First up will be the PINK CHAIR. Peace be with me, because I have no clue as to what pattern or color I want. Silk, Velvet, Stripes, Jacquard? I dont know if I want to darken the wood, or leave it original. My Grandfather bought these pieces for my Granny when my Mother was child, and she is 50 now. So they are really antique to me. Not to mention she loved her set, and I just want to do them justice and bring back the beauty that they once had. We will be dropping the furniture of Saturday. Any ideas or suggestions?
8 comments:
Provided these don't have any real value as true antiques (in which case you wouldn't want to change anything about them) - here is what I think would look lovely:
Either ebonize the wood to an almost black color OR have it lightened/pickled to an offwhite. Upholstery in a nubby gray silk would be lovely with either finish.
I definitely would stay away from fabrics that are too traditional like jacquard or damask. A modern finish and fabric with the traditional lines of the furniture would be a nice marriage IMO.
Have you had these priced out yet? Refinishing and upholstery cost a FORTUNE!
I will only change the fabric because I have no choice. I dont know what the monetary value because thats not my thing, but the furniture is beyond that for many reasons to me. I hope to pass this along to my daughter at some point. I probably will end up leaving the wood as it is because it is in perfect condition. The detailed carving, and overall feel of the wood is just great. I will take your advice and stay away from traditional fabrics. I would love to make it more modern, because traditional is not my style at ALL. I have already made some calls regarding the job and the prices I was given is perfect. The total for the labor came out to around $1k for all pieces, plus a discount on fabric with the job. It didnt seem crazy or to costly. At least I hope not.
That seems reasonable for all of those pieces and how much work is involved. If you aren't refinishing the wood (i must have misunderstood your original post) that makes it substantially less expensive as well.
My issue is just the fabric. I dont want to be in there all day looking at fabric and wondering what the heck am I doing. I am not one that has been involved in a process like this before, so me reaching out to the blog world (which wasnt successful) for help was really needed because I really dont know. But I will figure it out when I get there, and I am sure they will help me make them a hefty fabric sale. But thanks Mrs. Lime for offering the help that you did...I really appreciate it.
Those are some gorgeous pieces, T!
I like your pink idea. My vote would be to stay with a solid color -- the rococo revival inspired lines are enough for the eye. One suggestion I can offer is if you intend these items for heavy use, stay away from linens and certain cottons because they tend to wrinkle and stretch with wear. Blends help keep the fabric tight and in shape.
Lucky you...I have one i landed on Craiglsit and havent upholstered it. I think its been a year and its sitting in the garage BUT i will get to it soon i hope! Either way i would suggest getting a solid colored fabric first...no pattern. Because I've learned that with pattern it may look dated at some point and upholstery isnt CHEAP.
You can always add some interesting colorful cushions. I would just leave the wood as is...most fabrics will look good with that color anyhow.
Jen Ramos
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Bring a pic of your furniture to the fabric store with you. Or any pages you've torn out of magazines or found on the internet. If you are trying to keep cost down (fabric and labor to upholster for all those pieces will be high) and since you won't have much wear and tear on them, you can do a cotton. If a completely solid color seems to... 'solid' ??? then there are very subtle pattern-on-pattern tones. But I would suggest go very very subtle. Also, keep in mind if you use a subtle pattern, have it in proportion to the overall form/size of the furniture. I've used a white on white damask before (having two dogs) and it wasn't as bad as I thought in terms of dogs leaving hair and muddy paw prints sneaking up and sleeping on the sofa when I was at work. I would go for a color you prefer first, what you really like and see if it harmonizes with the wood tone; then you can always adjust other colors around the room, or change them out. Stay away from any shiny fabrics. It is overwhelming, but you've narrowed it down a lot by focusing in on a solid or tone-on-tone color, if you choose. Go modern style with the fabric. Have you see these designers? http://www.wandrdesign.com/ In some of their work, they use more traditional forms and update them with fresh, new fabrics. Browse through their site, maybe you might get an idea in terms of color... Site has music, so if you're sneaking a peek at work ,or have a dog or kids asleep, hit the mute button.
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