Sex on (lucite) legs

WARNING: the following post contains explicit images of chairs.

So last weekend I checked out a thrift store I'd never been to and found a truly awesome score. Three Parsons type chairs with brass bases and lucite (!) legs. OMG. These things are A-mazing. Truly white hot. Look upon them and be jealous.

My mom and I have been contemplating the approximate age of these chairs — I thought early 70's but she says probably 60's. Aside from the upholstery, which is dated and not in fantastic shape, these things are pretty pristine! My mind has been racing with possible fabric choices to revamp these ravishing mod beauties. It's gotta be luxe ... perhaps a supple velvet in a teal-y color, orange, charcoal, or maybe even some medium shade of purple. I'm also considering a textural solid. I'm open to suggestions at this point so I'd love to head any ideas you might have! When I redo them I might forgo the gathers on the backs in favor of a little button tufting. Whatever I come up with, I have a feeling they're going to end up looking like something you'd see on 1stDibs.com!

Oh, and the best part? I got 'em for $11 a piece. Giddiness abounds!

The big chair reveal

Remember the little chair I rescued from a trash pile not too long ago? Well, she's ready for her close-up. Just as a refresher, here's the "before: shot:

 After two cans of gloss black spray paint and some stapling, this the "after":

 

Ooh, ahh!

 

The gratuitous close-up

The fabric I went with is Annie Selke's Links in Slate. I bought it online from HouseFabric.com here. For this project, I decided the "links" would look better running vertically to mirror the openings on the chair back. Isn't it lovely? I am very pleased with the makeover.

Don't forget to scout the curbs on trash day. You never know what you might find!

She clicks, she scores!

Just wanted to share this little gem I got on Craigslist today for $30. Sure, in my dreams it was a whole set of campaign furniture, but since up until now I've been a campaign virgin I'll take what I can get. It's marked Drexel and it's in great shape structurally. Can't wait to shine up the hardware and paint this piece a fun color!

 

Stay tuned for the "after" pics!

P.S. Progress has been made on the wayward chair project! She got sanded and sprayed gloss black over the weekend. I'm now in the process of making my final fabric decision. More to come...

Emily's Home for Wayward Chairs

Anyone who knows me even reasonably well knows I have a bit of a ... hmm, chair fetish? As such, I certainly can't resist a seat in need, so I was more than happy to pick up this spindly little homeless thing I discovered by the curb while I was running one evening.

She's got potential, no? Am planning on restyling her not-so-flattering wood tone with some paint. Gloss black is always a classic choice. Or perhaps a punchy color? Thoughts?

Fabric-wise, she definitely needs a makeover. That brown vinyl will be replaced with something far more chic. Velvet? Dupioni silk? Maybe a super cool print? So many possibilities.

Right now this diamond in the rough is sitting around my dining table with the two tufted back chairs I got in Mount Dora late last year. But I think I'll fix her up and put her elsewhere, then look for another pair of complementary chairs to complete my dining set.

Stay tuned for progress.

P.S. Have started painting my bedroom, so I'll share more when the job is complete.

Wow. What a day!

I ventured out this morning with the lovely and talented ReNew ReDo! on a quest for bargains, and we were not disappointed. I'll let her share what she wants about her own scores (I will tell you they were good), but here's what I turned up...

Item #1 – Cabinet/Buffet

We checked out a sale in a commercial building and noted several interesting items, but this is the one that came home with me. This piece is solid wood and works perfectly as a buffet in my dining room. Was contemplating whether to refinish or paint it. Will most likely reach a decision on that when I inspect it a little closer for nicks and scratches. But this baby's definitely getting some new knobs.

The price? $20. I know, right?


Item #2 – Settee

Our last stop of the day was one of my favorite haunts, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, where I got this dainty little darling of a settee all decked out in quilted black fabric — which is in pretty pristine condition, by the way. This thing is smokin' hot. The pattern of the quilting looks almost deco.

It was love at first sight for me, so I snapped it up with only a vague idea of where it might live once I got it home. I think this will actually work really well at the foot of the bed in my boudoir. This room is still a bit of a work in progress but I love how things are coming together, and the black looks so lovely with the smoky amethyst of the duvet cover.

How much, you ask? A mere $42. Done and done.

NOTE: I'd like to express my gratitude to my partner in bargain hunting for allowing me to take possession of this particular find, as I know she was quite enamored with it herself. I offered to arm wrestle her for it, but I'm glad it didn't come to that.

Item #3 – Blue and white vase

We went to a really fun yard sale, full of all sorts of intriguing bric-a-brac. I snagged this cool vase for $3. It's good sized and plays well with my decor.

I sooo love the thrill of the hunt! Happy weekend!

I love lamp (garage sale score No. 2), plus bonus scores

At long last, the photo of my second garage sale score from a couple weeks ago. [cue fanfare]

Picked up this sweet old hand painted lamp for $12. I could tell the shade was of good quality, but it's in poor condition so I will need to redo or replace. But the moment I saw this lamp I thought it would look pretty cool with a funky Anthro style topper.

Rose Landscape Shade – $98

Midnight Iris Shade – $98

Gualaguetza Shade – $98

Of course I would attempt to craft one myself, as I'm fairly certain I don't have the 98 clams to spare.

So now for the bonus scores. I went over to one of the more interesting thrift stores I've found in the area (it's a Habitat for Humanity ReStore) and found a couple little trinkets for a whopping $5 total sale.

Nice wood frame – $2

Asian cork art – $3 (a cool little scene with two cranes in it)

All in all, a productive trip! I've enjoyed this long holiday weekend. Do I have to go to work tomorrow? I could get so much more done around the house if I just had one more day off!

P.S. Can't help it. Anchorman's still funny, and I still quote some line from the movie at least a couple times a month. There. I've said it. Whew.

My latest reflection

So I know I promised part deux of my garage sale scores today, but my camera died as I was trying to download my pics and I'm too lazy to hunt down some batteries at the moment. Sad, I know.

But in my couch-sitting-beer-drinking-long-weekend-celebrating-laziness I ran across something rather surprising and thought I'd share. Check it:

This Knot Mirror has a 40" diameter and a black and gold finish. And it's marked-down to $89. Now guess where it came from ... Kirkland's!!  I know, right? I had them pegged for purveyors of the generic, mundane and marginally tacky (read: mall decor), but every now and again I like to pop in and see what's happening. Now I'll admit that most of the other items I ran across on their website were not my particular cup of tea. But I think this piece sort of rocks.

I dig this photo from my inspiration file but I'm dying to hang something behind that sofa. I could see our friend the Knot Mirror playing well in this scenario!

So, that's it for now. I've gotta finish making the wild rice salad I'll be taking to the family holiday dinner. Peace, and Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Pillows...

I am considering these pillow covers from West Elm for use in my living room.

Like them all. LOVE the gold.

Animal instinct (garage sale score No. 1)

In all my recent Mt. Dora excitement, I forgot to mention a couple garage sale scores from the weekend before last!

This upholstered leopard ottoman was a steal at $3! Minky the cat concurs! It has a couple small tears in the top, but that's nothing that can't be fixed with an iron-on patch applied underneath while I shop around for other animal print fabric. I love the print as-is, and hope to find something as close as possible to the original!

Photo of score No. 2 to come!

Mount Dora Awesome-Fest 2010!

So I took a ride over to the semi-famous Renniger's Antique Extravaganza Weekend in Mt. Dora on Saturday with the lovely and fabulously talented decorating maven of ReNew ReDo! I won't offer any spoilers on her scores, but here's what I came away with:

Exhibit #1 - A great pair of carved wood chairs with tufted backs for $30! That's $15 a chair, folks. They've even got casters on the front legs. Nifty!

The upholstery is in fairly decent shape, but it's odd to say the least. Almost seems like the kind of stuff you'd find on patio furniture, and I don't mean the stylish Sunbrella type. I mean the slightly scratchy old-school woven stuff with a bit of a sheen to it. Not sure where these are going just yet, but I'm already dreaming about fabric possibilities.

Riviera in Flight in Citrine from the new IMAN Home Collection at Calico Corners

Dahlia in Dove, Calico Corners

Fabriano in Cocktail, Calico Corners

Silhouette in Kiwi, Calico Corners

Sultana Lattice in Citrine, also from the IMAN Home Collection, Calico Corners
(Yes lattice, I still love you.)

Exhibit #2 - A four-panel hand-painted Chinoiserie screen that's around 5' tall. Two of the panels are no longer attached, and this beauty came home with me to the tune of $35 (!). I know... holy crap, right?? You may commence with the jealousy. It's so pretty, my knees buckled a little when I saw it. It's like having my own mini de Gournay!


And here's the gratuitous close-up...

The fact that the third and fourth panels are detached was not a detractor to me at all. In fact, I might go ahead and separate the first and second as well and hang them on the wall with a half-inch or so of space in between. I'm pretty sure I'm going to put two panels on each side flanking the sideboard in my living room.

So there you have it! A thrifty and highly productive day! And we barely covered 1/3 of the place before we were weighed down with treasures and had to head for the car. We are SO going back soon!

Hope you had a fantastic nearly-Thanksgiving weekend!

A quickie...

I'd just like to say for the record, I'm majorly lusting for a leopard rug for my bedroom!

Oh, and some monogrammed linens would be pretty sweet too. The rest of this room is far too fluffy for my taste.

Back to the blogosphere...

Since I was recently added to somebody's blog roll (Thanks, Sammy!), I became horribly embarrassed that I'd just left this ol' blog dangling a year ago like a harvest gold macarame plant holder in the back of a thrift store. This is partly an excuse for my laziness, but I'd say overall I was underwhelmed by the attitude of some of the more prominent deco blogstresses (no names mentioned) out there. I tired of the snarkiness and general holier-than-thou-ness that seems to dominate certain circles and ultimately became disillusioned with the whole deal in favor of keeping my decorating insights to myself — or perhaps sharing them with my dogs. Incidentally, they think I rock. :)

So... I think I'm gonna give it another shot. After all, I've recently turned the corner and started a new life (with a new house to pretty up), sans boyfriend. READ: this is a good thing. I hope to share some of the process of bettering this bachelorette pad of mine.

Stay tuned!

P.S. In the meantime, thought I'd throw a little autumn-esque boudoir action* your way, courtesy of West Elm. Swoon...


* Heh, heh. I said boudoir action.

The weekend wrap-up

All in all, I suppose I had a pretty productive weekend. First, I put a new coat of white paint on the fireplace. Then, I repainted the wall around it in Refuge by Sherwin-Williams. Yes, you heard it here folks! We finally chose a color.


I scoped out an estate sale on Saturday morning, then returned on Sunday morning and successfully made a low-ball offer on this antique beauty...


...which I hope to turn into something like this.

photo from Eddie Ross — read the whole post here.

Not bad, eh? And I even squeezed in a short nap!

All-a-flutter

Can I just say I L-O-V-E this Bird & Branch Decoupage Chandelier from Anthropologie? Behold its awesomeness...

Here's a detail shot...


Unfortunately, my love affair came to a screeching halt once I caught a glimpse of the price tag on this 34" x 20" beauty: $2,298.00. What the what???

But before we give up on this dream, consider for a moment:

Birds Nest Tissue Paper from Ribbons and Favors – $0.56 per 20" x 30" sheet

Blue Birds on Green decorative paper from The Paper Studio – $3.50 per 22" x 28" sheet.

Bird & Nest decorative paper from The Paper Studio – $3.75 per 22" x 28" sheet

Or you could resize some of these lovelies from Vintage Printables and send 'em over to Kinkos to be printed as color copies.

Now hold on to your Mod Podge, because I believe any one of these decoupage options would work wonders on a chandelier like this one being sold on my local Craig's List for around $25:



Seriously, think it over. It could totally work.

P.S. Anyone see Man Shops Globe on the Sundance Channel? I don't do cable but I've been hoping they'll offer the episodes online after they air.

Weekend finds

For some reason my September "10 things that make me happy" post didn't...um, post. While I get to the bottom of these technical difficulties, here are two yard sale finds from last weekend:


A faux bamboo and cane chair ($10), currently upholstered in coral chintz. Not sure what this chair wants to be when it grows up, but for the moment I'm not opposed to it in its current state. I have a weak spot for coral, after all.


A 15-bottle wine refrigerator ($40), never used. Hells yeah.

Ten things that make me happy - September 2009

A-ha! Better late than never, I suppose. Great success. For the record, I'm keeping the original date stamp on this post to remind Blogger that I did attempt to post it on that date! Take that, Blogger.

1. White Truffle Oil – Elevates even a humble serving of mashed potatoes to something extraordinary.
2. IKEA PS Krona Bowl – Like a crown for your table!
3. Vienna Necklace from de jarnette
   
4. Chocolate Cosmos – I love dark plants in the garden.
5. Hermes Orange – I don't need a scarf. I just want the box.
   
6. Cross Twig Table from Overstock – Unfortunately, I think this sold out.
7. Venetian glass mirrors – Can be had at estate sales and sometimes at Homegoods too. Would love a whole wall of different shapes and sizes.
   
8. Wonderland Pearl fabric from housefabric.com – Create your own Pottery Barn chair with this print and a thrift store cast-off.
9. Saucer Knob from Anthropologie – I've been eyeing these for an old beat up dresser currently in service as a buffet.
10. Circa Pillow from Z Gallerie – Also available in lovely shades of brown and green.
    

Floor pics, finally

Since I recently realized I probably won't be done shuffling furniture around for a while, I decided I'd go ahead and post the "naked" pics of our new-ish bamboo floor. More to come when I'm ready to properly unveil the living/dining room.

A wall of a different color

Much thought has been put into the dilemma of what color to repaint the fireplace wall in the living (well, currently dining) room. As you may recall, it began back in July (yes, it's really taken me this long to address the issue) with the patching of a softball-size hole created after I removed the largest wall anchor I've ever seen. Once the patching was complete, I realized there was no leftover green paint in the carport closet.

I do like the existing green and I could just match it as closely as possible and keep it the same color. But when the opportunity, nay necessity, to repaint it presented itself it opened up a whole spectrum of new possibilities. We're currently auditioning five samples of blues and greens and I'm sad to report that my gut tells me none of these are the one.


I think I've decided my color inspiration is coming from the pattern on a favorite teacup and saucer, which was a gift from my dear friend Amy of Artichokes & Lemonade.

And so the search continues...


BTW, I realize that in professional design circles the debate rages on as to whether or not the painted "focal wall" is a faux pas. There was even a couple pages devoted to the topic in a recent issue of House Beautiful featuring designers weighing in on both sides of the issue, and they both had some good points.

I'm going to add my voice to the choir and say I'm just fine with a focal wall. Why does it have to be all or nothing? In my house, the living and dining room are one big space, so from the paint purist's perspective if I want some color on my walls I'd either have to commit to it for the entire ginormous room or do without. Poo poo to that, I say.

While I acknowledge that painting all four walls (and sometimes even the ceiling too) in the same color can make a gutsy and powerful style statement, it isn't always a practical choice depending on the shape and size of your room and how you've designated your space. As someone who is just as willing to change paint colors as I was to change hair colors as a teenager, I'm fairly sure that if I put a strong color on every wall in the living/dining room I'd tire of it rather quickly. Besides, most design rules are made to be broken, yo. Or at the very least challenged.

Antique store prowling

Some items I spied at a favorite local antique store...

Painting of a young lady, circa 1930's – $20 (I think)

Seashell plaque – $18 (I think)

Pair of wood chairs with brass details – $100 for the pair

I've never heard of a "Tong" chair (Should I have heard of this?) and all my Googling turned up zilch on the subject. Still, despite their unfortunate upholstery, I suspect these could be the deal of the century. Why, why did I not buy these on the spot? Ah yes, because I don't plan on building an extra wing onto the house anytime soon.

Ginger jar – $20

Am contemplating this as another orange accent (along with my new World Market pillow on the sofa) in the living room.

Gold and turquoise painted tray – $20

Nifty jar from a bakery in Niagara Falls, NY – $25

I already have a cookie jar (although it holds cat treats, not cookies) but am wondering how I might use this in the kitchen.