Archive for the ‘Furniture Friday’ Category

Miss Muffet would be jealous of this fabulous chair!

I have had this great little bistro style chair hanging in my shed since last fall.  I should say my husband’s shed.  I get the house and he gets the shed.  He doesn’t touch my “stuff” and I don’t mess with anything in his 4500 square foot garage.  It’s the perfect trade off!  I do all the interior design at inside and he does all the outside work!   I do, however, store a few items in there once in a while.

A cut little bistro style chair in it's original yellow paint and vinyl seat

This chair for instance.  It was a great find for $9.99 at Goodwill.  I wanted to do something very girly in hot pink, so my 7 year old niece Kayla became the inspiration and recipient.  I knew it would be perfect for a child’s bedroom.

The glitter really sold me on this tulle!

I was very excited when I found this glittered fuchsia tulle and a floral fabric and embroidered trim to go with it.

Green paint really updates the look of the chair

A little sand paper to rough up the finish and a can of neon green spray paint updated the chair from the 1970’s.

The old seat batting was in good shape.

The black and white vinyl seat was stapled on and easy to remove.  Then I cut a piece of the fabric 2” wider than the seat and attached it with a staple gun.

A staple gun is the handiest tool when covering chair seats

I gathered a double layer of tulle by hand and stapled it to the seat making the gathers even all the way around.

Never cut off the excess fabric until you are satisfied with the fullness.

Instead of cutting off the excess netting, I folded it up for extra fullness and sewed it in place.  You could glue the trim to the fabric, but hand stitching is neater (no mess) and you have greater control.

The floral trim is the finishing touch

Miss Muffet would have loved this chair

I happened to find the lime green pom-poms in my stash that were a perfect match.  It turned out so cute and just right for a girly little seven year old.

A chair fit for a little princess (or even a Queen)

Adding  style and design to any room can be as simple as a trip to a resale shop and fabric store.  Go ahead, brighten your home with color!

Minwax(R) Teams with This Old House Magazine for Furniture Makeover Contest: ‘From Attic to Awesome’

Have Furniture in Need of Revival?  Enter Now for a Chance to Win a Professional Furniture Makeover and a Backstage Visit to the Set of the This Old House(R) Television Show

Minwax, the leading manufacturer of wood finishing and wood care products, has teamed with the popular This Old House magazine to announce the “From Attic to Awesome” Makeover Contest. To enter, contestants need only to submit a photo and a bit of background information on a furniture piece in need of a transformation – perhaps a well-worn dining table, handed down from one generation to another, or a sturdy old chest that has been collecting dust in the attic? Maybe a new “find” from a yard sale or flea market, or even a “craigslist” treasure that needs some updating but would look terrific in the house? One Grand Prize winner will win a professional furniture makeover plus a trip for two to a behind-the-scenes day with the cast and crew of the “This Old House(R)” TV show. Two 1st Prize Winners will each win a professional makeover for their furniture piece, and twenty-five 2nd Prize Winners will each win a $100 gift card. The contest runs from July 1, 2009 to September 30, 2009.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with the creative folks at This Old House on this contest,” said Jacquelyn Ferrara, director of marketing, Minwax(R). “Over the years, we’ve transformed countless pieces of forgotten furniture into stunning showcases using our full line of wood finishing products; now that we’re teaming with the professionals at This Old House, we can’t wait to see the results.”

To enter online, visit minwax.com/makeovercontest. To enter by mail, send a picture of your furniture item, plus a brief written history of the piece, to: From Attic to Awesome Makeover Contest, c/o Brushfire, 2 Wing Drive, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927. All entries must be received by 9/30/09.

Abbreviated Rules: No purchase necessary to enter or win in the From Attic to Awesome Makeover Contest. Starts 12:00:01 am ET on 7/1/09, ends 11:59:59 pm ET on 9/30/09 (”Promotion Period”). Open to legal residents of 50 U.S. and District of Columbia 18+ years as of entry date. Void where prohibited. Subject to the Official Rules, available by visiting minwax.com during the Promotion Period or by sending a SASE for receipt by 9/30/09 to: From Attic to Awesome Makeover Contest RULES, c/o Brushfire, 2 Wing Drive, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927. Sponsor: The Sherwin-Williams Company.

For more product information, wood finishing tips and project ideas, visit the Minwax(R) website at minwax.com.

The Minwax(R) Company is the leading manufacturer of wood finishing and wood care products. Headquartered in Upper Saddle River, NJ, with a manufacturing facility in Flora, IL, Minwax(R) is part of Sherwin-Williams Wood Care Products.

About This Old House

This Old House Ventures is America’s premier home enthusiast brand, netting 50 million multi-media impressions each month through its award-winning television, print, and web properties. The leading consumer publication for home how-to and inspiration, the award-winning This Old House magazine currently has a circulation of 950,000 and reaches an audience of almost six million.

Since its debut, the Emmy Award-winning program This Old House has been the highest-rated home improvement series in TV history, providing audiences with expert advice on design, remodeling and restoration. In 2001 This Old House spawned a second show, Ask This Old House. The ultimate website for home design and remodeling information, thisoldhouse.com has inspirational photo galleries, step-by-step DIY projects, and instructional videos available to homeowners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SOURCE The Minwax Company

I have been following Little Brown Pen at http://littlebrownpen.blogs…

She is an American writer living in Paris who posts beautiful photos of Paris and France.  Makes you want to hop on a plane right now!  These photos are from my trip last year.  How I miss the place, the people, the food and wine!

I love the country too and can’t wait to get back to Paris, just didn’t spend enough time there.  My French will be so much improved on my next trip and so will my camera.

Shutters on every building! Love the red ones.

There are shutters on every single building from the grand apartments in Paris to ancient stone houses in little villages.  Iron railing and french doors.  Made me want to come home and do the same in my bedroom.  Still trying to convince Tom it’s the thing to do!

Arne Jacobsen

We hear a lot about Modern Furniture and Modern Design. Most people confuse Modern with Contemporary. The term Modern is reserved for mid 20th century design the classic work of American, Scandinavian, German, and other celebrated designers and architects. Contemporary furniture and design is the current style or trend that is being manufactured or used in interiors today. If it’s great design, it may become a classic too. Only time will tell.

Arne Jacobsen was an influential Danish architect. The SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen (1956-1961) is said to be his most important work. Not only did he design the building, he designed furniture, lamps, dishes and cutlery and door knobs.

SAS Royal Hotel 1961

He designed the “Egg” chair and the ‘Swan” for the lobbies. These ‘easy” chairs allowed guests to participate in conversations or sit back and turn away for privacy. They were considered to be the first upholstered swivel chairs. New technologies developed in the 1950’s allowed him to create single-pieced molded shells.

The Egg and Swan Chairs

More than 50 years later, the Egg and Swan chairs are still manufactured by Republic of Fritz Hansen in Denmark.

Swan sofa

Men In Black

Movie set designers have reinterpreted the Egg chair for such films as Men In Black. This version doesn’t look as comfortable as the real thing!

Will Smith in Men In Black

Another intrepretation of Jacobsen's chairs

The Barcelona Chair

This iconic chair was designed by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe in 1929 for the World Arts Fair held in Barcelona, Spain. He was an important architect in the early 20th century and was commissioned by the German government to design the German Pavilion. He also took on the task of designing furniture that would be suitable for the space. These chairs served as thrones for the King and Queen of Spain when they toured the Pavilion.

Throne for a King and Queen

“The chair is a very difficult object. Everyone who has ever tried to make one knows that. There are endless possibilities and many problems – the chair has to be light, it has to be strong, it has to be comfortable.

“It is almost easier to build a sky scraper than a chair.” – Mies 1930

Matching stools

The Barcelona chair has become a classic because of its enduring beauty and sculptural nature. Mies redesigned the chair in 1950 (from a chrome frame to stainless steel) and gave permission to produce the chair for sale.

Barcelona Couch was designed in 1930

Knoll even makes the set sized for children!

It is still being manufactured according to Mies’ original specifications exclusively by Knoll Studio today.

Barcelona Chairs can be found in offices all over the worldStill beautiful 80 years later!