Mad Men Inspiration for Retro Chairs

Enthused by blankets being used as  upholstery I was on the hunt for old wool blankets much to my sisters joint horror! So it meant I was kind of half hearted doing it and thinking how difficult it may turnout out to be, so I stopped looking for the blankets and starting browsing around for chairs online. I was amazed by the amount of people looking to emulate the current popularity of Mad Men and how it has filtered down not only into fashion but also interiors with interior designers, shops, boutiques and https://www.pinterest.com/ awash with Mad Men fever......

I came across two check/ tweedy looking chairs that I thought were a possibility for my own private Mad Men look especially as from far away they looked "brownish" but upon closer inspection I could see they had a couple of distinct threads running through them which coincided with my next project I had in mind which was to find an opportunity to mix a few of the Chalk Paints™ by Annie Sloan to see what colours were possible.

(image courtesy of the Chair Depository http://thechairdepository.blogspot.ie/2011/10/inspiration-blanket-upholstery.html

So now my challenge was to turn my original pair of chairs into something Mad Men, vibrant and fun ( a tall order!) and to do this whislt exploring a new choice of colours which I would mix. The two colours I liked in the fabric were a deep pinky/purple like an antique fuchsia and a coral colour. 

(photo taken on the street when I first saw the chairs outside a antiques/vintage store in Dublin city centre)

Mixing Paints, Time to Explore..

So I started to mix 

(mixing Emile and Emperor Silk to make the Antique Fuchsia colour I was looking for and then mixing Barcelona Orange with Emperor Silk to make the Coral toned colour )

Its best just to take your time and I added literally spoon by spoon until I had the colour and tone I had in my head. If you are nervous about doing this then it is time I directed you to an Chalk Paint™  by Annie Sloan veteran and expert who has come up with a fantastic tool whereby you can input the colours you want to mix and you get to see how much you need to add of each percentage wise in order to achieve your colour of choice. 

http://www.thepurplepaintedlady.com/paint-mixer/

It is trial and error and if you are worried, to save you, read this fantastic post by The Purple Painted Lady,

a shining light in the world of Annie Sloan and a true innovator http://www.thepurplepaintedlady.com/2014/05/emperors-silk-chalk-paint-tell-me-all-about-it/

So I painted the first chair in my Antique Fuchsia colour and my second chair in the Coral colour and I am really happy with the result. I then sanded both chairs off, and I applied a lot of wax and then repeated the process. Then I used a brush to buffer them off. 

If you are still looking for that Mad Men Inspiation, read below: 

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/14393727/list/Why-We-Love-Midcentury-Modern-Design

Pretty in Pink Dipped Stool

Another project I have wanted to try for ages was the “dipped” trend that has been making waves since 2013 with designers worldwide. Inspired by http://www.pinterest.com/dianasamper/trends-dipped/  and the colour pallet from a well worn and loved T-shirt that I wanted to use in an upcyling project. The image below is an upcycled stool I found for sale online and was exactly what I was looking for but I couldnt decide if I wanted the lines masked or running into each other.

I had a bedroom stool that is kind of depressing, heavy dark wood and yet very useful but I just wanted to give it a new life.  I had decided that the more masculine the piece looks the more feminine approach I should take to the colour so I chose Henrietta Chalk Paint™  by Annie Sloan and started with that.

(Give A Boring Old Stool A Beautiful Makeover by Lisa Tisle, see Full Blog below from crafts.tutsplus.com)

I loved the end result but wanted to be more adventurous and explore this new “dipping “ trend. So I got out my trusty Emperor Silk and mixed it 2:1 with Old White. Then mixed it equally with Old White.

(image courtesy of silverhue design, Full Blog below My New DIY Obsession)

So I did the bottom section first (which I will not repeat as when I did next section it dribbled a bit as I hadn’t let it dry in my impatience to see the end result). Whilst it was drying I got out my sewing machine, stitched up my old t-shirt into a rectangular shaped cushion, sewed on a button and the transformation was complete.

( photo courtesy of BY ANJELIKA TEMPLE ON MARCH 14, 2014, see Full Blog Below from Brit.co)

I then very gently sanded off the stool and then waxed it with clear wax.

A Big Thank You to All the Inspirational Blogs out there:

http://www.silverhuedesign.com/blog/my-new-diy-obsession.html

http://crafts.tutsplus.com/tutorials/give-a-boring-old-stool-a-beautiful-makeover--craft-3651

http://www.brit.co/color-dipped-stools/?utm_campaign=pinbutton_hover

Next Blog we will be using a mixing tool to help us pick colours and try a few new Annie Sloan Chalk Paint mixes....

Red Hot Chairs

Influenced by the number of designer chairs reusing tweed and wool patterns in the fabric of their chairs and having had a good root around some vintage shops in London I was on the lookout for my own pair of fireside chairs. Originally I was thinking I would pick an unusual shape with a low seat and then choose a fabric and have them recovered.

(Vintage Inspiration found online)

Finally, I came across two that attracted me but the fabric was putting me off and they were fairly shabby looking. It was the shape of the arms that attracted me; I just couldn’t resist those curves. I tried originally with a medley of greys, then greens, all of it looked a little insipid and lost and did nothing for the chairs, even if I was recovering. 

(Before Image and after I had tried a paler green option..)

I needed something that would really provide a “pop” and accentuate the curve of the arms as this is the most unusual aspect of the chairs and something we do not see in mass produced furniture today. So it was back to the old reliable, Emperor Silk who can always transform a piece and cheer up a room. So I repainted the arms and legs with two coats of Emperor Silk Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan and touched up again on anywhere that looked patchy when first two coats dried.

(Final Outcome)

I then sanded again, as I had originally sanded more than usual as the varnish on the original arms was worn in patches and I didn’t want that to show through. Then I generously applied clear wax, left it and went back, buffed it off and repeated the process. At this point I had steam cleaned the fabric and sprayed it with a fabric cleaner as well as leaving it outdoors when it was not raining (difficult recently!) to air as much as possible, so much so that I decided I would keep the original fabric for now.

(Courtesy of RescuedRetroVintage on Etsy, if you are feeling more adventurous

https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/164886690/original-soviet-cold-war-overcoat?ref=shop_home_active_5 )

ps: I had originally picked a very unique green wingback chair from the same second hand furniture dealer but he went ahead and delivered when I was not home, deciding that three chairs would be safe in my front garden. When I got home the green one and the most unusual was missing! It looks like somebody thought as they were second hand/preloved ! that I was putting them in my garden enroute to the skip, so they helped themselves, which brings me onto “Skip Diving Etiquette”. There is a plethora of articles online about the etiquette for helping yourself to skips, roadside finds etc but if it i actually in someones garden, it is expected that you knock and ask as you are on their private property and cannot be sure they are actually dumping it !

For some really funny and interesting blogs on dumpster diving and buying used furniture, see below:

http://mywhitsend.org/2011/07/01/the-art-etiquette-and-rules-of-dumpster-diving/

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-ten-commandments-of-buying-used-furniture-184689

http://kissthefrogagain.co.uk/shop/vintage-tweed-mummy-chair/

Grecian Inspired Bedroom prompted by sleepless nights

So it all started with sleepless nights and big Italian bed jealousy I decided! As every night I heard two sets of footsteps and a bed that started with two ended by morning with four! When asked the next morning, I am always told “ your bed is cosier”, “Bigger” “nicer” so we decided the Thomas the Tank and the toddler cot bed had to go and went bed shopping as the experts say “include them” in the decision process if you want them to stay in their own bed. Finally we realised they also wanted to share a bed, so I said fine and we started off sensibly looking at all childrens beds.  I spent 3 weeks ringing dealers, checking salvage yards and auctions looking for a replicate of my bed brought home with me from Italy. Finally at 4 o clock on a wet Friday I got a call back, a mahogany bed had been sourced matching the dimensions I had given. It was a trip to an antique dealer in North county Dublin, I decided I had to go, I had that “feeling”.

First he showed me a beech bed I was horrified then he said well I have this one its a lot dearer ( dreaded words) so it was a mahogany poster bed with a lot of intricate designs, not exactly “my thing” but I tried to stay focused, it was perfect size, I had Chalk Paint™  b y Annie Sloan that can miraculously transform things you think you don’t like so I bargained. Then as the posts very long and not “child friendly” rang my husand who said “NO”.

(Image above was my inspiration and when I found this online at Billy-Hustace.Getty I realised that I was looking to achieve a similar look with my Greek Blue, Coco and mixture of frames in complimentary blues)

(part of my wardrobe search that had to be abandoned)

Bargained anyway and discovered posts could be unscrewed at a certain height so somewhat safer.... Negotiated for an hour till we got a price we could both live with a 6pm on a Friday. Organised delivery and I was smiling all the way home to now get rid of Thomas Tank and toddler bed. Tried in vain to source antique wardrobe that would need to be dismantled and then customised to fir around hearing as existing wardrobe is, after estimating costs and work decided little by little and decided instead to use Coco to fade out the current walnut wardrobe.

Decided to upcycle chair in room as desk is also in the bedroom, so painted the legs Coco to match and made a slipcover to match from a remanant picked up in France four years ago. For the black out blind, went to Ikea and sourced a complimentary fabric to remanant and sewed so black out curtain in vain hope this would keep them in their new “large cosy bed”.

Complimentary fabric for all Annie Sloan Colours can be sourced and ordered at Twenty Six, to view 

http://www.anniesloan.ie/collections/annie-sloan-fabrics

It took a lot more paint, elbow grease and a lot of space to dismantle bed and paint but was worth every minute, as both boys I decided to go traditional for once and chose Greek blue to give a Mediterranean feel to the room, the new vibrant colour meant we then had to repaint the walls white as colour had made them a little faded looking! So sewing done, painting done, took three coats as was a dark mahogany and kept showing through, then waxed with a lint free cloth and brush in the carvings and it was time to erect.

(first selection of suitcases for upcycling I found, otherwise in lovely shops but €100 so had to search harder)

In my enthusiasm, I painted two old suitcases, one in Aubusson blue to match existing colour and a more faded one in Greek Blue and with some maps varnished on for detail to help hide childrens clutter. Then added in a vintage leather suitcase picked up in Italy more than 20 years ago. And it was ready for the first nights sleep....................

Greek Blue painted bed and Coco chalk painted wardrobe

Chair legs painted in Coco and suitcase in Greek Blue and wallpaper

And so for the next project to grab my attention...

Revamp some Twin Lamps with some Farrow and Ball Wallpaper and Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan

So it started with me being inspired by my new creative flair....so I thought okay I am on a roll and I always wanted to do lamps, I have two matching ones in my bedroom, they are fine, they are not vintage, not old but they could be my test....So I removed shades, got out my masking tape and decided to paint them with  two coats of Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint™  by Annie Sloan as decided a tranquil colour that could lend itself to blending with others and also it was a complimentary scheme I was looking for and I had decided that Duck Egg Blue and a stripe of Old White would match perfectly with the new 2014 Farrow and Ball Samphire wallpaper.

http://eu.farrow-ball.com/samphire-bp-4002/2014-new-wallpapers/farrow-ball/fcp-product/204002

So I painted lamps, stripe and then had to buy a glue gun to attach the wallpaper onto the lampshades and realised its harder than it looks! Also it would have been easier if I had chosen lampshades that are the same size top and bottom as paper was quite stiff...

http://www.bravenewhome.com/diy-wallpapered-lamp-shades/ 

Also heat guns really burn and I may not have any fingerprints left...and last lesson, it looks really easy with the online tutorials and the finish neat and beading an option, mine didn’t look like that and even worse I needed to go back when dry and start all over with glue gun to reattach beading ribbon finish to top and was so hard to get straight decided the bottom could do without.. you win some you lose some, it is something I think practise makes perfect would apply to....now hoping doesn’t melt off when lamps on for a long time.....

The final result

I have learnt that these things are not always as easy as they appear!!

If you are looking for more information on how to upcycle your own lamps, I found the ones below the most useful

http://www.housetohome.co.uk/articles/how-to-cover-a-lampshade-with-wallpaper-country-craft-ideas_523973.html

http://eu.farrow-ball.com/10-ways-wallpaper-lampshade/content/fcp-content

http://www.homelife.com.au/decorating/living+dining/how+to+re+cover+a+lampshade,4973

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ne-ZXMnO8

Nesting with upcycled tables, ideal for small spaces and entertaining....

A very strange thing has started to happen, when my sister or I happen upon something we fancy painting the other seems to pick up the same or similar style of piece, in the same week in completely different parts of the city..sometimes country. But this little nest was the strangest of all, I picked up the biggest one in a local charity shop and a few days later my sister arrives, as we store all at my “Grenier”, with the two smaller ones, so I immediately started painting as I have had it in my head to pick three of the colours from my favourite oil painting, it’s an Irish beach scene of course, being "Irish" its very dark blues/greens/teal/turquoise. I also had taken this photo from a bathroom supply shop in a little town in Normandy as I liked the look of the colours together

and so I had it noted in my Annie Sloan colour inspirations as a possible combination to use together.

So you might ask why a nest of tables, do people really use them these days?

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/48818/list/Nesting-Tables--Function-and-Style

I am also trying to decide on a new colour for the walls and so now I’m using the nest to help with the depth of colour I want to achieve. I find the colour wheel very helpful, especially deciding if it’s to be harmonious/complimentary or a complete clash. With the nest I decided I wanted a good sheen from the sides of the tables so I did two very thin coats of wax and really buffed on the last one with a lint free cloth. The great thing about the Annie Sloan paints is the little tester pots so if you are unsure its inexpensive to try them out on a small item or even a patch of the piece you are going to paint, you can always sand it lightly off so it will blend when you paint over.

If you are looking for inspiration there are loads to be found online here is a few that attracted me to the possibilities

I used Chalk Paint™  by Annie Sloan and decided that Provence, Aubusson  & Florence were the closest match of  the colours from the painting. I used Annie Sloan clear wax. Of course the colours might have to be tweaked a little when the walls are finally finished to get it to match the image in my mind. The  fabric was sourced in Ikea but Annie Sloan has some gorgeous options in her Ticking and Stripes section that compliment all of the Annie Sloan colours.

http://anniesloan.com/acatalog/copy_of_copy_of_copy_of_copy_of_Ticking.html

But it’s close as when I was painting them I could feel that childish sense of excitement building up, when you have had an idea and then see it coming together.

PS The walls have just been redone in a Teal and the tables really stand out against it.