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!

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My heart started beating faster looking at the side view.

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I felt a little light headed staring at the details.

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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! 


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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!  

Feather Nest Friday

Furniture Feature Friday

Treasure Tweaking - Imports and Thrift Store Finds

Do you resist...

 those resin, wood, or metal decor items with the "Made in China" sticker on the back?

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Come on now... You know the ones I am talking about. They have invaded every hobby and decor shop in strip malls across America. Some are very pretty, some are too cutesy, many are kitsch, but mostly all are made for a fraction of a fraction of their retail price. Did you get that?

Every Target, Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, Kirkland's, Tuesday Morning, T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, and Ross are full of them in droves. A complete store list carrying imported decorations is so long it would take months to type. The imports even managed to invade department stores from the low end like Kohl's, to the high like my all time Texas favorite... Neiman Marcus/Horchow. That oh-too-common sticker on the back has caused some minor political debates about jobs and merchandise being made and sold from this country. But, when people start to shop for decorations, low prices usually trigger most of us to toss any political correctness to the side. Many times I have been one of those PC tossers and because of my "real life" budget, I will continue to be for a very long time.

I prefer to find these imports second hand, or passed on to me by others who got tired of looking at them in their own home, or by rummaging garage sales and charity thrift stores like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and an original in Austin... Top Drawer Thrift. 

TDT's charity sponsor, Project Transitions was created in 1986 by Barbara Davis to help support people dying from AIDS. In 1993 the thrift store was opened under the charity's vision to incorporate its proceeds to PT, helping to cover the cost of supporting individuals and families with HIV/AIDS. This thrift shop has been awarded many times as the best in thrift by the Austin Chronicle.

Once upon a time, my vanity motto was to not indulge in supporting the import invasion, because I naively looked forward to a day when stores would stock primarily American made items that we actually don't NEED, but WANT. But the geographical areas we all live in are full of thrown out decor treasures, old and new, large and small, American made and imports from various countries. Recycling anything usable is powerful, imports included. Besides, the truth is this world consist of countries that have been importing merchandise for over thousands of years and will continue to do so till the end of time. So get over it PC'ers! The world seems even smaller while clicking on the Internet and you can now get that treasured decoration for your home shipped from wherever in less than a week!

The point is that there may be times to shove aside PC thoughts and buy what you are attracted to and can actually afford without breaking your budget, or worrying about what others will think. The most affordable decor fillers ARE imports or thrift store finds. For me, tweaking the appearance to give these items a different appearance turns them into a personal treasure. It's like having a one-of-a-kind piece that actually blends with the interiors and it carries at least some partial "Made in the USA" pride, lol.

Here are some of my latest import and thrift store tweaks, plus one purchase makeover that was not a bargain.
(of course I forgot to take some of the before photos)

A Goodwill found metal planter that had a horrible orangey/dark brown spotted finish is now the right color for the entry area in our townhouse. (ignore the lower level floor…wood will be on it in the future)

These small small vintage Syroco (Made in America) wall shelves were purchased on eBay for the kitchen, but now they will be placed above each of the nightstands in our bedroom with some type of large white sea shell on each against the black wall.

The downstairs powder room is very narrow and needed a slimmer trash bin. I found this wood one at Goodwill and used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, Country Grey and stenciled the fleur de lis with Old White, then followed with a finishing wax.

Next is a 24x24 inch wood, fleur de lis wall plaque that I purchased online for the kitchen because it was inexpensive and distressed white. It arrived with the cheapest/cheesiest distressed paint job I have ever seen, and I have seen plenty. Despite the dark lines this thing looked awful and had minimal depth, no texture, or variations of white. Plus the paint job was so mat and chalky and it was rubbing off. The first photo is what is seen online, but in person this thing really looked CHEAP! I had no choice but to repaint it and by layering it with 6 different paint colors, followed by some sanding and finishing wax, I got the texture and color variation it should have had in the first place. Of course then it would not have been so cheaply priced. 

Redone it now hangs on a black painted wall in the kitchen. For now I take all of this blogs pictures with my iPad and it did not pick up the color variations and textured details very well, please forgive me. (note to self…must add a digital camera to my wish list for this blog)

A fleur de lis cross statue found at Goodwill that was brown with metallic gold on its edge lines. The main color is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey and this is will sit on my nightstand next to a smaller Waterford Crystal cross. I love seeing beautiful crosses used like art pieces in interiors.

I grew up looking at a Last Supper picture in every relatives home I visited. Of course my mother had one too. I searched and searched for a small carved one and found this vintage Syroco piece on Etsy in the shop called TandRTreasures. I painted it white and followed with a Valspar antiquing glaze and placed it above the kitchen window.

This was a dark stained carved wood and metal box.

I do not like the pole/stand paper towel holders. I prefer to use containers. The outside of this old brass planter for the kitchen paper towel holder was spray painted white, leaving the inside and handles with the original tarnished brass.

I painted the old wood top on this flea market found glass canister, which is used for holding laundry detergent and added a pewter butterfly knob.

All the thrift found inexpensive baskets in the kitchen laundry closet were washed, dried, then spray painted with Rust-Oleum's Heirloom White for a crisp look against the greige (Martha Stewart's Sharkey Grey) laundry closet walls and shelves. The kitchen itself has black walls and black honed granite counter tops, with a white ceiling, doors, trim, cabinets, modern ceiling fan and antique milk glass light fixtures. The tile floor in the kitchen, pantry, and laundry closet is a gray-beige marble. 

This cute Goodwill oil painting had a dark brown frame and beige cloth matting that I spray painted white.

Remember the cross pictured at the beginning of this post, well it was given to me by someone who was throwing it away and I never cared for the color, but really like the fleur de lis accents. It is now spray painted with two shades of white and hanging in the laundry closet.

Here is the "not a bargain" piece. I purchased this folk art cross at Cowgirls and Lace because I wanted a large one made from solid wood this shape and size, with a rustic metal floral design attached. It is 38 inches tall and very heavy. The red was very pretty and a great shade...more like a country red that looks great anywhere. I just needed it to be a more neutral color for our home. So I sanded it down a bit to remove the sealer and whipped out some color sample paints that I had laying around and began brushing. Some of you may think I am a bit crazy for painting it, but the new color blends better with what's going on around it.

Some things found at a thrift stores are broken, like the resin fleur de lis top of this metallic gold scroll tree, which is leaning on its base. Sometimes it seems there isn't much creative effort put into these imports when it comes to the painted finishes. In another color combination this piece will be very pretty. I'll pull out the magic glue and wait till its dry then paint away! But this will be one "after" photo you will have to wait to see in a future post and I promise to add more color to it than white or gray-beige. I have plenty more thrift find tweaking projects to share with you later.

~

Till next time...  

Seek the thrift and you will find!

~

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