I'm a Reupholstery Virgin

I know it is silly, but I've always been intimidated by the process to get furniture reupholstered. I was overwhelmed by all the variables in price depending on the size, shape, condition of the chair, and the fabric selection. Much easier to go shopping for a brand new piece of furniture with a price tag already attached and delivery time in x days, right?

But then I fell in love with this chair while thrift shopping with a friend recently.

She convinced me that getting something professionally reupholstered is really no big deal. And so far, it hasn't been.

I started by contacting two well known businesses in my area. To my surprise, all they needed to provide estimates were some pictures. I emailed them my photos and bam! I got two estimates back within 24 hours. What was surprising was how different the estimates were.

Place # 1: $400 for the labor (fabric costs not included) and 6 yards of fabric


Place # 2: $575 for the labor (fabric costs not included) and about 7 yards of fabric. $10 a yard additional charge to use customer's own fabric.

Lesson: It pays to get more than one quote!

So my next step was to find fabric for my new-to-me wingback which will be going in our bedroom once he's all clean and new.  My dear and patient sister-in-law agreed to go fabric shopping with me, which was probably very frustrating for her because I had no idea what kind of fabric I wanted.  Three stores later, I found it: an off-white, chunky, cotton weave. Admittedly, my fabric choice isn't very exciting, but it is going to be perfectly soft and soothing in my bedroom.  And it was on sale--only $6 a yard in a JoAnn Fabrics sale bin.

The wooden legs were in rough shape, so I refinished them in a dark mahogany (the reupholsterer would have done this, but for an additional cost). Btw, I used Minwax Polyshades which is a one step stain and polyurethane. You don't even need to strip the old surface, you just lightly sand and brush Polyshades right over it.

Now all I need to do is schedule a pick up with the reupholster and wait 7-10 days! Piece of cake and relatively inexpensive too. All in, my new chair will cost about $500.

Now that I have a better idea about what the process entails and how much I can expect to spend, I won't hesitate to pick up a thrift store find that is in need of a good makeover.  Will you?

Quick Fix

As we're slowing watching our powder room transform, it occurred to us that the mudroom could use a little sprucing up while we're at it.  Our original plan was to hold off on touching the mudroom until we do our kitchen renovation, but that is still years away in the budget.  As you'll see, it wouldn't hurt to show the mudroom a little love in the interim.

***Warning! These pictures aren't pretty!***

Here's the plan:

Lay $60 worth of peel and stick black and white vinyl tile over the existing linoleum.

Repair peeling walls

Paint beadboard, walls, and trim bright white and remove the antiquated alarm system. 

Figure out a more organized solution to hang our coats. 

Hopefully the result will be a cleaner, brighter, and more organized space for about $100 and   just a few days of labor.

Would you take the time to fix up a room if you knew your changes were only temporary?

Bonus

Remember when Chris and I were debating whether or not to purchase decorative water supply lines for our powder room remodel? Well, we took your advice and ordered this one from Vintage Tub and Bath. We liked the porcelain "H" and "C" on the knobs (and truth be told, it was also the least expensive. Why spend so much money on something that you'll hardly ever see???).

Imagine our delight when the package arrived and we saw that in addition to the chrome and porcelain knobs, that it also came with solid porcelain ones!

We can't decide which we like better, maybe we'll switch them out seasonally :)

Happy Easter

Take one console table and...

Console tables are versatile pieces of furniture. Most often they are used as sofa tables, but such a narrow application limits  this amazing piece of furniture which can  add interest, character and serviceability to many rooms in your home.  A little creativity will turn this long, leggy table into a showpiece.   You can keep your application simple or you can layer to your hearts delight.  It all depends on the look you want to achieve.

Keep it Simple

 

Toby Zack Designs

Stark simplicity has its advantages if you have an interestingly shaped/coloured table.  The lines/colour alone can be the statement.  Add a little detail to the top and you've completed the job. I love the starkness of the black table and accompanying mirror in this very contemporary white and black room.

  Shoshana Gosselin

Keeping the display  on the top of this table simple in colour and quantity allows the table to be the design statement. Design tip:  paint out the vent under the table. It is much too obvious.

 Create extra storage

 

  photographer Sylvia Martin

In smaller rooms a console table with or without a shelf can solve some of your storage problems.  Of course the trick is to come up with interesting ways to do this. Stacked trunks and suitcases are a creative solution as are baskets.

source

The use of white unifies this arrangement  while the addition of green livens things up and creates a soft contrast. 

Store  extra seating
 

Houzz

Tuck away extra seating by filling the space under the table with upholstered ottomans or 18 inch cubes.

 

 Glenn Gissler Designs

I love this arrangement.  The ottoman is a good size for the space under the table.  There should be breathing room on both sides.  Stuffing in an oversized piece  will not give you the polished look you want. There is a nice play of dark against light and the arrangement on the table top works very well in terms of colour, scale and texture.

Rachel Reider Interiors

 Don't let limited space stop you from having an interesting and inviting  arrangement in a foyer or entrance.  By keeping the line of a table simple and using a monochromatic scheme you can have a lot going on in a limited space. It's also refreshing to see this combination with light wood. 

 

 Houzz

Not many people would consider a console table as a night table, but this works very well because it is smaller in scale and the stool tucks in nicely .  Just pull it out and it's ready for use. The green looks so refreshing next to the wood tones.

 Forum Phi

When you place a table behind a sofa you can still think about it as a place to store extra seating. 

 

Cristi Holcombe

Paired chairs on either side of  a console table also work well.   To flank a table with chairs you need roughly 6-8 feet of linear space. The scale of the chairs and the table should be in harmony.  A bulky table would overwhelm  smaller chairs.

 House Beautiful via Project Pretty

This same arrangement can be used behind a long sofa. 

Houzz

 And sometimes one chair is best especially when the table is near a corner.

Marvelous Marble Mosaic

Our powder room has a floor!

Even before we moved into our home on Hazard Ave, we knew we wanted a marble tile floor in the powder room. In fact, we were probably at the tile store less than a week after we signed the purchase and sales agreement browsing for ideas and to get an idea on pricing. Fast forward to almost a year later and our our loosely laid idea for a marble tile floor is a reality.

Chris started the process by dry fitting the tiles to get an idea on measurements.  We went with honed Bianco Carrara marble.

He then clearly marked out the pattern on the sub floor.

Next, he used thinset to lay the subway and mosaic tiles, leaving the outer border clear. Knowing he'd need to kneel in the middle of the floor to lay the outside border, he let the thinset dry overnight.

Day 2, I found Chris in the garage cutting down 12x12 inch tiles in half to use on the perimeter.

It's a nice fit.

 In goes the new marble threshold. Don't you just love the transition into the linoleum floor???

Day 3, Chris applies the grout. We chose TEC AccuColor unsanded grout in Dove Gray.

Wiping off the excess. I admit, I was a little nervous that the grout was going to dry this dark.

Finished!

It is a million times better than the shag carpeting that was here before, wouldn't you say?

Stay tuned...hopefully, the next time you see this bathroom it will be for the big reveal!

Thrifting Finds

Last weekend I went shopping with a friend of mine who was visiting from out of town. We went to all the usual spots, and ended up at my local Salvation Army. They had a huge selection of furniture.

The upholstery on this sofa has definitely seen better days, but we really liked its clean lines. The sofa and matching loveseat was $150 for the set. 

The fabric on this one was also really gross, but the chair had a great shape. Only 20 bucks. 

This solid wood chest of drawers was a great deal at $70.

This handsome wingback chair came home with me. It will go in our master bedroom after I have it recovered. It was only $30.

This little guy also came home with me. I'm not sure yet where we will put it, but at only $30 I couldn't pass up its potential.

Won't it look great reupholstered with one fabric on the inside and a different, coordinating fabric on the outside?

My lucky friend snatched up this smart buffet for only $120. It is in perfect condition, just needs to be refinished or painted. 

Sometimes you find something, sometimes you don't. I'd say that this time, we totally scored! 

Now I just have to figure out how to go about getting a chair reupholstered...

Have you have any luck lately finding the perfect piece of furniture at your local thrift store? 

 

Oh, The Irony...

Choosing what is arguably the most important element in a bathroom took Chris and I the least amount of time to reach a decision on.

I think that's a record, folks.

How do you make decorating decisions in your household? Is it a team effort, or do you have carte blanche?





Participating in:

Crowning Glory

My poor hubs has been working tirelessly on the powder room. Last week he finished up the beadboard and trimwork and has since moved on to the crown molding.

He started by painting the ceiling blue to match the wallpaper we chose.

 I helped out by putting a first coat of paint on the molding.

Chris used two different pieces of trim to give the molding a chunky layered look. If you look very closely at the photo below, you can see that our ceiling isn't level. For anyone who has attempted to hang crown molding, you can appreciate how this makes it so much more difficult to mitre all the cuts.

Here's a shot with the second layer up and the nail holes and seams caulked.

Here's how it looks after a final coat of paint.

My dear readers, you are probably sick and tired of watching our bathroom progress, but stay tuned, we're just getting to the good stuff!

Still to do:
Tile
Install sink, toilet, and radiator
Hang wallpaper
Connect electricity and hang light fixtures

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Tatertots and Jello