Upholstered Furniture In Bathrooms

Great French Chairs and Ottoman in Bathroom - source - all connected to my pinterest board

I love to tour show houses and peruse decorating sites and magazines for different uses of upholstered furniture. After all, I am trying to sell fine refurnished upholstered pieces and need to market all potential uses for these lovely pieces. I have had a bench/settee in my own master bathroom for about ten years and find it useful and love the way it makes the bathroom seem more livable.

I googled "upholstered furniture in the bathroom" and found quite a few images but only one good article.

Simple French Chair - source see above

Upholstered seating in the bathroom is not the most common thing to see - it is a rarity to have enough space to accommodate furniture in one of the smaller, more utilitarian rooms in the home. It can look great though - turning a room that sometimes feels cold and impersonal into much more of a sanctuary. source

The images of fine bathrooms with great upholstered furniture actually speak for themselves.  Obviously, the ability to use the pieces is based on size of space but the look is great.

Here are some images that help make this point. I will end with some personal observations.

Enjoy!

Several pieces were incorporated here - the bench as well as vanity chair - see source information above.

Love this striped chair in this very elegant setting - see source information above. 

The use of an ottoman seems most common - see source information above.

This sweet little chair would fit almost anywhere - see source information above. 

lovely little French chair!

Another glamorous look! 

I see the furniture before the other elements of the bathroom design! 

I have a mental image of a conversation going on here!

Clearly, these images display many types of furniture in great bathroom settings. I have such affection for upholstered furniture that I almost always see the furniture before the bathroom fixtures - but suspect that's just me!

In my own experience using upholstered pieces, I have had several lessons learned:

*  Don't use silk (I have used it on a small bench) because any water spills will be impossible to remove.
*  Expect that some cleaning and/or soap solvents will get on your pieces and may result in some discoloration - I have replaced my fabric once in ten years for this reason.  Choose fabrics accordingly.
*  Expect some humidity/steam in bathrooms and plan fabrics and styles accordingly.

What do you think of these ideas for bathroom furniture?

A Celebration of Spring - Decorating in Green

Using Green Accessories in Decorating source

In honor of spring, I visited my pinterest board (decorating - greens) and spend some time surfing the internet looking at the rich variety of advice on using green in decorating. I learned that 15% of us claim that green is our favorite color - which seems understated to me. But while I love it, it is probably my third favorite after red and blue, so this may make sense.

I found some things I already knew about why green is popular (color of nature, sooothing, etc.) but found this interesting summary of why green is such a great color - in general.

Source - My Pinterest Board

Green is the color of envy, luck, inexperience and, until recently (in the U.S. at least), money. It is also the color of life, health, nature, balance, and harmony - and the representative of the global movement to protect our environment.

Green is the easiest color on the eye and is calming and refreshing. People waiting to appear on TV talk shows sit in a "green room" because the color is relaxing. In the Middle Ages, brides wore green to symbolize fertility. 

Green is considered a healing color and has multiple health benefits. Those working in a green (as in color, although the ecological meaning is also true) environment experience fewer health problems than those in non-green surroundings. Green is also said to bring peace of mind and to balance circulation and breathing.

Researchers have also found that green can even improve reading ability! (Some students may find that laying a transparent green film over a page can increase reading ability and skill.)

The human eye sees more shades of green than any other color. (No wonder it is so popular in home decorating palettes!) From bright lime to subtle sage there is a shade of green to suit every taste and a tasteful way to add your favorite green hues to your home. source

How great is that!  I have several rooms in my home that are predominantly green and have always wanted a green and white kitchen. Here are some great green decorating images ending with a composite of green chairs in my current Wydeven Designs inventory - available on eBay, Etsy or One Kings Lane.  Enjoy!

Love this setting (although not the under-rug/floor) - Source - Country Living - Decorating with Green.

Love the combination of greens with turquoise here - so fresh - same source as above.

Very spring-like color and so soothing - source. 

What a great sofa - I would call this a minty-apple green - source

Ah, an emerald green velvet chair - hot 2013 color - source

More emerald green - love that chair - source 

That is a lot of green - source

I love this peaceful setting and such a nice chaise lounge - source

Here is a photo from a great article in Better Homes and Garden link to article 

Well - that was fun!  What do you think if green in decorating? Are you in the 15% that favor green above all other colors?

Settees - The Places They Can Go!

Lovely settee in entry foyer - source - links to my pinterest board.

In my refurbishing business, the upholstered pieces I look for and buy are those that can fit easily into my Toyota Sienna van - that excludes sofas but does include most settees. I always have some wonderful pieces in my inventory and for the first time ever, I have two sets of two.

I like the word "settees" better than "loveseat" but wondered if there really is a difference. I tend to use the word when the piece is not exactly like a typical shorter coach or sofa. My review of the "definition" sources on the internet suggest there is some confusion about the difference but the following seems closest to the typical description - although it looks like you could use the terms interchangeably.

settee

(se tē′)

noun

a seat or bench with a back, usually for two or three people

a small or medium-sized sofa

Love this bright settee - see source above.

 I also looked up some recommendations of using settees in home decor settings and found a lot of ideas that make sense to me.

Here's a typical discussion - source [What About Settees and Where to Use them):

Smaller than a standard sofa, a settee usually accommodates two people, which accounts for its sometimes being called a love seat. The versatile size permits placement in tight spots, and in large rooms, a settee might be part of a secondary grouping.  

1.    A pair of shallow settees provide a welcoming anchor for an entrance hall

2.    At the foot of a bed for reading or putting on shoes

3.    Arranged with a couple of chairs and a table in a breakfast nook/banquette for dining

4.    A pair arranged back to back with a table in between (expands the seating possibilities in a small living room.  

This settee works well in this small living room - see source above. 

Here are some great examples of settees placed at the end of the bed - source above.

I have a pair of these nicely made French style settees - only one of which is upholstered - source wydevendesigns.com - eBay or Etsy

Love the colors in this Ethan Allen piece - see source above.

This lovely piece is not yet listed - I'm placing it on One Kings Lane before using Etsy or eBay. 

This pair is pure 1970's. Unfortunately, the rich color is not easy to photograph - I will need to try again.

Some of my 2012 favorites - all have gone to great homes!

I

This was a fun posting and I enjoyed checking out all the internet images as well as ideas for using settees - truly versatile!

In Honor of St. Patrick's Day - Ireland Revisited!

Our B&B in Dublin

In honor of St. Patrick's Day (and the fact that my husband is of Irish descent), I thought I would replay our great trip to Ireland in May, 2010. It was part of a larger trip which included the west of England. We started out in Dublin and spent several days in this pedestrian-friendly city. During this phase of our trip, the weather was a little chilly and we did have some rain. We walked all over the city and even attended a play at the local Abbey Theatre. We loved Dublin!

Dublin has a number of parks and green spaces throughout - each was lovely with a lot of flowers in bloom!

After a week in England, we returned to Ireland and rented a car to drive into Dingle and other locations on the west side of the country. The scenery was breathtaking!

We drove the perimeter of the island stopping at ruins and views along the way. Our weather was clear and bright and it was hard to take a bad photo. 

We took a boat trip to see the Cliffs of Moher on the western coast of Ireland. The views were bright and clear with spectacular cliffs glistening in the sunlight.

We stayed several days in Adare, a beautiful city with quaint cottages, spectacular ruins, and a world-famous golf complex (we don't golf but did eat a wonderful dinner on the clubhouse grounds).

Our last stop before flying back from Dublin to Atlanta was this area south of the city. Powerscourt Gardens are world famous and extensive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this brief walk through memory lane revisiting Ireland. We certainly want to return but wonder if we can ever get such lovely weather again. Most of the photos we see of friends' visits are of rain and stormy clouds - we were very lucky!  It's the luck of the IRISH!

Mixing It Up at the Dining Room Table

Wingback Chairs used as Hostess Chairs at Dining Table (images on my pinterest board with sources associated) - link

I have noticed that there is a decorating trend to mix and match seating options at the dining room table.  It is not just about using 4-8 of the same chairs. Often there are upholstered pieces at the ends; settees and benches on the sides; and, variations in basic chairs. Although my photographs did not particularly capture it well, this was the strategy used at the Southern Living House in Senoia, Georgia last fall - link to my posting on my visit. I also am working with a client to find just the right settee/loveseat to use at her square dining room table in upstate New York.

One of the tricks to this approach is look for pieces that work with the height of the table. It is most comfortable for diners to be sitting at the right height for the table and this measurement is perhaps the most critical for choosing non-conventional pieces.  Here is a guide for seating height.

Standard-height dining tables and chairs are the most common. The measurement for a standard dining chair is between 16 and 17 inches for a 26-1/2-inch table and 18 inches for a table 28 to 30 inches tall.

Read more: The Standard Height for a Dining Room Chair | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_6784692_standard-height-dining-room-chair.html#ixzz2NEidPeN6

Great Looking Settee Sofa at this Table (although the seating height looks a little low to me) -  source

Two Wing Back Chairs Work Perfectly at this Small Table source. 

Matching but Unconventional Wing Backs at the Table - source 

Love the Look - Not so Sure About Comfort - source 

Colorful and Cheerful - source

 I have a number of pieces in my inventory that I think might work very well for this type of mixed seating approach. I do not tend to have benches but do carry wing back chairs, hostess chairs, and settees that might all work with a dining room table. All are available on eBay or Etsy (and some may be on One King's Lane soon).

What do you think of this decorating trend - love it or not?