I finally finished my upholstery class and have a brand spankin’ new desk chair to show for it. Here is what the chair looked like before:
And totally stripped down during the class:
And voila! My finished project:
And just for good measure, a nice before and after shot, side by side:
Now I’m already scheming my next upholstery project, practice makes perfect, right?
My new kitchen is a million times more functional than my old kitchen, cooking is finally fun again. It didn’t start out super functional though, here is what we were working with when we moved in:
The cabinets you’re seeing in that picture are the extent of them — I guess they just gave up and forgot to put one more cabinet in that space next to the sink. Have no fear, after some extensive craigslisting, the perfect stand-alone cabinet was found to fit into that spot. Here is what it looks like now:
The cabinet did not look like that originally though. Wish I had remembered to take a “before” picture, but trust me — It was a 20$ mess that needed a fresh coat of paint, new handles, and a new top. My handy boyfriend popped the dingy old linoleum top off of it and replaced it with a removable butcher block cutting board. Good as new!
I also whipped up a quick valance last night — I’ve gotten sick of staring at curtain-less windows, they were making me crazy.
Recognize the fabric? It’s one of the Liberty of London scarves from Target!
Just need to hang up some artwork over the kitchen table and I can check off this room as complete (for now). I’ll share more soon!
After several failed attempts, I finally made it to the Todd Farm Flea Market this weekend (last year, I drove up with my mom and aunt on a Saturday morning to check it out, only to find out that I had misread the website and the market is actually on Sundays…embarrassing). I came with a hunting list: night stands, small dresser, console table… and of course I found nothing I was looking for. But in true thrifting fashion, I found exactly what I didn’t know I was looking for:
This gem set me back a mere $20 — a steal considering the convex mirror is in such good shape — can’t wait to paint it a glossy black and get it up on the wall!
I’m considering hanging it over my new docksta kitchen table and chevron upholstered chairs as an homage to the ultimate cliché Domino spread. Of course I’ll need a python tray and some Pimms to round out the quintessential styling.
Eddie Ross is a genius. This table setting is so phenomenal, I would genuinely feel bad eating off those plates. I love it so much, I want to frame it — or at least start scavenging etsy for some French opaline glasses.
Check out his how-to on his blog!
After a much needed blogging break to deal with moving, I’m finally back in action. Boxes are almost all unpacked, and I’m onto tackling some projects to make the new apartment feel more like home. The first project checked off the list? Color-coding books and assembling them in my newly acquired West Elm bookcase. (It’s not on sale online, but in the store I got a floor model for much cheaper — it was a steal!)
I’m also very excited to finally have my horse print framed and up on the wall, it fills out the space perfectly!
I’m beyond thrilled with the outcome of my kitchen chair makeover! As a reminder, here are the craigslist finds I was working with:
And onto the big reveal:
I’m obsessed with them. Can’t wait to have the kitchen all set up and see how they look with the kitchen table!
I’m counting down the seconds until the clock hits 5 tonight so I can leave work and run home to tear open the package waiting in my entryway which is filled with several yards of this delicious fabric:
I hope I can manage to paint the frames and reupholster the seats this weekend so I can share some ‘after’ pictures of these craigslist finds next week:
This weekend, Boston realtor Ricardo Rodriguez presented the Urban Showhouse — an open house fundraiser benefiting the Pine Street Inn, with rooms decorated by various interior designers including Jonathan Adler, Andrew Terrat & Dee Elms, Dennis Duffy, and Lisa Kreiling. I had the pleasure of sneaking a peak with my friend Taz after a lovely Sunday morning afternoon brunch and a few champagne cocktails.
Per usual, everything in Jonathan Adler’s family room was quirky, fun, and effortlessly stylish. I was lusting after these matching chairs:
Lisa Krieling designed the swanky office space, and officially convinced me that a West Elm parsons desk is in my future.
And my favorite space was the second bedroom, also designed by Lisa Krieling. I stood in the center of the room and spun around pointing at things, saying “Want. Want. Want.” The end tables looks like a smaller version of Jenna Lyons’ desk.
And I’m obsessed with the green bench and the rug — the colors are gorgeous! I would have bought it right off the floor if I had the option (especially with those few glasses of champagne in my system).
Did I mention the house is for sale? A mere 2 mill and this pad could be yours! Check out more pictures at the listing here.
I’ve been so busy since I got back from Brooklyn this weekend that I almost forgot to share this adorable chair makeover. In the spring I’m taking an upholstery class and plan to learn the tricks of the trade on this dainty little chair:
Until the class starts, I’m storing it at my parent’s house in New York. My mother, unable to have this eye-sore with stained-fabric ruining her carefully planned decor, decided to give it a temporary makeover with some scraps of fabric and grosgrain that matched her living room. It looks so cute with this little slipcover, I almost don’t want to take it off to work on it for the class! Perhaps this an excuse to sift through craigslist for another chair in need of a new life?
View from the brooklyn flea market! How adorable is this hutch? Too bad it was already sold. Stealing my boyfriend’s iphone since I forgot my camera. Now I want one… I could get addicted to blogging on the go!
