What's Your Style: Shabby Chic, Primitive, Country?

Would you recognize–and appreciate–"distress" in a piece of furniture?

, shared with Patch what sets various furnishing styles apart. 

To create the primitive look, for instance, Jesse takes what some would deem a perfectly fine piece of painted or stained furniture and she uses a hand sander to strip away its color. 

"You always do it where they're supposed to be worn," Jesse said, adding that knobs and edges are popular points to "distress." 

From there, she applies different stains to darken it. 

For "really primitive" pieces, Jesse said she adds "distress all over."

"Primitive is mess-friendly," Jesse said. "It looks rustic."

For people with small children in particular, primitive is the style of choice, she said, because scratches and imperfections are supposed to be there.

The shabby chic style, on the other, is "white and pretty," according to Jesse. It incorporates English roses, a touch of green pastels. Accoutrements include tea cups, saucers and all-white bedding.

For a country look, Jesse points out dry sinks in her store. Hues of deep red and dark green typically denote country, as do baskets, apples and stars.

No matter the look you choose when making over furniture, or home decor, Jesse suggests following some basic preparation tips:

• Use a de-glosser for furniture finished with a shiny veneer as paint will not be able to stick to its surface. Once the shininess is gone, sand it.
• Do not prime the furniture if you intend to sand it. Prime furniture only if re-painting. 
• When picking up goods from the curb, or at yard sales, thrift stores, seek out "good solid wood" and be sure to check the back and bottom to make sure the piece is intact.
• Never use oil-based paint on furniture. Instead opt for water-based latex paint. 
• For metal objects, use Rust-Oleum, but be sure to paint outside only because of fumes.
• When building something from scratch, look to buy old scrap wood from Home Depot.