic vinyl, it adds such an old feel. My next attempt at this project will be slightly different but similar. I plan to recreate a window from one of my favorite movies. I will give you a clue – Whistlestop Cafe!
