Blue and White Combos Continue to be Best Sellers!

Check out my pinterest page referenced below for source!

TRUE STORY:  Over 10 years ago, I was shopping at Calico Corners Fine Fabrics checking out their deep discount bolts. I found a nice deep blue and white toile fabric that was discounted over 75%. I asked the saleswoman/designer about the fabric and why it was so deeply discounted. She said that blue and white were just not a popular color combination and were well past their prime. Since I LOVE (and have always loved) this combo, I was surprised by the vehemence of her pronouncement. I also bought the fabric thinking that at least I would love it! End of story: I bought the fabric, used it on a pair of club chairs intended for resale, liked the results and installed the chairs in my (then) new sunroom where they remain proudly today!

Today, you cannot pick up a decorating magazine without seeing a lot of blue and white - in some cases this color combo dominates the entire interior. I pinterest boards for each major color and my blue one has the largest number of pins - link to board.

I save my House Beautiful Magazines (link) and happened upon an article called "Blue and Brio" in their April, 2014, issue. The owner had indicated that "Navy blue is my favorite color" and the designer, Megan Winters, took that color throughout the house in very creative ways. The blue and white combo connects every room. In the same issue, a segment called "Blue Crush" leads out with "Paired with white, the many shades of this popular color have graced rooms in grand castles and humble cottages".

Blue-and-white is practically a neutral - it works with everything!

In just looking at my files - current and archival for the past 10 years - I have chosen the combo of blue and white quite a bit. It is always fresh and always "in".

 Well, I guess this color combo will not be going away any time soon - I do love it!

Goodwill Tuesday - Great Bargains!

Today is Tuesday and that means Senior Citizen Day at Goodwill Industries of North Georgia (a whopping 25% off for anyone over 55). I try to get over there fairly frequently and have been remiss lately but did manage to make it to three stores today. The local Goodwill stores are well organized, clear and bright, and have the nicest employees. It was VERY busy today at all the stores.

I look for three primary items when shopping:

Wing Back chairs bought at Sandy Springs store.

• upholstered furniture with good bones (and smaller than a sofa) - my best score was a $35 Baker love seat I purchased about three years ago and I keep going back hoping to find comparable bargains
• accent pillow inserts - I only buy feather/down and only when I can unzip the outer cover to see the condition of the inserts
• books - the Buckhead store (Roswell Road) in our area seems the have the best readership 

I did end up finding a set of wingback chairs (woodwork in good condition, nice styling, and hand-tied 8-way coil springs) at a cost of $49 for the pair (after discount). I also bought eight pillow inserts ranging from 22" to 16" squares to lumbars. The most I paid was about $3 - the least $1.75.  I also bought five books and cannot wait to start one soon.

My book purchases from Goodwill - Buckhead store

Well, I did pretty well today! I will definitely need to plan better and make it to more of these great stores on Senior Citizen Tuesdays - I cannot resist a good bargain!

French Style Trio Transformed with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Pieces bought at Scott's Antique Market - BEFORE refurbishing.

I continue to enjoy the wonderful transformations possible with heirloom quality furniture - sometimes just new fabric is needed but at other times the wood needs attention as well.  Recently, I wrote about the culmination (to date) of lessons learned using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) link to posting and highlighted some of my 2014 projects.

This posting is about a very special trio of French style pieces bought from a Florida vendor at the June Atlanta Scott's Antique Market link to website. I recently listed the three pieces (and have already sold one through One King's Lane link to one of the listings on OKL.

The basic construction on these pieces (estimated to be 60-70's vintage) was solid. Each has hand-tied eight-way steel coil springs which ensure a stable seat platform foundation (and their presence is a GREAT way to determine the quality of a piece of upholstered furniture - only the best have these coils). The woodwork was fully intact but had old finishes which had become dirty and discolored over time. The fabric, of course, desperately needed replacing - it may have been original. The set was perfect for me and the seller said she did not want to truck these back to Florida so she gave me a very good price on them.

First two steps illustrated. I always use Goof Off to thoroughly clean the woodwork of oils, dirt, grease, tobacco staining and anything else that would interfere with good adhesion or create stubbles in the painted surface.

This is the one that has already sold on One King's Lane ($999). I choose a "French linen" cream fabric to offset the neutral wood finish. My upholsterers (the fabulous Lee's of Sun's Upholstery in Norcross, WI) do a wonderful job with the double welting and extensive back tufting. 

This bergere was upholstered in a paler cream fabric which beautifully offsets the chalk paint finish. The first paint coat was ASCP Old White with a diluted Duck Egg Blue light brush (almost dry) overcoat. The double-welted fabric is a duck egg color and highlights the wood finish. I love how this turned out!

The finish and fabric on this slightly oversized - almost a settee - chair is the same as the first item above. It does create a nice clean look!

I will be keeping my eye out for more French style pieces - my overall favorite style - and need to get to work on the pieces in my garage. This is, after all, just procrastination but I am getting inspired to get out there to start the new projects!