Reject Pile ….

Hope everyone had  a fabulous holiday (and for those lucky few with an extended holiday, I am jealous..)!  The Partner and I exercised our freedoms by doing absolutely nothing – we stayed in, didn’t barbecue and at one found ourselves at a $9.99 all you could eat dim sum buffet (for future reference, this is not recommended).

As the day progressed, I found myself looking at my Sansome Project and tweaking the furniture selections.  As archaic as it sounds, I keep my furniture pics in a Powerpoint presentation for each project.  Each room gets a slide and then I keep a final slide open to house “cast-offs”.  I know some people love the new pin boards, but I find there interfaces a tad cumbersome when I need to get things done quickly.  What struck me was that how much I liked the general feel of the “reject pile” than what I was pulling for the actual living room….

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

The above is actually the “reject pile” from the project.  For some reason, the client either rejected the piece, the dimensions were off or it just didn’t work with the pieces that we had already.  However, what I did like about this pile of was its discord – it had a feeling that things were selected over time; nice mishmash of things the client was given and purchased.  In comparison, my other attempts felt lack the informality and ease that was exuding from this “pile of stuff”.   So it is back to the drawing board with a renewed focus and hopefully this time around, I will nail it.

But isn’t it funny where you find inspiration sometimes?  So tell me what is the oddest thing that has ever inspired you?

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Tuft Love…..

Something about tufted furniture makes me weak in the knees.  Chesterfields make my heart flutter.  Tufted ottomans make me giggle like a school girl.  Actually to be upfront, alot of things make me giggle like a school girl especially the word “jiggly”.

(tee hee hee.  jiggly.)

Okay, I have recovered now, so back to the topic at hand.  I am starting the search for a sofa for a couple I just signed on as clients to help decorate their first apartment together.  I don’t know why, but instantly when I see this couple, I think tufted sofa/Chesterfield.  Classic, regal but also effortlessly cool, a Chesterfield or tufted sofa would be a great piece for their first apartment.   I am positive it would be used for years to come.

Here a few shots from my inspiration file…..

Here is peek at a few tufted sofas and Chesterfields from various retailers that i quickly sourced.  They range from $1700 to $3000……

1. Macys // 2.  West Elm // 3. Crate & Barrel // 4. Jonathan Adler // 5. Room & Board  // 6. Z Gallerie

If they had the space, I would totally get them the Z Gallerie Chesterfield.  Yummy brown leather and overstuffed, it is the ultimate indulgence when it comes to timeless furniture.  While they may not have the space for the sofa, they may have the space for the Chesterfield Chair…..

So are you a fan of tufting or do you think it’s better left to club rooms and law offices?  Leave a comment and tell me your favorite tufted piece of furniture.

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Dining Chair Slipcover Reveal

My technology fiasco continues to drag on with my old computer.  I am officially done with it I think and will be biting the bullet to purchase a Mac in the coming weeks (gives the one finger salute to HP).  So apologies for not posting yesterday…….

On Tuesday I promised to show you the new dining chair slipcovers and I am a man of my word.   A few months ago, I got this notion — this hankering — this need — to add pattern to the kitchen.  It was feeling a tad too sterile for my liking and was lacking warmth.  Or it could have just been that we were having a sucky and cold Spring — but either way, I was craving a change. 

On one of my regular jaunts to the discount fabric store, I ran across this fabric:

I instantly fell in love with the pattern — its large-scale print in greige, grellow and cream was the perfect foil to my white walls, charcoal trim and wood door.  It also coordinated beautifully with the teal I painted in the pantry.  What sealed the deal for me was that is was an indoor/outdoor fabric — perfect for a dining chair slipcover.  Who cares if you spill red wine!  Sticky baby fingers – no sweat!  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was $8.99 a yard plus it was sale day – SCORE!  So in my book, I scored the designing trifecta of beauty, function and price.  BOOYAH!

I bought 12 yards of the fabric (2 yards per chair) and called my seamstress to get to work on the project.  She whipped this puppies up in no time!  Here they are…..

 

I am really pleased with how they turned out and how well they fit into the overall scheme of the room.   And yes – I had my doubts…..I worried that since the chair wasn’t perfectly straight that the slipcovers would look bunchy and saggy.  While the slipcovers are not a perfect fit – I like the casual feel of them.  I am particularly happy that we opted to go with a pleated front to allow guests to kick their feet back rather than the fitted bottom I envisioned. 

The pattern is adding a lightness to the kitchen and a casual quality that I am loving.  It feels fresh and inviting – so mush so that I am having issues with Scruffy wanting to jump on the chairs now to take a nap.

So with this project done, I am now back to focusing on how to hang the chandelier I found for the dining room and mapping out details for the master bedroom make-over.

I am off to count my pennies for these other projects and potentially to sell a pint of blood to make them happen.  Have a great weekend!!!!