A Fabrics Kind of Weekend!

I did my usual Friday and Saturday estate and garage sale running around this weekend and, as mostly but not always happens, found great deals and met interesting people.  Most of my finds were fabrics - wonderful fabrics that I could not let go (and already wish I had bought more)!

At an otherwise so-so estate sale in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, I found silk and other luxurious fabrics piled in a dusty corner - the pieces ranged from 2-6 yards - large enough for small to medium sized chairs or a tight-seat settee.  I have silks in my current inventory that I take out every now and then to consider for various projects and often put back - my upholsterer does not love doing pieces in silk.  It doesn't stretch like other fabrics do which makes the piping and other details a little harder to execute.  Also, silk has a reputation for being a "fancy" fabric that does not take abuse well and wears easily.   I do have one silk chair in my current inventory of refurbished furniture - link to website - but tend not to have too many.  In my own home, I have a silk plaid chair in both my kitchen (desk chair) and family room which have done well and are still spotless and beautiful after almost 10 years.   But nevertheless, silk does have that reputation!

Silk Fabrics Purchased on Friday - there are almost seven yards on the red and cream stripe - should be wonderful!

I have found that silk can be managed with a few basic rules:

• Keep water or other liquids away - it spots and does not forgive
• Keep out of direct sunlight - the fibers can break down
• Enjoy!!

Silk Chair in Wydeven Design Inventory

I bought a number of other fabrics - none were labeled - there are damasks, stripes, toiles .... great looks all!  The total yardage was about 30 - I got all of these for less than $2.00 per yard!  

On Saturday, a neighborhood sale in the midtown area of Atlanta yielded even more fabrics and, if possible, even better deals!   The seller works (or worked) at ADAC (Atlanta Design Center) and she was selling large samples (2.5 yards bound) of Cowtan and Tout, Jane Churchill, Pierre Deux, Roma and other TOP-END fabrics - 3 for $25.00.  These fabrics typically sell for over a $100 a yard retail.   I bought seven pieces - 2.5 yards is enough for very few upholstered pieces so this was probably not the best idea but I just loved them and could have bought just about all of them.  

Here are some of those beauties!

The pieces were bound on all sides so the resulting measurement was approximately 84 by 52 - which actually works quite well as a tablecloth.  I put one on my kitchen dining table and VOILA - it works and looks very springlike and lovely!  So, these are double-use!  I can use as tablecloths and also on smaller chairs!   

What a great weekend!  

Cowtan and Tout fabric sample - as tablecloth in my home - love it!!

French Furniture - Five Major Chair Styles

This is another blog in my "French furniture series" - see previous entries city vs country furniture and bergere and fauteuil chairs.  This blog is about basic chair styles - defined on this website link.  The author  describes five basic styles:

·      Ladder-Back Chair

o   A popular chair in the French country style, a ladder-back chair is wooden, sometimes with a cane seat. The chair's back is formed by two wooden posts, connected with arched horizontal slats spaced widely apart.



·      Chaise Lounge

o   A chaise lounge, which translates as "long chair," is an upholstered chair with a extended seat made for reclining. Some styles, with a raised back at one end, are known as fainting couches.



French style Chaise Lounge - pinterest board

·      Le Corbusier

o   Arguably the most famous chaise lounge is a modern, black-and-chrome model created by Swiss-French designer Le Corbusier in 1928.


Le Corbusier Chaise - source internet image

·      Rococo Chair

o   A chair designed in the French Rococo style will feature curving, feminine lines--especially curved legs--and an overall sense of aristocratic comfort.

Curved Lines of French Rococo Style - source pinterest board above

·      Louis XVI Chair

o   Named after the king whose reign this furniture first became popular during, a Louis XVI chair is characterized by its straight, tapered legs, clean lines and delicate carved motifs.



Louis XVI style chair - source pinterest board above

Over the years, I have been able to buy, refurbish and sell quite a few of these great style chairs - here are just some of them!

From 2008 Wydeven Design Collection - French Style Chaise Lounge

From 2009 Wydeven Design Collection - Wingback Chairs with Rococo Legs and Trim

From 2009 Wydeven Design Collection - Rococo Legs and Trim Settee

From 2011 Wydeven Design Collection - Chaise with Rococo Woodwork

From 2011 Wydeven Design Collection - French Chair with Rococo Woodwork

From Current Wydeven Design Collection - Silk Wingback Chair with  Louis XVI  Legs

A Visit to the Museum of Design in Atlanta

The weather in the Atlanta area continues to be glorious and I decided to ask a friend to join me to visit a museum I had only recently heard about through a groupon coupon (half off admission).  The Museum of Design Atlanta is located on Peachtree Street (of course) in the midtown area - directly across from the High Museum of Art.  link to website.  The current exhibit, appropriately for me, is about the "chair":

Stories in Form: Chair Design by Portfolio Center

February 5 - June 3, 2012

This spring, the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), in partnership with the Portfolio Center, presents an exhibition honoring history and design through the medium of the chair. 

Entrance to the MODA - my photo

The museum itself is elegant and the exhibit is well staged.  We loved the unique items in the gift shop as well.  We were told that MODA had only opened in its current location about a year ago but had a presence in the Atlanta area for some time.  We were the only visitors and the exhibit took less that 45 minutes to view including reading about the chairs and taking these photos.  The next exhibit will featuring skateboarding - I may return but probably do so in concert with other plans.  Perhaps to visit the High Museum and see the Picasso to Warhol exhibit which I've been planning to see but haven't gotten to yet!

High Museum across the street on Peachtree  

Gift shop - my granddaughters would love these compact lucite chairs.

All the chairs had designer statements such as this one.

I have a sister named Ellie so had to take a photo of this statement.

This chair was actually made of dominos painted and glued together - clever!

The chairs featured were very esoteric - not too many actually looked comfortable.  I thought I would highlight some of the chairs featured and provide a view of MODA and their mission.  While brief, I enjoyed this visit and think the museum deserves community support!

BEFORE and AFTER - Cane-sided Settee in ASCP Chateau Grey

PREVIEW - Refurbished Settee/Bench

I just had a wonderful piece of furniture returned from my great, local upholsterer - Mr. Lee of Song's Upholstery of Norcross, Georgia.  I am always amazed that their expert work absolutely makes the transformation from "old" to "better than new".

I bought this piece at an estate sale with good pre-conditional qualities.  The cane was in excellent condition (a must since re-caning is very expensive and hard to do well).  The woodwork was a non-descript medium brown.  I had several Annie Sloan Chalk Paint colors to choose from.  I have six colors in my inventory:

Old White

Old Ochre

Paris Grey

Chateau Grey 

Graphite

Duck Egg Blue

I had used the chateau grey before with a wonderful fabric from Chelsea Fabrics (England) called "Pineapple".  Chateau grey is a very GREEN kind of grey which I was not sure I liked until I completed my first piece - the fabric PERFECTLY coordinates with the chalk paint color - so I decided to to this piece in the same combination.  

Cane-sided settee before ASCP finish - the cane is in great condition!

This was my first chance to work on a "caned" project.  It is a little harder to get in the nooks and crannies of the caning and do a thorough job.  I found that it took a little more than two coats to get the level of coverage right.   A one inch brush worked well for this job!

Settee after one coat - good coverage but not enough - it needed two-plus coats for most of piece.

Chelsea Fabric Selected - Pineapple

Details - Chateau Gray Settee - Chelsea Fabric "Pineapple" Linen

Another great outcome - ASCP and my lovely fabrics!  This item was included in today's linked party - check out the other items here - linked party on Restore Interiors site and here is another link - link to savy southern style