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!