Weekend Project = Chair #3 (Continued)

Today I tackled the back of Chair #3. Taking off both sides took about 4 hours, but at least this time I avoided blisters by remembering to wear gloves (but not before puncturing my hand with a rogue staple). Meh...lessons learned. I kept the fabric as intact as possible so I can use it for a pattern for cutting the new upholstery. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to try to duplicate the tufted look, or if I will opt for something simpler. After I got all the staples out I sanded the whole chair. Tomorrow I will do some more sanding and crack filling, and then get started on painting. 

Out with the old

I need to clear out, de-clutter and start fresh. That means that my completed chairs just got posted on Craigslist for ridiculously low prices. I already have a buyer for Chair #1 arranged for tonight and someone else interested...I have this fantasy that they show up at the same time and have a crazy bidding war/slap fight.

Time to move on...can't sit around and hoard chairs in my apartment, and really, all I want is for someone to be stoked to buy something I made.

Chair #1http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/fuo/2016942345.html SOLD
Chair #2 http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/fuo/2018682839.html 

Weekend Project = Chair #3 (Continued)

My hands are blistered from hours of pulling tacks and staples, but I finally got down to the webbing. 

Weekend Project = Chair #3

Here's chair #3! This will be a tougher project for me than my first two, but I'm up for the challenge. I'm going to start removing the old upholstery today. I also found THIS old paint....

So hot right now



Falling for winter

Chair #2 is totally on trend. I knew it was destined for greatness :) Check out the winter inspired treasury here by LylaAccessories. This weekend will technically be the last weekend of summer, but all this talk of fall and winter has me excited. See ya, lame-o non-summer summer!! It's not quite time to bust out the extra quilt for the bed but I wouldn't mind bringing some of this fall enthusiasm home. Here are some decorating ideas that aren't too holiday specific...

Decorating with branches (they fall...you pick them up...it's free!)

Re-nest

This book wreath would be perfect on the front door... Tutorial here!

Living with Lindsay

Weekend Project - Chair #2

After

Before

So I was planning on using a pale blue fabric for #2, but I just wasn't in love with any of the blue options. Once my plan went out the window my lack of decision making abilities became glaringly obvious as I spent WAY too long wandering the fabric store...picking up things...putting them back...touching everything (Eric loves/hates that I do this). I finally came across this green graphic print and it just felt right. I love the shades of green and mustard yellow and how the circle print mimics the chair back. 

I'm happy to report that this chair took way less time than the first (aside from the fabric selection) which means I am learning. The gold paint was interesting to work with. It makes the wood grain of the chair pop, which I actually find quite beautiful especially in the sunlight. I could have used different techniques, but they would have been much more costly and time intensive and it just wasn't a practical approach for now but I do want to try some gilding techniques in the future. Anyways, enjoy!

Chair #1 Featured in Moncy3!

Thanks to Claudia for featuring my chair on her blog Moncy3!!! She's dreaming of my chair in her studio. That's what I do people...make dreams into reality. That is a joke. But seriously, it's awesome that someone is wishing for something I made...even more motivation to get working on #2 this weekend.

I love this card I found in her Etsy shop. Pretty mail is her business and I love me some pretty mail. I could give it to Eric in my ongoing plot to relocate him to LA....also a joke...kinda :)

One Decision Down...

So I think I have finally settled on gold gilding for Chair #2 and soft blue or beige upholstery. I found this in an old Elle Decor featuring the home of Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer’s Greek Revival home in East Hampton and can't help but swoon over the whole look. I'm not sure when I will get around to Chair #2 but at least it's a relief to have a plan in mind for when I do! I'll be busy the next 2 evenings and then there's the long holiday weekend. It would be ideal if I was going to be home in LA but I will be heading north to see family or south to see the BF (I can't make any decisions at this point in my life so really decisiveness about Chair #2 is monumental). So a lot of driving is in store no matter what, and hopefully a lot of fun as well but most likely not a lot of revival time. Ah, if only there were more hours in a day and more days in the weekend...

Current Love = Brightly Painted Chairs

Design*Sponge

Design*Sponge

Chair #2 is still awaiting its transformation. I know, I know, I've had it for a week now and can't decide what to do with it! I'm dying to try something bold. From the start I was considering attempting gold (a la French chairs at the Getty) but now I'm also playing with the idea of picking a beautiful bright color. I love these examples I found on Design*Sponge. So many ideas, so little time!

Weekend Adventure = The Getty Center

Eric and I visited the Getty yesterday and we had such a good time we ended up staying the whole afternoon until we could barely feel our feet. The majority of the day was spent browsing the various exhibits indoors but the thing I love about the Getty is it's just as visually appealing outdoors. We spent some time laying around on the lawn enjoying the sunny weather, eating hotdogs, and people watching. All of the art was amazing, some more thought provoking than others. My favorite piece of the day was a little watercolor called Waiting (1882 c.) by Edgar Degas. I am going to look into getting a print for the apartment. 


The decorative art exhibit was above and beyond my favorite part of the day. I fell absolutely in love with the beautiful French armchairs and furniture from the 1700s. I would give anything to be a fly on the wall when museum conservators restored these things. Interesting factoid: Furniture became increasing specialized in the 1700s in France, and chairs in a variety of shapes and sizes were one of the most important features in a formal reception room. They were designed either as chaises courants (literally, running chairs), to be moved around the room as needed, or chaises meublants (fixed chairs), to be placed against the wall as part of the interior architecture. 


I was a little obsessed with this exhibit so I did some more reading on the Getty's website. They have listings of every item including in-depth descriptions and in some instances photos of the furniture pre-restoration if that's your thing :)


I highly doubt I will ever get my hands on a chair of the caliber that I saw at the Getty, but it's even more inspiration for my projects moving forward (Chair #2 is awaiting paint as I type). I have already begun researching the process of gold leaf gilding to match the effect.


I'll be posting some more fun pics of our day later! For now I need to get off the computer and spend what's left of the weekend with E. Happy Sunday!

Chair #2

I picked up this little beauty a few days ago off a Craigslist post. Turned out the sweetest lady ever was selling it in preparation for her migration to Florida. I love the details in the front. It has potential...I'm thinking of attempting GOLD. Anyone with me??

Weekend Project = Chair #1

After

Before

Finally got around to refurbishing my first chair ever...and I tell you it feels pretty good! In one weekend we (being myself and Eric, my oh-so-amazing boyfriend) had to make about 8 trips to various hardware and fabric stores before we finally had everything necessary to paint and reupholster this vintage chair (see before photo below). Being a man's man, I'm sure Eric never imagined himself in Joanne's fabric store searching for trim all weekend...but he was a trooper and I made sure we were stocked up on cold beer and sandwiches from Bay Cities to keep everyone happy. 

This being amateur hour and all, the following list is a sampling of lessons learned:

1. We had to try various foam/batting thicknesses to get the right amount of cushion for the seat. After playing around with various options we managed to pull some batting apart to get what we needed to layer with the foam.

2. It took about 3 more coats of paint than anticipated to cover the previous dark wood stain.

3. We learned to ALWAYS bring the fabric with you everywhere when buying supplies (which is obvious, but if you know me you know I'm bound to forget the most important thing when I leave the house). We guessed on a trim color without the fabric on the first try...as anticipted, it didn't match so we had to return it. 

4. When buying supplies, check your supplies before check out. We were all geared up to assemble the seat and realized our newly purchased staple gun was missing an important piece. Back to the hardware store we went, and then we were finally set.

It was a true learning experience and all-in-all a great way to spend a weekend (for me at least!). I anticipate the next chair will take half the time without the amateur mistakes. Once I have it down I want to try a more difficult upholstery project. I'm so glad to have taken the first step :)