Upholstery: before and after

As many of you know I've become somewhat of an estate sale junkie.  At a sale earlier this year I picked up two rather ragged chairs for next to nothing.

 Above you can see the before. The chairs were upholstered in a tired, faded fabric but the frames were sturdy, the cushions in great shape, and the design unique and oddly comfortable. The Venetian shape just nestles your back perfectly.

I paid a visit to Roxene at Haute Fabrics in Arlington, Virginia, and found this amazing hand-done crewel fabric. Here she is measuring out my yardage. Hi Roxene!

After a quick turn around from my upholsterer they're happily ensconced at my friend's house; at a fraction of the cost for comparable new chairs. Can you even recognize them?  Leaving the skirts off modernizes them and the pattern is really cheerful.

 Here is a closeup of the amazing crewel work.

I love the way the fabric complements the rug but isn't matchy-matchy. This last shot isn't very good but gives you an idea of the line of the chair. These definitely need to be manufactured again by someone as they're so comfortable!

I can't recommend more highly a visit to Roxene at Haute or my upholsterers, Urban Castle Interiors.
PS. since I've received emails about it this is obviously not staged nor the final resting place for the chairs as work is ongoing in the house. Just quick snapshots!

Nesting in my apartment

I've had a lot of changes in my apartment recently which is strange because aren't we meant to nest in preparation for winter and not spring? Regardless I thought I'd share some of these upgrades as they're really quite exciting for me!

A few months ago I purchased this antique armchair from an estate sale which had last been upholstered in the early 1960s.  While the fabric was nice in its own way (an embroidered silk) it was not quite to my taste and rather dirty.

Upon the recommendation of my friend Michele from the blog My Notting Hill I checked out Haute Fabrics in Ballston, Virginia (a DC suburb). There I found this lovely hand printed linen with a subtle paisley fabric that I just loved. I also found Urban Castle Interior Solutions who proved to be an excellent upholsterer after my last one had sadly retired. I worried it would perhaps be a little bland but I have such a random assortment of things that I love in this room that I thought the neutral tones would tie everything together.

At the same time I purchased this lovely Safavieh rug which really anchors the space. This is my living room in a 1 bedroom apartment so I really LIVE in here!

Now I have a comfy chair in which to read and relax which anchors this corner of the room- just what I always wanted! Now I just have to start looking for the perfect sofa to replace my underscaled loveseat (so no comments about that!).
I received no compensation for this post -just sharing some excellent resources! Picture quality is lacking because these were taken with my phone.

Holiday Weekends

This past weekend was busy as most weekends tend to be during the holiday season. I've been unable to decorate for the holiday unfortunately but I was able to do a little something to bring some of the Christmas spirit into my own apartment.

At an estate sale I visited this past weekend one of the many scores was a large box full of vintage glass ornaments from the 1930s and earlier (for $2 no less)! I placed these in clear glass vases throughout my apartment for some color and Christmas cheer!

 Another find was this vintage brass lamp with an interesting paper shade. An antique print of an Italian square was mounted to the shade after the windows in the scene had been cut out and infilled with Mylar paper. When the lamp is lit the windows 'glow'! I love the neoclassical brass shaft which I polished along with the marble base as well as the red stone finial. You see it here in my dining room.

I also visited my favorite shop, Artisan. They have tons of new merchandise you have to check out (online as well as in person) and as the owner was telling me, they make perfect gifts. I love the modern take on a classical empire chandelier seen above. The elegant antique French crystal chandeliers in the background are a perennial favorite as well!

Perfect for the arts and crafts house or bungalow is this unique iron and painted glass fixture. Why buy cheap new fixtures when you can pick details that will shine and make your house a unique home!  What are you doing to your house for the holidays?

My latest finds!

This past weekend was terribly busy with lots of events including the 2 fun neighborhood House Tours I wrote about last week. Was nice to see some of you there! However, I still managed to get in an amazing estate sale in my own neighborhood of Cleveland Park. I hope I'm not boring you with my weekly posts of my found treasures for my still relatively 'new' condo but they're really fun for me!

My apartment is quickly becoming a wayward home for stray chairs and tables. I can't turn a good one down! I found this interesting vintage Baker furniture tea-height side table with Queen Anne styled legs but also some art deco influences that I placed in my dining room window. The floorlamp to the right was another find and one that came together nicely. The John Robshaw lampshade was found at an estate sale LAST week and the lamp finial from a 3rd estate sale last month (for a grand total of $35 in its entirety)!  I love how the floorlamp matches the antique tablelamp I got on Thomas Jaynes OneKingLane's sale seen on the table. The floorlamp will live in my bedroom next to last week's chair find!

These intriguing floral pieces stand about 4" tall each and are carved entirely out of antique ivory which was then stained and painted. They aren't something I would ordinarily be drawn to but the craftsmanship is so amazing!

I love collecting small finds like hotel ashtrays (no I don't smoke!) and they can normally be had for under a dollar. They come in handy for lots of other things after a good scrub.

These miniature brass candlesticks were really a fun find -you can see here where I had already polished the stick on the right. They're sized for birthday candles (give or take).  I debated polishing them but thought it would be a good way to clean them up. This summer I had a conversation with my good friend JCB about antique brass and how originally they were MEANT to shine and be rather 'bling'y on a tabletop to reflect the light.

One can always use another picture frame. This 8x10 wood frame with tiny gilt detailing cleaned up nicely after getting off years of smoke and grime!

This last piece took me awhile to figure out what it was but the lady running the estate sale filled me in - it's a strawberry dessert basket. Made of white porcelain for Tiffany & Co - the basket holds strawberries with cream in the small pitcher and sugar in the bowl. What fun finds; you never know what you'll find at an estate sale!

Broadleys by Voysey

While at an estate sale this past weekend I came across an interesting little boxed set of 1/2 sheets of paper showcasing highlights of Western Architectural history. A sort of 1960s version of pinterest (do you follow me on pinterest?). One of these sheets was a vintage photograph and plan of  house Broadleys by the architect Voysey, the sheet seen below. You may remember I blogged about another Voysey house, Upmeads, last year which was actually pretty similar in that it had an efficient, tight floorplan and was loacted out in the country.

As I did with a number of the projects I wasn't familiar with (mainly cathedrals and palaces) I looked Broadleys up online. Not only is the house still extant but it  is open to the public as a short-term rental or bed and breakfast! I came across a website listing a number of similar British Arts & Crafts houses that were also operating as bed and breakfasts HERE. What an incredible opportunity to not only go to house museums while you travel but to stay in one as well! The internet is full of dangerous ways to spend money.

A number of other interesting drawings popped up of Broadleys as well such as this cartouche in the collection of the V&A.

This charming postcard caught my eye as well not only because of the beautiful rendering but it also included the 2nd floor plan. And so one falls down the rabbit hole of the internet.... Whats caught your eye lately? Get 10% sitewide when you shop at Access Hydroponic. Valid until November 2013!

Estate sale mystery find

This past weekend I attended a few interesting estate sales and picked up a lot of 'treasure'! One pair of items though remains somewhat of a mystery to me and thought maybe someone would have some background. This unusual pair of macabre tree trunk vases appear to be quite old , perhaps Victorian period? Google searches turned up nothing other than a few Belleek vases but they did not have the unusual root 'legs'.  Has anyone seen a vase like this before?

 This extremely faint mark was hard to read and photograph - appears to be a serial number?

I also picked up this rather worn mahogany sidechair with tired damask upholstery. The wood has beautiful detailing but needs some conditioning.

Stay tuned for the reupholstered after in the coming weeks!

The power of blogging

Or maybe this post should be entitled "the power of oxi clean".  A few weeks ago my friend Meg of the blog PigtownDesign had written a post about some antique china she had won at auction which was heavily yellowed and using oxiclean to get out the stains.

Two weeks later, in fact this past weekend, I was at an estate sale and found a charming little antique plate which was heavily discolored for only $2 (see picture at top of the post). I remembered Meg's recommendation and decided to give it a try. It took about 10 hours soaking in the oxi-clean but look at the results; nearly perfect!

I'll be trying oxi-clean now on a number of other items; Thanks Meg! By chance, does anyone recognize the maker's mark on the back?

I received no compensation from oxi-clean (in fact I had to pay a premium in order to buy at my local drugstore!)