Nadja Swarovski’s London living room (2006).
This is the living room of Nadja Swarovski’s London apartment (c. 2006). It was featured in Elle Decor and instantly became one of my favorite rooms. Some of the standout details for me are the trellis molding on the ceiling, the creamy bettered with their rose red pillows, and the monolithic black lacquer coffee table floating on the beautiful carpet. It’s the perfect mix of modern and traditional elegance, don’t you think?
My sis got these chairs as freebies from her neighbor and she wants me to help her fix them up. Check out her post here:
I ran fabric paint by her:
Painted chair project via A Pinterest Addict.
And reupholstering with budget upholstery fabrics from IKEA:
Rosmarie at IKEA
Benzy Skepp at Ikea.
Premier Fabrics:
Newell in Stone/Denton at Premier Fabrics.
Barber in Stone/Denton at Premier Fabrics.
Or using Joann’s 40% off coupons to get some cool looking pleather:
Eaton Square Adrift at Joann’s.
Here’s another view of this style of chair (by complete coincidence, I pinned the exact chairs from a Craigslist ad a few months ago on Pinterest).
On my CL Treasure Hunt board on Pinterest.
I’m going to meet up with her on Friday to take a closer look at them (so far, I’ve only seen pics). I’m so excited! What would you do with these chairs?
We got lots and lots of snow here in Seattle yesterday. I got to my storage and managed to get out enough of my knitting supplies to make the trip out worth my while. I spent a few hours both before and after that excursion reading Hugh Macleod’s Ignore Everybody : And 39 Other Keys To Creativity, retweeting SOPA/PIPA news, and surfing Craigslist in the hope of finding some inspirational project kinda stuff. I was not disappointed!
Here are some of the pieces I found and what I’d do with them:
This pair of wide “modern” chairs is going for $100. I could see them painted a bright cheery color with an ikat on the seats and a coordinating pillow in a graphic or floral pattern for the back cushion.
These chunky chairs are $75 for the pair. I like that they are low and visually heavy looking. I’d balance that out by sanding and bleaching the wood, then adding a neutral but textural fabric.
These “parlor” chairs are $75 for the pair! What a steal, right? They need some work (the caning needs repair) but for that price I just couldn’t bring myself to complain about it. Here I’d go with classic white and one of Caitlin Wilson’s fabulous floral.
These minty wonders are $125 for the pair. I love the upholstery’s wonderful color (so as long as closer inspection showed no wear), I’d leave that as is and just paint the frames a lighter color (something like this).
Any one of these marvelous sets of chairs would be cool to buy and project away on but… I’m just not at that point yet in Seatown. Plus, with the weather acting crazy and whatnot, I’m thinking more along the lines of sitting on the sofa and knitting.
Then again… tomorrow I may try to get out and explore a bit. Until then…
So, I’m seriously in full fledged hunt mode now. I’ve seen some amazing stuff all over including these amazing sofas on Etsy. While they might seem pricey, especially with shipping added on (and in all fairness a couple of them are), if you consider what buying a new cookie cutter sofa would cost with shipping added on… well, I think it balances out. Plus you have the bonus of not having the run of the mill sofa. So, here they are:
1950’s Danish Modern sofa, $840 – SelectModern @ Etsy.com.
I think this one is my favorite. This is my ideal sofa silhouette and with only a few amendments, I’d call it all good. I’m not a fan of tufting on pieces like this so I’d eliminate that. I’d also give it one continuous cushion. Possibly, I’d also ebonize the wood and recover with a fabric that had a subtle sheen to it.
Vintage cream sofa, $950 – OVETTA @ Etsy.com.
This sofa has very similar lines to the one above. I like the small, almost wing back look at the corners of the back. I’d give this one a similar treatment to the one above. It’s such a simple, elegant shape that I wouldn’t want to clutter it up with a loud color or pattern.
Tangled Up in Blue Sofa, $2800 – ChairAffair @ Etsy.com.
I love this sofa just the way it is. It has a modern, eclectic vibe about it. While normally I’m not a huge fan of red/brown wood tones, it works really well here with the vibrant blue fabric.
Shabby chic style sofa, $1195 – DistintElegance @ Etsy.com
I love the lines of this sofa. I don’t love the fabric. Definitely too safe. I think I’d go with a graphic print that had navy blue as a primary color… something with a lot of visual texture too. Like the fabric Jenny Komenda put on these chairs.
Vintage settee, $1860 – FrenchEclectic @ Etsy.com.
This one is perfect, as is. I wouldn’t change one thing here. I love the gilt details and the subtle staging. This shop owner should be proud!
So those are my picks. Happy hunting this weekend!
I was riding around town a few weeks ago on my way to the Arboretum mall when I saw a shop called Interiors Marketplace on the corner of an intersection not too far past the community college. It looked intriguing but I didn’t have time to stop. Later when I got home I looked them up online and found their website.
While I was there I discovered that IM had a sister store called Post & Gray… the picture of the front of the building, with its pretty gray paint, white logo, and citron yellow doors grabbed my attention! After looking through the gallery of currently available product I decided that I’d visit Post & Gray the very next weekend.
My mom and I made our way to the shop on a sunny but crisp Saturday afternoon. When we walked up the stairs the garage style door to the right of the stairs was open, letting the ample sunlight flood the front of the shop.
The space is large but not cavernous and filled with beautiful new, antique, and vintage furniture and home decor. As mom and I made a circuit around the store we saw folding screens, bath linens, gorgeous French Country style armchairs, oversized lamps and chandeliers, decorative objects, and beautiful fabrics. In every nook there was an interesting or beautiful piece to discover and coo over. Needless to say, by the time we completed our trip around the store we were bubbling with excitement about all that we’d seen!
If you live in the Charlotte area or will be visiting soon, I highly recommend you check out Post & Gray’s constantly evolving selection of furniture and home decor items. You wont be disappointed!
Post & Gray
Tuesday – Saturday 10 – 5
2139 South Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28203-4957
(704) 332-2252
Pics above (top to bottom):
The front of Post & Gray
Asian style decorative object (I heart horse figures)
White ceramic lamp with grey linen shade (one of a pair)
Stack of aqua Jacquard towels and bath products
Green and gold chinoiserie style desk with faux bamboo edging
An absolutely stunning China cabinet with filigree glass doors (my favorite piece in the store!)
As Is Home 