From that to THIS....

...otherwise known as a "before and after"....

I am working with a lovely client in Chicago. I have never set real eyes on her home. Long distance design can be a challenge but I LOVE it!  Doing everything via email, links, photos and diagrams. Anyways, long story short, she just moved into her first home, a 2200 sq. flat in a lovely old building. The family room/library is almost done but I am always looking around for multiple room items at the same time. I check Chicago Craigs list, blogs and vintage stores to save money, upcycle and recycle. Here is a a hard-to-find PAIR of chairs I found on CL Chicago for $80 bucks each and a very reasonable sum to reupholster thrown in:

Cute huh?

I called Chris (the seller*) and he still had them. I emailed my client and suggested she go look at them ASAP. The thing about a good deal on CL is that you better act fast. 

upholstery is dirty but good bones

My client spent a handsome sum on gorgeous chairs and sofa for her family room. These chairs were a deal even with the fabric and upholstery costs. I prefer to recycle or upcycle or whatever it is called but the costs can end up the same as new. But not this time:

very cute from the side

 So now what? My client's favorite color is purple and she knew she wanted purple in the living room so solids were the best choice since this room is just in its beginning stages. I went to my first choice in solid fabrics, hands down, the best solid colors in the world in numerous weaves:

Designers Guild* heaven

We looked at the website together and picked some colors (although we wanted all of them) and samples were ordered. Getting a package of DG samples is like getting a package of the best candy ever:

narrowing down favorites

I adore contrasting welting and two- tone upholstered chairs. Fabrics were chosen and ordered through Susie*........A few weeks later THIS is what came. THIS is the AFTER part:

HOW CUTE IS THIS!!!!

Lavender on the inside, lavender welt, deep purple on the outside and the buttons.

Wonderful from the side and back

Just unwrapped in their new home side by side.

These are the perfect starting point for what will be a fun but also elegant room!

Sources:

chairs: http://www.districtchicago.com/blog--for-sale.html

fabric: http://www.designersguild.com/

Susie: http://www.maddiegdesigns.com/

When the GT Comes to Visit, Part Two:

AP, From Neice Kate, Worcester MA. "Four days in May"  When GT came to visit we had a living room that was a cold and grayish cave, which was the result of dingy white paint next to lots of dark wood and not lots of direct sun....

You cannot imagine the amount of taping!

gorgeous wood trim everywhere that just looked dead and dirty next to the horrible white. The added bookcases just do not look right but we need them!

THEN after rolls of blue tape, hand wringing and two coats of paint the living room turned into a warm, comforting, cozy living space with a beautiful golden sunflower color...

all the various upholstered pieces look terrific against the yellow including this deep red

WTF...!

This one just kills me! A new one from bryonie porter, the fabulous British wallpapered furniture company:

See the legs? it is a dresser, leftover scrapes of fabulous wallpapers, can you identify them? I can most of them.

I always wanted to do paper on furniture and then I saw this stuff a year ago and it just shut me down. It is so outrageously and perfectly executed that anything anyone else does looks like crap. Don't get me wrong. The top, some panels, drawer fronts, interiors, all that is fine. I can do it and love it.  And I urge my readers to do it! But beyond that, there is a standard now and this is it:

LOOK at that alignment on every part of the piece

Can you imagine the exact cuts, placement, alignment, gluing, and finishing required. All those edges have to be flat flat flat even if it is wrapped around the edges which I doubt. High end expensive wall paper is not thin flimsy stuff. It is not forgiving. You need a new blade for each piece you trim. Try wrapping it around a corner. You want to shoot yourself.

What else could you possibly need in a bedroom other then this, a big round mirror above and some La Perla?

As you will see from their site Bryonie has a handful of new reproductions pieces you buy and then pick out your own paper. Of course they do specials orders.

PS: I know Bryonie has been around the blogs for awhile now. Tough. Look at this gorgeousness again.

PPS: I apologize for not posting more and posting consistently. And I don't mean to use work as an excuse but it is a GIANT excuse. I would rather be redoing and spending time here so come back please.

PPPS: Your comments mean so much to me. XXXXOOOOO

Yawn to Sunshine!

Can we say "boring", $38 bucks from overstock,.....yawn

Hello Sunshine

I know I know I know, it is all cuteness. But this smallish black task chair was screaming for cuteness. It holds 200 lbs, has adjustable height, rolls anywhere and the seat spins which is really fun when you get bored at work.  When your cheapo boring chair arrives from Overstock do not put it together. Take a flat head screw driver and wiggle it under the plastic lip around the seat and back and pop out those fabric covered pieces (I tossed the top plastic piece). Also, I am pretty sure you have to take out some screws in the seat to remove the plastic bottom. This will all become obvious as you work.

I roll and spin!

Wipe down all the plastic pieces with soap and water and rinse. Spray prime everything (not the fabric covered seat and back (duh)) with a high adhesion primer like Zinnsar Cover Stain. (I think this will work better then the "plastic" spray paint which I really did not care for).  Spray paint in your color (I used cream)

Back of chair back, two holes cut in fabric for screw holes

Get some fabric, cut two pieces at least two inches wider then seat and back, wrap over edges and staple starting at the center of each side and working your way out. Trim off excess. Since I tossed the back plastic piece cause I hated it and it made me mad, I cut an oval piece of fabric to cover the staples and remaining back area. I stapled that on and glued trim over the stapled edge. Holes were cut for the screw holes.

Damn, my back it so much cuter without the plastic

Now put the chair together which is really easy. Here you can see the plastic edge/lip around the seat. Do not worry about getting the lip up over the seat edge. Just screw the seat on. It will look fine. 

Yup, I am a bunch of cuteness

 

I keep thinking how fabulous 4 of these would look around a round diner/breakfast table! Go do this. It is cheap, easy and you will feel better about your life. Guarantee

PS: Opening Day is in ONE WEEK!

PPS: Thanks to the fab Shelly at modhomeec for guidance in getting off the plastic backs on the seat and back. Go to her site for all things upholstery!

Not Paint....

 

Pick a color you love that you want to see on a wall or in an entire room or above/below a chair rail or on a stencil...

Via Golden Touch, work in progress

and instead of using paint use Interno Lime Wash which you can find here. It is a glorious finish that "blooms" with the light, is saturated with pigment and has the look of weathered stucco you find only in Italy except..

Entry Hall by Golden Touch

it comes in EVERY color you can imagine.  Porters Paints of Australia manufactures, without a doubt, the most beautiful speciality finishes I have ever worked with.  Their supplier in the USA is Sydney Harbour Paints (the websites are exactly the same). You can email them to order. I have the "real" painted out fan deck which literaly must have my saliva on it.

Get your Redo On! Start at the Start...

Lets start at the start. That place you enter and leave from everyday. It is an entry/exit area of some sort, probably a smallish space and thus not a big tackling job. Come on and just do it*.  Wake up baby and GO WILD. This is the perfect place. No one hangs out in here and declare every bit of it YOURS.  Lets say you want to change this:

(the entry to my client's apartment BEFORE)

                                                                                  

A nice size entry but a bit crowded. And how about doing something FUN and ELECTRIC like THIS:

mark chamberlain genius who also writes on color at AT

Lets get your cha-cha going when you leave home and get happy when you come back. I DARE Ya! OK, so here we go...how about trying THIS:

(AFTER: view entering, fab turquoise picture covering that fuse box now)

Yup, clear it out, tape up a zigzag pattern and paint it! Damn, that was not so hard was it? And just go right over the top of the doorways:

College Redux/My Weekend

Come On! How cute is this Chaise?! I am so proud of the way it came out. It was an awful "mature-woman" (not "little old lady") pink and faded but had great bones, all feather cushions. From the thrift store. I helped the Pooh pick out the fabrics from a fab discount fabric store in NY and determined the application.

Showing herself off again. Love the box pleats that do not go to the floor. She's got on a short sexy skirt! (yes, I do speak to furniture)

Anyways The Pooh went off to college again last fall, is sharing a house and has her very OWN big bedroom, an unbelievable luxery for a college student. Of course she had to move her stuff in "RIGHT AWAY THIS WEEKEND MOM!" as she said on a THURSDAY. Her previously painted bookcases and desk were completely trashed from the first two years of college and desperately needed a redo.  

The chaise was the color inspiration.

Desk Finished (no before pic,  just picture an old white leather glove in the middle of the street)

 We are talking about priming, 2 coats of paint, stenciling and 2 coats of poly in THREE days on THREE pieces! 

I do not have a studio/work room so everything gets done right in the kitchen/living room/dining area in the winter. What difference does it make to have a creative mess for a few days. I love the way that slim, inexpensive rolling cart from CS fits under the desk. Note: desk drawer is gone. I was told it "broke" when desk was being moved. (probably during some party...)

 A touch of silver leaf on the applique. You got to not worry about leafing. Slap on some water based size (glue), let it tac up, slap on a piece of leaf and brush it off.