bench pressed

I've finally mustered the courage to replace the fabric on the bed bench in our master bedroom.  It was originally green, which didn't go with our grey colour scheme. We spent significantly more money on it this bench (it's an antique) so I was apprehensive.

Now that I've discovered recovering fabric is quite easy (I used my chair transformation as my trial and error test) I am ready to tackle the next step...the bench (at some point, I will gain the courage to recover all 8 of my antique dining chairs!) .  I was looking for a dark grey fabric (top photo), with a delicate detailed stripe (bottom photo)...the Kravet fabrics below range from $80-400/yard!

Calvin Klein's Satillo Graphite for Kravet Fabrics

Barbara Barry's Lucky Knots Quartzite for Kravet Fabrics

I found a great fabric that worked with the room, and reminiscent of the two fabrics combined above (believe it or not, it is a table cloth I found in the clearance section at Winners for $10).

This is actually a tablecloth found in the clearance section of
Winners (same as Marshalls in the US) for a mere $10.

So I took a chance with this beautiful and simply detailed tablecloth, and re-covered the bench...here's what I did..

Removed the cushioned seat top

by unscrewing it from the bottom

Cut the fabric approximately 1-2 inches larger than the cushion.

With the patterned side down, using a staple gun 

(and upholstery staples), staple the centre of the 

fabric on each four sides. Work your way 

from the centre towards the corners.

Tuck the corners, like you're gift wrapping.

Re-attach the cushion top to the bench.

Here's the before and after:

Green fabric

Silvery Grey fabric works with the Trellis bedding

Now it look like it belongs in the room.

Restoring Beauty: Chair Transformation-Revealed!

When I first saw this chair, I really saw the potential.  Although it was stuck in the corner, with odd red fabric, mis-matched styles of wood carving, and scuffs all over the chair, there was something that spoke to me about this chair  (maybe the $6 price tag spoke louder than the other, more traditional chairs I saw).

With so many inspirational choices, I originally went with this Baker chair as inspiration for my thrift store find.

 Thomas Pheasant for Baker

But after painting the chair black, it looked too stark...

So I changed my mind and combined the gold touches for the back of the chair with the white chairs from Belle Maison below:

Belle Maison chairs

Here’s how I transformed this chair...

I removed the chair pad.

I sanded the chair.

Painted the chair with a primer paint.

I used the Zinsser Primer Paint I had left
over from a previous project...that $10 can
goes a long way!!!

Filled the wood with Lepage wood filler. (yes, I should have done this before the sanding, but last minute decided to fill in the decorative “carving” on the front of the seat, as it seemed too “country” for what I was going to do.) So I re-sanded and primed again.

Painted the chair white, and the “8” of the chair back the “Champagne Nouveau” colour I used for the mail sorter (I thought, if it didn’t work, I can always re-paint over it in white).

Using this fabric I found during the Value Village 50% sale (it cost a whopping $3 for 2 yards---I only used one!), I replaced the chair pad,  and stapled the fabric.

Here’s the after.

Here's the cost breakdown for this chair if you did this yourself:
Chair: $6
Primer: Used left over can, but would cost about $12 for the can
Wood filler:  $6  
Black spray paint: Used left over from my table project, but would cost $5 per can.  
Gold spray paint:  Used left over from mail sorter project, but would cost $5 per can.
Chair pad filler:  
Fabric:  $3.


Total:  approx. $45


Simply a great find!


{This post is featured on The Motherboards and linked to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , Coastal Charm and House of Hepworths}

Beautiful Dresser

I love to shop.  Let’s just get that out of the way.  And since having kids, I now dress vicariously through them.  

Unfortunately our little girl’s closet is literally a half-sized one (not even 1/10th of the size of the dream walk in closet featured in Friday's post), and with all the clothes her crazy mother buys for her, she’ll need more places to put her stuff.  I love this pretty pink dressing chest from Posh Tots...for a paltry $1000.

Isabella Dressing Chest from Posh Tots

I’ve been looking for similar dressers on Craigslist and eBay, with no luck.  Most are too large or still too expensive.  Then, I remember an article from a design editor at Style at Home magazine talking about great finds at Value Village.  So, I headed off…

Not only did I find the right sized dresser, it had nice simple lines.  The wood was solid  (minus a few scuffs), and $15!  And since there was a 50% sale on (disappointingly not on furniture, but on clothes), the manager was in a generous mood, and said he’d only charge me $10 for this dresser!!!

Imagine all the possibilities...repositioned
crystal knobs, added moulding and
detailing, pretty paint.

Sold…to the lowest bidder? Well, I hightailed it out of there faster than you can say "sale"...and brought this baby home.  I was so giddy that I completely forgot to think of all the excuses I will have to make to justify this purchase (I paid more for my lamp than this dresser, so I can always re-sell, repaint or relocate to a possible cottage some day...at least that will be my "story").  

I think I’m going pink....now, stay tuned!

Beautiful Chanel-Inspired Chair

With spring cleaning, I was dropping off a few items at the local Bibles for Missions store (a great charity).  And of course, since I was in the store, I thought I’d take a peek.

In the corner, this interesting chair caught my eye.  When I first saw it, I instantly thought of Chanel, or Baker furniture (the famed line that carries the furniture line of one of my favourite designers, Barbara Barry).

I bought this chair for $6…and thought of all the possibilities.  Here are a few inspirational chairs that I hope to somewhat re-create with my new find.

Dark chair with fully gilded back.

{source: Thomas Pheasant for Baker}

Black chair with gilded edges and details.

{source: Oficina Inglesa}

Antiqued cream chairs

{source: Belle Maison Francaise}

Beautiful choices.

Simple De(light)

Although our sitting room gets lots of sunlight (we sometimes call this the “sunroom”), we still needed a little table lamp when we enjoy the room in the evening.

I love the Robert Alley Doughnut lamp at Macys, but $435 (not including shipping, taxes and duty) for a little table lamp is pretty pricey.

Robert Abbey Doughnut Lamp at Macy's

I’ve been told that Restore is a little place that interior designers love to visit.  There is a treasure trove of new and antique type things (amongst the dingy as well).  Because the money goes to Habitat for Humanity, many local retailers donate their end of lines, and you can find some really great deals.

So, I found this lamp at my local Restore.  It only cost $30 (including tax!).  And the money went to charity, so more guilt-free shopping!!!

Using dish soap and a damp cloth was
the easy solution to clean this lampshade 

With a little spray paint (or maybe not…I'm still contemplating about painting it completely black, brushed nickel, or oil rubbed bronze), a little clean up of the lamp, and fabric edging on the lampshade edging (to cover a little dent), this would look fabulous!

Now...hoping to shed some light...stay tuned!

Simply Good(will) Table-Reveal !

This has been quite a fun DIY project, mostly because this is my test...if I can paint this table, I can attempt at a larger table for our kitchen.

Here's what I did with my $5 table.

Using sandpaper, lightly sanded all paintable surfaces.

A medium grit sandpaper worked.

Then, using a damp cloth, I wiped the table clean from debris.

I was temped to use TSP, but plain water worked fine.

I primed the table with this great oil based primer  
I only used about 1/20th of the can.

Zinsser Cover Stain is amazing, found at Lowes for about $12.
It works well on all kinds of wood, including damaged, varnished or veneered.

Spray (yes spray) painted the table using satin black paint.  

Almost suffocated myself with the fumes...
don't forget to wear a mask!  This Krylon spray in Satin
Black can be found at Michaels or Canadian Tire for about $7

I waited for about 24 hours before doing another coat, 

and paint odd places I missed (like underneath).

If you get drips or streaks,
use a small foam brush (from Michaels for $1),
and lightly brush the drips, then continue spraying.

Remember my inspiration?

Crate and Barrel Esme Bruno Pedestal Table

Here's how my version looks in our sitting room. 

The sofa is supposed to be in our living room...
this is just a temporary spot.  It will be replaced with two sitting
chairs, with this table in between.

Similar to the Crate and Barrel table in style, but definitely not $600 (or even half that).  Total cost...about $20!!! (with primer and paint to spare for another project!)

Beautiful savings.

{This post is linked to Coastal Charm, Miss Mustard Seed, My Repurposed Life, House of Grace, The Shabby Nest}

Simply Good(will) Table

On weekends, my husband and I try to catch up on our reading. Whether we're reading an article online, or leafing through flyers (me) in preparation for the next week, we try to relax in our sitting room.  However, we're big coffee drinkers, and had no where to put our morning fuel.

When I dropped off our usual spring donations at the local Goodwill, a little table in the store caught my eye.  For $5, I had to get it.  (You can't even buy the wood for that much... and the money goes to a good cause, so it's definitely win-win!).

I love the lines of this table.  So simple and classic, with good bones (it is very sturdy).  However, it definitely needed a little "polish". 

I am hoping to refinish it this weekend, so it looks like the Crate and Barrel one (albeit, the C&B one is MUCH larger...and $600!!!), here:

Crate & Barrel's Esme Bruno Pedestal Table

More pictures of my progress to follow...


Now...stay tuned!