Kitchen Comfort

Using non-traditional seating at a kitchen table

I have a plan to make the seating in the kitchen breakfast area comfortable and cozy. 

Below are pictures of the empty breakfast area when we purchased our townhouse. The walls were covered in black grass-cloth wallpaper, which I had removed and redone with an eggshell black paint. All of the trim and doors are painted white. The custom wall cabinets are a pale beige that exactly matches a color in the floor. The floor is covered in marble tile. On the kitchen utility side there are no top cabinets. The lower cabinets are white with black honed granite counter tops. The black walls above the sink, surrounding a large window, are waiting for a 15 inch backsplash that will match the entire wall behind the range and refrigerator. The backsplash and wall will be beautified with multi white shades of 5 inch square dutch tiles.  

16x16 Marble

5x5 Dutch tile samples in 14 shades of white from Holland

Hanging above the breakfast table is this antique milk glass and aged brass pendant light fixture. If you'd like to read its story go here.

The next two fuzzy pictures were taken the week we moved in after the paint job. The vignettes are victims of me just taking stuff out of boxes and sitting them somewhere. The items in this hutch, that is on the left side wall of the breakfast area, has changed quite a bit. Now it is filled with cookbooks and other thrift French items.

A bar cart sits on the right side wall of the breakfast area. It has been changed on top to include a vintage white rooster lamp that awaits its new shade. I am one of those quirky rooster collectors and you can read about that here. I am putting a huge distressed white framed mirror on this wall soon. Both the hutch and bar cart are painted an aged grey-green. I like to use certain green and turquoise shades as accent colors against black and neutrals. 

my comfy-cozy plan 

At first I decided to use my wicker chairs with an old 42 inch black leather-top table that was found at Austin Antique Mall. The table base is metal and was once a mossy green but has faded with age and a lot of rust. It stands only 28 inches high.

In 2011 when we lived separately, I followed the blogging craze that sought out these kooboo wicker chairs. I really liked how they looked paired with a another metal table I used at my old apartment. That is Cerise sitting on the Iosis tapestry pillow looking out the French patio door. 

She always leaves a dent in the same pillow.

Since reuniting with hubby, he reminds me daily about these chairs being uncomfortable. Well, it is true about them not being cozy…sigh. They are just for sitting and looks, lol. I got them half price at Cost Plus World Market due to a sale sign being on the wrong chair. They will retire to the patio after I dose them with a water protective sealer. 

Since I am a believer in recycling older furniture, I searched hard for two used small club chairs to redo and slipcover, but it is difficult to find them with perfect dimensions for sitting comfortably upright at an eating table. So I am considering to have two chairs made by Century Furniture. 

 Century Furniture - Belmont Chair

The chairs would be upholstered in Century's stock muslin with no welt cording, plus upgraded to having spring down cushions and feather blend throw pillows. They are larger than the wicker chairs but are not bulky, nor sit too deep. After the chairs are delivered I will call on the awesome Shabby Slips of Austin to make each a washable slipcover. I am thinking this plan will be perfect for adding comfort in the breakfast area and it allows the space on the table backside to remain uncluttered, so that we can continue having easy access into the wall cabinets.  

I want this to be a cozy area for us to sit and keep each other company while we cook and enjoy our kitchen. I also desire a comfy space for using my computer while enjoying my morning coffee. The tufted ottoman will stay put. In the picture is looks big, but it isn't. The width is just 24 inches. The fabric is a thick woven flax color linen. Those brown legs are screaming at me to paint them, which is what should have been done BEFORE I had it reupholstered! But they will get a distressed coat of ASCP French Linen within the next few weekends.

I have been finding high-end/100 percent linen upholstery fabric on eBay at great prices. In fact, all of the fabric used on my redo projects has been eBay finds. Here is a closeup.

For the two chair slipcovers, maybe this Ralph Lauren Calvados Ticking - Flint. If not, being that the kitchen walls are painted black, white linen slipcovers would be fabulous too. 

The area needs a little splash of color, so for sure the two throw pillows will be in this Ralph Lauren linen, Ladies Day Floral - Spectator. I just need to find the one yard needed at a huge discount because it is very expensive!

I have always kept a counter stool in a kitchen. It is perfect for when I am cooking holiday meals and I need to sit for a minute. Having three grown sons to cook for is fun, but can get exhausting on the day before Thanksgiving, lol. I recovered the seat of my old counter stool using a Lee Jofa heavy woven cotton stripe sample, which was bargain eBay find. This stool will sit at the end of the kitchen island after it is remodeled. 

 I wish this fabric wasn't discontinued. Black and white is always in style, especially in a woven stripe.

Other chairs I have thought about using...

Quatrine - Captain Chair

Quatrine - Morning Chair

Taylor Scott - Jillian Chair

Taylor Scott - Packard Chair

Hickory Chair - Jackson Skirted Wing Chair

This was my source for inspiration. My kitchen area is designed nothing like this gorgeous room, but I love the non-traditional seating idea for a breakfast area. These are two of Quatrine's Morning Chairs. I visited Quatrine in Dallas two weeks ago. They have beautiful slipcovered furniture.

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Putting washable slipcovers on upholstered chairs in an eating area is ideal for keeping them clean and it allows the ability for seasonal changes. What do you think of the idea?

 I am hoping it all works out to be a very comfortable and cozy setting that we can enjoy for many years.

Till next time

~

Life is too short to not live in comfort!

Linking to:

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Country French Style ~ Casual Dining Chairs

I love a comfortable and sturdy, casual wood dining chair, but not too tall or wide like many chairs I come across while hunting in stores. I needed six to place around our French bakery style dining table. Our dining space is right next to the living room and small. Years ago, in our former house the space was huge so I used six upholstered dining chairs around this same table. They were beautiful but not French and also quite large. This time for the townhouse, I felt real country French wood dining chairs would be appropriate and antique or used would be even better. 

Here is our dining table with a base made to resemble an antique French bakery's table. The top has a veneered painted green and beige French harlequin pattern on it.

 I first saw and fell in love with this table in 1985 while browsing thru Suniland, a former fine furniture store in Houston, which is now a Louis Shanks. During the 1980s, I use to browse thru fine furniture stores a lot, dreaming of purchasing items to own in the future. It wasn't until 1997 when I actually was able to afford this table and even better it was on clearance, but sadly for a "going out of business sale" at Interiors of Austin, another former fine furniture store in Texas. Many beautiful fine furniture stores have permanently closed their doors and bit the dust, sniff.  

While reading many DIY and decor blogs, I have seen many bloggers finding wonderful used dining chairs for their homes and hobby businesses. I also have admired many gorgeous antique dining chairs on interior design blogs. Oohing and awing over many photos gave me the idea to start searching for a set of my own. Knowing the measurements needed and style (country French) desired, I began playing a game of looking online through auctions and various sell sites. Eventually my winning moment came as I found the set of solid oak French chairs pictured below on the eBay store From Continental To You and yelled... BINGO!

(all the above chair photos taken by the eBay seller)

From Continental To You is a Belgian business that specializes in selling used European furniture and antiques that they call the "Craftsmanship of Generations."  They have a warehouse in Fairfield, Maine that holds their eBay store items that are sent to the USA. Working with them has been such a pleasurable experience. 

While waiting for the chairs to arrive I debated painting them using ASCP French Linen, or Pure White and adding a distressed aged wax finish. I would be recovering the seat cushions with either a French toile du jouy or a check fabric to keep my French Country in Texas theme going. Then I began to feel I might ruin these chairs and convinced myself to not buy the materials for the paint job and WAIT until they were actually sitting in our home, to decide. Of course I didn't use that good sense to do the same about fabric and impatiently purchased some yardage in both a toile du jouy and a check, grrrr. 

The next photo was taken last week on the morning they arrived. I must mention the fellas in Maine packed them extremely well. Though I liked them, there was something that really bothered me and made them seem as dull as this photo taken using my iPad. I went to work afterward thinking...YES, paint them!

But, two days later I began to worry about ruining them again. They are from France, were made during the 1930s and are in MINT condition. They are very sturdy and very comfortable. I liked them but something was bugging me, so I asked my wonderful hubby if he thought I should paint them. He said nope, the wood was too nice and we need something with stained wood showing around here. I usually paint everything.

On Saturday morning I figured out what was needed and got another bright idea!

The chair on the left is as they arrived, with a beige velvet that is the wrong shade for the dining table and too dated looking for me. Now you can see why a said grrrr earlier on buying fabric yardage in both a French toile du jouy and a check pattern. My bright idea caused me to use NEITHER! What a waste of money. I decided a natural linen was what these chairs needed. I have plenty of that hanging around this camp! This beautiful linen is backed for upholstery use and the application process was a snap since the seat cushions just pop out.

Here they are, all recovered. That is my sewing machine covered to the left, on the floor. The truth is I have been using our dining area as a work room since we moved in. It is usually a mess. Hubby can't wait until I am finished with projects so our place can actually be neat and tidy as in these pictures, lol. Plus, I can't wait until next spring when we finally have the herringbone hardwood floor.

Here is a close up under the table...

Now I LOVE them! They are for casual dining, country French and the right size for the space. Next up will be placing two candles on the candlesticks and filling the centerpiece with some type of succulent plant, or maybe hydrangea flowers that can dry out. I painted all three of those thrift finds. I will also work on getting the two paintings on the wall finally framed. It has only been since 2003 that they were commissioned. Yeesh, I am sometimes slow as a snail on getting things done.

If you are hunting for "Craftsmanship of Generations" furniture pieces from Europe be sure to check out From Continental To You on eBay from time to time.

Till next time

~

Enjoy the hunt!

~

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Furniture Feature Friday

A Pretty French Chair

Ooh La La ~ the search was worth it!

Eagerly, I spent months trying to pick the perfect upholstered chair for the master bedroom. First I started with the idea of buying it brand new and viewed top furniture manufacture websites for styles that could fit in with the French Country flare that is going on around here. Then with a list of prospects, I rushed off to shop stores that carried the brands of my preferred styles and I sat, and sat, and sat, and sat, and yes, sat again...until I became frustrated. Most of these stores didn't have any of the "pretty" chairs from my list on the showroom floor, or any others that were actually drool worthy. 

Going through one of the largest fine furniture showrooms here, I began to wonder who in the heck is its buyer and floor display designer? They must get some type of bonus or huge stock discount for showing basic unattractive fabric covered chairs. Perhaps they don't have a floor designer anymore like they did in the 1980s, when I was in my 20s, drooling while browsing thru and too broke to buy from them. If they do, trust me they are stuck in a timezone of the 1990s when big gaudy furniture in deep earth-tones was the "IN" Texas thang! The alternative on the floor was of course 50 shades of beige (which can be beautiful, as well as earth-tones) but even that looked dated in their store showroom. 

All I was looking for was a "pretty" well made and affordable upholstered chair that I could COM some Belgian linen on, without it looking trendy. Why was that so hard to find?

After feeling discouraged, defeated and scared away by the close to 3k prices I was getting for any special order that would suit my whim, I began to ask myself...Why must you be so picky? It's just a bedroom chair that will get occasionally sat on by moi. 

I mainly hang out downstairs in the living room in front of TV #2, streaming movies on Netflix, or Apple TV. I know where hubby sits daily; upstairs in his mancave on his "special" leather Scandinavian style chair with its matching ottoman, in front of TV #1. 

So I told myself to get over the fact that new affordable pretty chairs aren't made as well as in the good old days. Then a light bulb went on in my head...

START SEARCHING FOR AN OLDER PRETTY CHAIR AND GIVE IT A MAKEOVER!

I started prowling through the resale shops here in Austin, but came across nothing that made my heart skip a beat. I really wanted it to look at least a little French. Next, I began to prowl through eBay and there were some good prospects, but I just could not click to purchase. 

I refuse to settle.

Then one day while shopping thru Etsy for some vintage French decor items, I thought to search for a used vintage chair that could use some love and satisfy my picky side. 

Suddenly, I imagined a French horn blowing…

Voila! There she was!

SitOnItgallery

My heart started beating faster looking at the side view.

SitOnItgallery

I felt a little light headed staring at the details.

SitOnItgallery

This pretty chair had to be mine! 

Then my brain reminded me it sat in a store way up the country. I had to shut off the over-thinking because that was no big deal. Greyhound shipping was offered at a reasonable price! The info also said she would get a makeover if I sent them the fabric.

 JACKPOT!!!

The wise one of this remarkable service is Richelle at Sit On It...A Chair Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri. She and I began discussing the chair over a few emails and I sent her a sample of the Belgian linen fabric I had been hoarding, upon her request for approval. All linens are not created equal for upholstery use and a good upholsterer knows that fact. She gave me the big okay and I rushed to the UPS store to send her the yardage and a check.

A quote from the Sit On It...A Chair Gallery website:

"Sit On It...a chair gallery, LLC is a unique custom upholstery studio and full service interior design studio. The designers at Sit On It...make great interior design easy accessible and affordable!  Our workroom specializes in updating fabulous vintage frames with fashion forward fabrics. By respecting to the original construction of your piece, the integrity and value is maintained and restored."

Perfect! I truly admire businesses that love to sell and restore vintage items at an affordable price.

Several weeks later the beloved "pour moi" chair arrived, looking not pretty like I found her, but instead she is now seriously GORGEOUS and wearing that Belgian linen very well, I must say. 

Even Cerise thought so and had to strike a pose on her. 

(I must remember to make a matching throw for the seat to protect from fur kids)

Below she sits with a lovely Ankasa throw pillow that I purchased last year. It was marked down 1/2 price and hanging out in the clearance room at Wildflower Organics, a store that offers not only luxurious linens and decor, but also both organic mattresses and furniture brands to the Austin area. I love how she looks with the black walls and sisal flooring in the master bedroom.

The experience I had with Richelle at the Sit On It...A Chair Gallery was fantastic and the quality and craftsmanship of their work is professional and well worth the wait. I would shop them again in a heartbeat, if I could squeeze in another chair somewhere in our little townhouse, lol. Hmm, perhaps for a sofa to fill that empty space I mentioned in a previous post?

This gorgeous chair is too heavy for me to pick up alone. Apart from filling my "pretty chair" criteria she is well made and solid. That is exactly what I wanted and is what you can expect with most fine furniture from the good old days. Now she has even better days ahead.

Check out what's going on at Sit On It…A Chair Gallery by viewing their Facebook page.

Till next time

If you are chair shopping, please consider buying vintage or used.

~

But this seat is taken! 


Linking to:

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Feathered Nest Friday

The Beauty of a Belgian Style Sofa

 Why are Belgian style sofas so appealing?

I am at war with choosing a new sofa. We need one for our new home and currently do not have one. The sofa space between two side tables is sad looking and waiting to be filled. Even the lamps are in place. So that leaves the sofa project with a blank canvas and opportunity to put in something that needs not only to be beautiful, but functional and comfortable for many years. The functional part is it will have to be slipcovered. I refuse to be stuck with a fabric sofa that gets used daily and is not washable. Plus I like the idea of changing the slipcover with the seasons. That is, if we ever actually get a season change here in hot butt Texas.

During our long separation both hubby and I accumulated nice sofas. I had a gorgeous mid range custom 85 inch tight back, down/feather seat cushion, French/European styled slipcovered sofa called, the "Marseilles" from Norwalk Furniture. I sadly gave it away 4 years ago ONLY because it could not fit inside my last small apartment with all of the other stuff I dare not depart from. It was purchased in 2000 when I worked for a store that sells the brand. I had the company upgrade everything you could possibly think of to assure it would hold up through time. The style and size would be perfect for the space we have now, but it is no longer made. I wonder if Norwalk still has upgrade options on the construction of their sofas? I must inquire. 

Hubby had a huge Scandinavian style, dark brown leather sectional that was 120 inches long "both directions" and sat real low, in his apartment. Ask me if the proportion fit??? I refuse to allow it to come with us because of its size (way too big) and that color was too manly dark. Plus, it could not fit upstairs in in his new mancave. The leather on that thing was top of the line scrumptious, but I have a soft spot for not desiring to indulge in leather furniture, at least for a sofa. Though I have not given up on feathers, I may need to work on that too. Our sons happily enjoy that big monster now in their bachelor pad/house and IT FITS there. 

So now I am in a dilemma. Do I save to splurge on a high-end sofa that is made superbly? Or, choose mid range and pray it all works out again, with the one ordered being made properly and comfortable. When I had that last mid-range sofa it was only me sitting on it. Or should I continue to search like a crazy picky lady (which is what I have become...I need serious help) for a excellent used sofa that is iron clad and have it cleaned and a slipcover made to fit it? 

The sofa I desire must have a tight back or somewhat of one with throw pillows. It can not be too short in height and in length be over 85 inches. It must have at least with a 25 inch arm height and it must be at least 39 inch deep minimum for comfort to curl up in and watch movies. No more sitting straight up properly. Those days are long gone for us, but we don't want to get swallowed in either by a 46 inch depth. And for goodness sakes we are not trying to crawl out of it, we are mid-age. So that darn seat can't be just 15-17 inches high. Every inch matters!

The reason for this problem is the sofa style I love is Belgian and is extremely difficult to find a budget friendly slipcovered version in the size I can use without indulging in Restoration Hardware. Even they aren't really inexpensive. There are a few other furniture makers slowing adding one or two simulated Belgian design styles to their sofa selection. It is even more difficult to find a good used sofa that comes close to Belgian style (after a few minor renovations and slipcover added) because no one seems to be getting rid of that. BUT, there sure are plenty of 1980s through the early 2000s, over sized body, arm and back cushion, big ugly sofas up for grabs in the used furniture seeking world. People are literally tossing them out! (I wonder why?) LOL

The beauty of a Belgian style sofa is its ability to blend in with almost any type of decor...past, present and probably the future. The shapes are elegant and can be easily used casually. The look is sophisticated and works well in a traditional, contemporary, or country setting. They are also very comfortable. They most certainly can come slipcovered to give you the availability to keep them clean, or change for a different look. Most important is they appear to be timeless so that you may keep it for many years, like the beauties pictured below.

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I just drool over a deep single seat cushion and a feminine curve of the arm. Throw pillows are a must. 

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 This comfy looking slipcovered beauty below was made in Belgian and listed on 1stdibs is priced at 7,500 dollars!

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One American source for Belgian style is Verellen. They will make it for you with one or two seat cushions, in various lengths and have a huge washable fabric selection. So far one configuration I picked is around 5,000...yeesh! What's that you say? Girl, keep looking!


The Eugenie Sofa - Verellen

 The Camille Sofa - Verellen

I forgot who makes this one - it may be Verellen

My budget calls for something made at a lower price point that can give me the gorgeous simplicity and style of a Belgian sofa. I have thought of ordering one of these three below in muslin with no welt and having the slipcover made. The cost would still be much less than buying an actual Belgian style sofa because I already have the slipcover fabric. They come with down/feather blend seat cushions and have good dimensions for the space in our living area. The first sofa is from Baker and in reality it may come with a higher price tag too, especially if I have them make it with a single cushion. Note, I also like wing backs and camel backs.

 The Juliette Tight Back sofa - Baker (from the Dapha collection)

The Catherine sofa - Century Furniture

The Brighton Sofa - Norwalk Furniture

I really like this 2252 Sherrill sofa but 94 inches is too long for our space. - Sherrill Furniture 

During this sofa decision war, I have actually considered going against my previous bad talk and getting a Restoration Hardware sofa, because of their good looks and being available with a slipcover. Lesson here is to stop talking trash about something you may end up liking. But will it hold up? They are comfortable in the store and hubby likes them. Because of the classic depth on the two styles I like pictured below from RH, I would probably get the 6' sofa, though I prefer 7'. Plus the 6' would assure a bench seat cushion.

Hmmm, has any one had one for more than five years that you use DAILY and are you still pleased with it? 

Ordered in muslin a slipcover can be made for this ~ Restoration Hardware Belgian Wingback sofa

a sofa with thicker arms ~ Restoration Hardware Camelback Slipcovered Sofa

Decisions and budgets can be hard. Often the decision is resulted by the budget. I could wait it out and save, save, save, knowing that the empty space will be there for a long time. But my DIY, Recycle, Refurbish, thrift loving side is at war with the decision process because it insist that I find some used lovely sofa that needs a good home and give it a makeover. I need to Readjust.

So back to the battle I go!

Till next time  

~ 

I'm off the couch!  

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