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One of the best parts about the ORC is hearing everyones comments. It is so interesting what people notice and what sparks their interest. I've had several source requests so I thought I'd lay it all out nice and neat, just like this room was - for about an hour. I am happy to report it is now perfectly trashed, and will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future. Also, the sun finally came out so I got some more true-to-life pictures.



The white stools were purchased several years ago at my favorite local antique store and have been in just about every room in the house and every color in the rainbow. I had just barely enough Les Touches to cover them and I love how they tie the red accents from the front of the house to the back of the room.

The console is an outdoor buffet table. It folds up, has a zinc top and weights practically nothing.

The blue and white is from my collection that has made its way around the house and the lovely brass hardware is from Rejuvenation.

The backs of the bookshelves are planked, just like the far wall. Tutorial to come soon.


The fabric for the slipcovers is plain white denim from housefabric.com (they are local for me). All the fabric was prewashed and the slipcovers were made without piping to prevent shrinkage when they are washed. And they will be washed. Frequently.

The red and white pillow is from Etsy, the white table used to be black, the mirror is from the side of the road (classy) and the toy under the table is probably Fisher-Price. (real life)


The plaid fabric, floral fabric and blue and white fabric are all from housefabric.com. They know me well there.


The color on the chairs is Rust-Oleum Lemongrass. The green pillow is from World Market (although I don't think it is available any more) and the ikat pillow is from Etsy. Rainbow Pom-pom garland from Furbish and sconce from IKEA.


I told you it was a sunny day. Can you believe all of this light came in from the door at the top of the stairs?!


I think that about covers it. Do you have furniture that you recycle from one room to the next? Ever dump something in storage for a while and all of a sudden it seems new and exciting? How excited do you think HouseFabric.com is going to be when they hear I'm actually sewing now?

I'm craving a paisley fix. For some reason when the weather starts to get cold I want cute scarfs, a pair of boots, hot chocolate from Starbucks and some paisley eye candy. I've always loved it since my mom let my sister and I pick the coolest ever purple paisley wallpaper for our room back in the super awesome 80s. Good times.

via Pinterest

Alessandra Branca

via Pinterest

Sarah Richardson

Design Manifest

There are so many ways to incorporate paisley into your home. Art, fabric, furniture, bedding, you name it.

Society6

Kravet via HouseFabric

Lisa Fine

Schumacher

Les Indiennes

I could go on and on. So what say you? Are you into paisley as much as I am? How do you like it best? On the walls, furniture or maybe on you?

Good gracious. I've been cussing more than usual and my hands look like I've been working on a barge. This can mean only one thing - I'm reupholstering again.

Remember these beauties?


Oy what a labor of love they became. They took far longer than I had planned. I'm distracted easily. But wahoo, they are finished. Now no sense in prolonging the reveal even longer, let's get to it.

First step was stripping both chairs, some very light sanding and then painting them black. For some reason I had always envisioned these painted white, but my mom suggested black and I think it was a rather smart choice. Good work Jan.

newly painted chairs against my newly painted walls

Now compared to the couch, this project was a dream. No guessing on what part of the furniture to start with or thinking ahead about how each section would relate to the other. Nope. There is a seat and there is a back. Easy peasy lemon squeezey.

The outside back goes first. I made sure to rip off the old fabric pieces as much in tact as possible to use those pieces as templates for my new pieces.

The hubs helped me out on the inaugural cut.

These chairs have the same grooves as the couch did so following the staple line was really straight forward. After stapling the piece in place, I trimmed off the excess.


That band in the middle of the chair was there when I stripped the fabric. It is sturdy as can be and helps to keep the front cushion from pushing thru the back of the chair. If the first upholsterer was smart enough to put that in, who am I to argue? So back in it went.


With the outside back in place, next came the inside back... or the front back. The terminology on this chair got very confusing. Luckily the back cushions were in great shape, so I could reuse them. Score.

that's fabric. laying on top of a piece of foam. photographic genius.

After stapling and more stapling, I landed here. Staples showing but piping was in the works.


The base below the seat cushions were easy as well. Just a matter of covering the old base and stapling. Just like wrapping a present. Or riding a bike. Pick your analogy. And a cheat I made - you can see the rip in the fabric in the very back of the seat. I ran out of fabric. But a cushion is going over top of this so I didn't sweat it. If you come over and pull up your seat cushion to see the 'not all the way covered' base I'll be happy to pay for the extensive therapy you'll need to get over the horror. I'm a generous host.


Next up came the cushion. And as many of you know, I'm not sewing. I bought a sewing machine, but haven't yet taken it out of the box. Don't judge. There have been a lot of good Real Housewife franchises that require my attention. So, I sent them out to a local genius by the name of Catherine Healey (if you are local let me know and I'll give you her info). She made my cushion vision a reality.

I couldn't be happier with my little babies. Two words - contrast piping.


I also used some of the leftover piping for the back cushions. No more staples.


And with that, these chairs went from this


to this


Holla! Big difference.

A few things I learned this time around.


Although the couch was far more daunting in size, this project seemed to be harder because there are two. So everything I did, had to be done again. A big downer when you are on your third straight night of staple pulling and your hand is turning into a claw.

A chair like this, which doesn't have to be a 'central/big furniture' piece is the perfect opportunity to have some fun with fabric and patterns. For example, check out the fabulous junk in this chair's trunk.


This chair looks just as good from the back as it does from the front. And from their position in the living room they will be enjoyed from both directions. (more on that with the living room reveal)

And most importantly, embrace color. Live a little. It's good for the soul.

And now, just like with childbirth, I will promise that I will never again go thru the labor of reupholstering. Until this weekend when I see a sweet little chair in need of a little love.

And please keep your thoughts and prayers with everyone in the northeast who are dealing with the effects of Sandy.

And she lives!

Thank you all for your get well soons while I was out. That was no doubt the worst flu I've had in...as long as I can remember. I wouldn't say I'm back to 100% yet, but 85% will do. I've heard that the flu shot isn't so strong this year, but I'd still say get one if you can. Although, people seem to have strong opinions about wether or not to get flu shots. Have you ever said 'flu shot' in a crowded room? Oy! Anyway, do what you can to stay healthy.

As I ease myself back into the standing position I thought I'd share a simple DIY that took all of 20 minutes. (my favorite kind)

I picked this bench up off the side of the road (better than a hitchhiker) and then promptly put it in my basement for the next two years. Par for the course, I know. These are the only true before pictures I have.

I don't even want to know what the stain on that seat is from. Dirty. Ugly. But sturdy.



I love the color and pattern on this fabric but thought it was a bit too delicate to have as a pillow in this house. Who knows if a bench will keep it safe any better than a pillow would, but we shall see.


It appears to be a wonderful place to sit and look out the window with friends.


Mother tested. Kid approved.

This bench will be residing in the living room. Along with several other things that have been finished and added. This week I'll be featuring a completed project everyday. I feel bad about the big tease last week and then bailing last week.

So how was your weekend?

I missed you!

To be totally honest, I think I miss the beach a bit more, but it is good to be home. We don't believe in easing back into things though as we got home and immediately are in to doc appointments, client meetings and of course, back to school. Pre-K is "super cool", in case you hadn't heard. (I feel the same way about Mother's Day Out)

Once I sift thru all the photos and goodies we brought back, I'll be sure to share. Two quick things learned on our trip though: #1- If I even win the lottery, I'm going to travel the country and go from flea market to flea market and #2 - The hubs has an untapped gift for making sand animals. Who knew? I'll save that last story for cocktail hour.

Back to my mountain of laundry, but I will leave you with this.
The living room fabric story has been decided and we are going for COLOR.