Modern decorating techniques allow you to give literally any interior item, even the most ordinary one, a touch of noble chic and sophistication. The choice of a particular design technique depends on your personal preferences: some prefer smooth lacquered surfaces and shiny glass and metal decorations, others decorate walls with stucco or paintings, and still others find vintage accessories and antiques particularly appealing.Today, one of the most popular design solutions for interior decoration is patination – the artificial ageing of furniture, walls, stucco decorations and even facades. This technology allows you to imitate natural patina – a characteristic coating that forms on products over time.Metal and wood are aged using different methods, taking into account the characteristics of each of these materials. To achieve the most natural ageing effect, it is necessary to take into account that oxidation leaves traces of a certain colour on each of the metals:on bronze, the patina has a brown tint;on copper – green;on silver items – black;on steel – yellow-orange.Patination of walls and stucco mouldings: important nuancesIf, in addition to patinating furniture, you also plan to ‘age’ the walls, please note the following. Treating smooth walls with patina will not produce a visible aesthetic effect, as patination is intended to emphasise the textured surface. This is why patination of mouldings has become widespread in interior design. Three-dimensional ornaments on walls look much more expressive if they are artificially aged and given the desired shade. Among the most popular options for decorating mouldings with patina are the following:Gold patination – looks best in classic interiors, as well as rooms decorated in Victorian and Baroque styles.Silver patination – recommended for sophisticated interiors in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles.Matte patination – the most versatile option, allowing the use of oil dyes in a wide range of colours for stucco decoration.As for the patination of furniture fronts, there are no clear recommendations regarding colour combinations. When choosing a patina shade, be guided by your own aesthetic preferences or seek the advice of professional designers. The choice of options is huge: furniture can be patinated in soft shades of beige, brown, cream, or more contrasting white, red, green, gold and even purple. It is important that the shade you choose matches the overall colour scheme of the room, its style, and harmonises with other items in the interior.Ageing furniture fronts, walls and mouldings is a rather laborious process that requires a certain amount of skill and patience. However, if you want to try your hand at decorating, you can use a guide on patinating furniture or other surfaces. To do this, simply type ‘patination master class’ into a search engine, and you will receive a wealth of links to articles detailing the steps involved in treating surfaces with patina. You can easily find the necessary materials and tools in finishing materials stores.