A Zappy Zebra Eastlake Settee!!

In addition to the Victorian furniture I recently purchased 

(and blogged about the chair makeover,)

I also picked up this Eastlake set.

 A settee...

 …and two chairs.

 The wood is gorgeous…….it almost looks like rosewood.

Just beautiful details.

So for once, I decided NOT TO PAINT.

Drop dead, I know.

 The fabric was dated though.

I decided to tackle this today.

I started by pulling off all the gimp.

 After using Howards Restor-a-finish in Deep Mahogany on the wood,

I went to my fabric stock pile……….

and decided on this awesome thick linen in an indigo and tan zebra print.

(Thank you my bud, Bonita, for sharing another great fabric!!!!)

 I started with the seat and added a layer of batting.

Then I cut and while pulling tight, stapled the fabric all along the edges.

 Next I did the chair fronts.

First I filled in the tufting indentations with

polyfill. And then i added and stapled a layer of batting,

and then the fabric.

 I decided to use twill tape and bronzed copper nail heads to edge the front

 In order to keep the wood unpainted, 

I felt like I needed a fabric with some weight…in texture and color.

I think this is just perfect.

 Here's the back.

It's in my car ready to go to RVA Antiques tomorrow.

$399

And here's another piece I did today:

 When I bought this piece, 

it had a shiny red finish.

 And although I didn't like the finish,

I liked the red color. 

Time to cozy things up for autumn!

So I sanded down all the sides and edges...

 Next, I added a stain layer to everything,

 to pop the details and "knock down"

that bright red finish.

 A little toile pillow, 

and it's perfectly perfect.

The seat top lifts for storage.

This is going to RVA as well.

$125.

A Victorian Parlor Chair Gets a Flirty New Look!

Wow, 

thanks Mary Mayo for turning me on to this 

incredible set of Victorian parlor furniture 

that a dealer was selling.

Don't you know this was a stunning set back in its day.

But that was long, long ago.

The velvet tufted upholstery had actually disintegrated.

 Stuffing was coming out……

but check out the detail on the wood back!!!!!!!

 Here you can see a close up of the tufting,

and the general condition of the fabric.

 I couldn't stand it!

I started ripping apart the chair within the hour,

and it took hours….

OMG, the things that came out of this chair!!!!

I removed all the trim and fabric and tacks……..

I stripped off all the stuffing: 

Horsehair, straw...

you name it, it was in here.

Yukko...

 I left the burlap, springs and webbing  - 

all were still in good condition...

 Next, I painted the frame in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey.

Here's a close up of the detail after painting.

Next,

I set about rebuilding this chair.

I added chunks of foam and batting to the seat.

 And I decided to recover it in this natural/soft blue wide-stripe linen ticking. 

This chair took some time. 

I learned a lot!

The main thing about reupholstery is that 

you must do things in a particular order.

Very important, Grasshopper!

Here you can see how I stapled the fabric along the edges,

before trimming off the excess fabric.

 Here's the chair with the body and sides covered….

 And here it is all completed.

It's so beautiful, 

I can't stand it!

I must sit in it!

 And you know me, 

I like to add a little bit of the unexpected…

So where I usually use nail heads, 

on this piece, 

I used a variety of vintage white buttons.

 Here's the back.

I trimmed most of the edges in natural gimp.

 Except I used small strips of fabric for the back sides and bottom edges.

 And then I decided to add another little whimsical feature:

This little pocket, edged in more buttons.

 I finished the wood trim by dry brushing some Old White on the details and edges,

and then I waxed and buffed.

 Here "she" is in my booth. 

(She's definitely a she!)

See? 

You can use the pocket for a book, 

or a remote….

Or in my case, 

a price tag.

It's for sale for $299

at my space at Greenwood Antiques and Uniques.

Hmmm, this one may take a while.

The pain is still too fresh….

Corporate Chairs All Toiled Up

A client recently gave me a pair of corporate chairs from her office.

 Sturdy, nothing wrong with them...

 Just, well, corporate..

But not for long!

 I began this makeover by pulling off all the old piping and staples.

Then I sanded, painted & waxed the wooden frames. 

I used Annie Sloan in Duck Egg.

After the chair frames were completed, 

I went to my fabric treasure trove.

I selected this set of black and white toile drapes 

for the reupholstery.

 One down, one to go…

After stapling and trimming all the edges,

I trimmed the front and bottom in grey gimp.

For the back, I used nickel nail head trim.

 Perfectly lovely. 

These will be heading to Greenwood Antiques & Uniques.

Price: $330 for the pair.

Next up…….this pair I just purchased on Craigslist. 

Stay tuned! I have no idea what I'm gonna do yet, 

but they'll be cool!!!!!!!!!

More Trash and Treasures and Reinventions

Man has it been a busy Friday…

I'm trying to get out of town to restock my Greenwood space.

In the meantime, some pieces sold at my booth at RVA Antiques yesterday, 

so I went there this morning and added new several pieces,

including the two chairs I just finished.

Next, I needed to get some pieces finished that I want to take to my other space!

Geez, having two spaces is very time consuming!

But it's fun to swap and move stuff around.

I scored this alley find last week: 

An old vintage wicker chair...

 Love the big fat arms…

And I picked up this old spool from a dealer at RVA.

 The chair needed some serious sanding because the paint was flaking off terribly.

Then I primed the entire chair.

For the spool, I added industrial casters to the bottom,

And I then added layers of blues/greys/blacks.

I sanded and added clear and dark wax.

A glass top makes it the perfect industrial coffee table!

 I painted the chair with Rustoleum Glossy Fern….

It takes forever to dry, but then it's rock hard.

 I finished it off with a pillow this morning.

 Next, this old plaque I bought some time ago at Class and Trash.

 I funned it up by adding a cast iron buck hook and some hand painting and type.

Then i decoupaged a bullet hole and added some hand painted touches.

It makes me smile. 

 And here's a chair I had recovered a while back, 

had in my booth, but it just looked too dark

and out of place.

 So I pulled it and decided to paint it.

 I painted the base in ASCP in Versailles.  

And I left the oak back and added a stencil.

 Then I distressed and waxed, 

and rebuilt a seat with webbing, foam and batting.

 I covered the bottom in this remnant of a coral motif linen fabric.

But I wasn't digging the wood back...

 So last night, I painted it, 

and then added another remnant cushion to the top,

which I secured with oversized nail heads.

And finished off this morning with a little pillow.

The car is loaded….except for me and the cat.

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!