Great Sources for Refurbish-able Furniture

As a continuation of my tenth anniversary postings, I thought I'd summarize the sources of my great refurbish-able upholstered furniture.

Regardless of source, it is important to remember the quality criterion to ensure that the high cost of refurbishing is worth the expense.

• Look for pieces with high-end USA labels - e.g., Hickory Chair, Henredon, Southwood, Baker, Kargas, Sam Moore. Most of these (not all) are still made in the USA. Many great older labels are out-of-business and/or have been bought out and integrated into larger companies. Also, many companies used to make better USA-produced furniture but are no longer as well-made (Thomasville comes to mind). 
• Absent labels, look for signs of good foundation construction. One of the best signs is the presence of hand-tied eight-way coil springs which look like large round coils and operate independently to stabilize the foundation. 
• Look for woodwork that is sturdy and does not have evidence of breakage or water/insect damage.

I love looking for and finding these great pieces and am not easily discouraged. For example, I probably buy less than 40% of the craigslist items that I actually go out and look at. Even after asking a lot of questions, it is still necessary to see and feel the product to make sure that it is worth redoing.  

Here are my primary sources!  As I've said over and over - anyone, can do this. It is not only environmentally responsible but can be fun and rewarding!

This is probably my least favorite source. Prices tend to be high and I so much want to be the one to find the pieces and not buy them from someone else (at a higher price than they paid, naturally) who found them first. I only buy at my cheapskate price point and most things I see come no-where near that point. 

Craigslist is a great source but requires due diligence (you have to look a lot to be the first one to spot a good deal), getting a lot of questions answered upfront before heading out to see the pieces, and, time/mileage to get out to all the locations. Again, finding the right piece at the right price point for me is critical. 

Estate sales are fun but the prices are usually pretty high. They are generally run by professionals who know the prices they should be getting and are trying to get something for themselves on top. Not a lot of deals to be had but I still manage to get some - often on low-ball bids.

Garage sales are generally the best places for deals - people just want to get rid of their excess stuff! 

I have gotten some pretty good deals at the local Goodwill Stores particularly on Senior Citizen Tuesdays (25% off ).

So, here are my sources!  Do you have any to add?

Introducing an Artison Whose Works I will Include in My Collection

Spring Display at Entrance of North Building - Scott's Antique Markets

Last weekend was Scott's Antique Markets (link to website) weekend in Atlanta and I went with my usual companion, Bette. We love to visit the markets and have accumulated our favorite sellers/vendors over the last 18 months. One of our favorites is Sharon P. (card name is "Antiques and Interiors - Buy and Sell Estate Antiques"). She had a regular booth in the South Building (Scott's has very distinct North and South Building locations - separate gates, parking, everything). She was one of the reasons that the South Building was our favorite. For the past four months, we did not see Sharon and couldn't figure out what had caused her to disappear.

Sharon's Booth

This time, we visited the North Building and, miracle of miracles, there was Sharon surrounded by her usual array of great furniture - most hand-refinished and upholstered by her. And, of course, she told us that FOUR months ago she moved to this building to be closer to her daughter who is also a Scott's seller.

We caught up with Sharon and I proceeded to check out this months goodies. Sharon hunts out fabulous antiques and vintage pieces and redoes most for sale at Scott's - apparently her only venue. She admitted to pretty much selling out and bringing new pieces each month.

Her technique for redoing woodwork is different than mine (as most readers know, I have become an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint fanatic). She uses a lacquer paint which is harder than chalk paint and distresses the pieces before applying a clear finish. The look is a little harder and probably a little more durable. She uses various shades of neutral (off-white, cream, putty, pale grey).

Sharon also does her own upholstery work and mostly uses neutral European linen that she buys in large volumes. Occasionally, she will use a silk or other fabric - again mostly in neutral shades.

I had bought a few pieces from her last year (before she disappeared) and proceeded to buy first a set of four chairs (photo above), then a set of benches and lastly, a set of Sherrill French style chairs - all wonderful.

I am now offering the pieces for sale (with a slight uptick in prices of course). Her work is exactly the kind of product that underlies my passion for this business. She takes heirloom quality pieces and transforms them into something not just very usable, but also very trendy and made FAR better than anything you can buy today at twice the cost. I hope to have a good collaboration with her on these sales - I can buy her things and share them with my eBay, Etsy and One King's Lane clients who cannot get the markets themselves. A WIN-WIN!

Pinterest Dreaming - My Pieces in Pinned Rooms

I love using Pinterest link to my pinterest boards to find and organize interior design images that help me decide how to refurbish the great, heirloom-quality upholstered pieces that I find.  These images serve as my on-going "trends" barometer to see what images, colors, patterns, combinations people like best.  In this posting, I am showing some of my favorite "shop" pieces link to my website in virtual settings from my pinterest boards.

These velvet and complementary fabric chairs are VERY COMFORTABLE - would work in the pinterest settings shown - link to pinterest board

I love the combination of a crisp green with white - source link to pinterest boards. 

This is a nice combination of seafoam blue with apple green - soft and serene - link to pinterest board

White wingbacks go anywhere! 

This lovely set is vintage and down with a Laura Ashely linen - it would look great in this room - link to pinterest boards. 

The colors are a little off but that may be the photography - I love my cane-sided chairs in this crisp white and buttercup damask patterned fabric - link to pinterest boards

Well, I certainly enjoyed this pinterest dreaming opportunity!   I hope you do too!

Pinterest Dreaming - My Lovely Pieces in Great Settings

I am constantly adding to my pinterest boards and finding that the application is a great way to store and organize images and ideas from a variety of internet sources.  One of my favorite musings is to find well designed and interesting decor spaces and visualize my own collection of refurbished upholstered pieces in them.  You might even call this a "HIGH" and "LOW" rendition - adding my items would be, I am sure, a LOT more reasonable than the pieces shown by the various designers.

All rooms are images located on my pinterest boards source.  My pieces are either from my website link to website or eBay listings.  Since the computer I need to maintain my website is still out-of-service, my website listings are not 100% up-to-date.

I wish I had two of these!  A lovely French style chair upholstered in a black and white toile and custom finished with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in graphite 

This wingback is SOOO comfortable and cushy!  The fabric is a linen-blend and the woodwork is custom refinished in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Old White.

I am running a weekend special in this chair.  I do love it so but it seems to scare people because of its bright (textured linen) hue.  How great it would look in this space!

I think these cool, long-legged squared wingback chairs would be a wonderful addition (or substitute) for the chairs in the photo.

This chair would work well in any room, obviously, even in this lovely bathroom. 

Yes the colors are a little different (and softer) but this set of vintage linen chairs (Sherrill - great brand) would work very well in this setting.

I will continue to muse away ... love these images.

WYDEVEN DESIGNS FACEBOOK PAGE

French Chair Revival - Annie Sloan Paint and Toile Fabric

I continue to enjoy my experimentation with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (link to site) and am loving the results - particularly when they come back with expert upholstery work of Mr. Lee at Song's Upholstery in Norcross, Georgia.  I am hearing more and more that expert upholstery work is hard to come by in many parts of the USA and am feeling very fortunate to have had this long-term relationship with this great shop (over 20 years).

This blog highlights a great French style chair bought in the Bishops Woods Subdivision of Marietta, Georgia (craigslist purchase).  The shape and size were great to start with but the finish was very rough and, of course, the fabric was very dated.

Here are some "before photos".

Before Photos and After Painting with ASCP - Graphite

I used the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) Graphite (two coats) with the dark wax.  The dark wax really takes the deep grey to a charcoal black - a great look.   I selected a black and white toile fabric and brought the chair to my upholsterer and VOILA - here is the finished product.  I love the crisp look and French flair!

See this and other great posts on the following linked in party - Wow Us Wednesday! and here's another linked in party - At Ivy and Elephants and another one At Restore Interiors.

Chairs Redo - Decisions, Decisions, Decisions - Part I

It has been a while since I did a step-by-step tutorial/explanation of a chair redo using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) - link to website   Several days ago, I blogged about a great sale near Lake Lanier, Georgia link to blog  I bought two chairs - both French style - with woodwork that badly needed refurbishing.  Since I have become such an ASCP devotee, this is no longer is a hindrance to buying!

One issue that is getting harder, however, is deciding which of my paints to use.  I now have six colors:

Old White

Old Ochre

Graphite

Duck Egg Blue

Paris Grey

Chateau Grey

So, I had to make some color and treatment decisions immediately (although redo's are doable - but I prefer not to waste product or time if not necessary).   There were several factors I evaluated to make this decision:

1)  Level of Detail on Piece

When a piece has a lot of detail in the wood (e.g., curves, carvings),  it makes sense to use either one color of paint over the other (allowing the first coat to show through in crevices and other places) or to use dark wax over light (the dark slips into the crevices) - both techniques really show off the details in the wood.  

2)  Fabric Available

I have MANY fabrics in my inventory and these type of pieces do not require a lot but I do want to make sure that the ASCP treatment can be complemented with a good piece of fabric - particularly if I have one in mind.

3)  Likelihood of Popular Interest

Since I sell my items on-line (eBay and through my website link to site, I want to make sure that the piece appeals to a broader audience (than just me)!  So far, I have sold three pieces of my ASCP completed chair selection.  This is not easy to judge but something I must certainly consider.

Here is one of the chairs - it has a lot of detail - look at the "bow" and "drapery" affect on the sides.  I decided to do this one in two paint tone - duck egg blue over old white - at least for now.  I am looking at several fabrics that will work. 

This is the other chair - not as many details but elegant lines.  I have not yet used the Paris Grey and am trying to talk myself into using it.  I have tried the Paris grey only once and thought it looked too stark (gunmetal color) so decided to do a first coat of old ochre which has some warmth to it and to do a second coat of Paris grey.  I have a fabric in mind but it would not work as well with the grey, so I'll have to revisit that later.

So, my production line is set up in my garage (I'm also painting a coat-rack in graphite but it's not that interesting).  

Here's a TIP that I learned the hard way:

When working on an upholstered piece, remove as much of the fabric touching the wood as possible so you can get clean lines - minimally you want to take off piping and sometimes remove part of the cushion if it attached and rubbing up against the wood.  

For the old French chair, I brought the piece to my upholsterer (full disclosure - I have all of my "for-sale" upholstered pieces done by an expert - not me).   He removed the piping and also tied back the edges of the cushion to clear the woodwork for painting.

Even though all of the ASCP adheres well to just about anything, I always do a good cleaning first and use a great cleaning product (with steel wool or cloth) - Goof Off!  It takes off not just grime, dirt and old paint but also that awful "smoke stain" that is often present in older pieces that were at some times in their long lives in a smoking environment - you would be amazed at how much of this is often on old piece of furniture.   

So today, I finished one coat on each piece and did a slight of amount of second coating on the old French chair because I wanted to make sure that the white coat is clean and will show well once the duck blue is used as the second coat.  I may change my mind about the Paris Grey for the tall chair - I just am not sure how it will work.

That's the end of Part I - with photos of chairs at this point.

More Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Project Results

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Off White with Dark Wax

I now have three finished Annie Sloan Chalk Paint chairs and am loving the results.  I have been reporting on my efforts to find and use these fine paints for about three months.  The addition of the fine upholstery (by the experts at Lee/Song's Upholstery in Norcross, GA) has really made a big difference.  I am excited about trying more projects - all of these great pieces are available through my website http://wydevendesigns.com

Great Do it Yourself Ideas - Courtesy of BHG

From BHG - A Custom Storage Unit at Base of Bed

It is not often that I find an article and images that together make a great blog by themselves but this article  on the Better Homes and Garden Website is just wonderful and speaks to my strong passion for furniture repurposing and refurbishing!   link to full article.

DIY Furniture Transformations

Make the most of your furnishings by repurposing pieces into custom creations that look good and work hard. With these simple, affordable ideas, you'll be able to transform your ordinary furniture into fresh finds for your home.

By Leslie Marshall

Leslie shows some amazing transformations and ideas that are not only stylish but very, very clever.  Here are some examples.

Take your tired, throwaway bed frame and change it from to junky to funky. Cut the footboard in half vertically and fasten one half to each end of the headboard using screws and wood glue. For the seat and front rail, cut pieces of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and attach using screws and wood glue. After sanding, priming, and painting, stylize the settee with nail head trim. Use a foam pad and batting wrapped in a colorful, patterned fabric for a comfy cushion.

Large mirrors with fancy frames can break the bank. Save the money and construct a custom frame by building your own around a mirrored closet door. Incorporate a piece of paintable textured wallcovering to the inset panel above the mirror. Try adding decorative trim or molding for an extra design motif.

Alter a simple armoire to create a storage-packed buffet. Cut the doors in half and move the hinges to make room for a beverage bar above and storage cabinets underneath. Winery-inspired shelves create more space to house your favorite drinks. For a touch of elegance, add crown molding and scrolled bottom molding. Finish with a fresh coat of paint.

Before and After - Upholstered Furniture Ideas From Pinterest

Found on Pinterest - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-after-from-trash-to-sil-164215

I just returned from our trip to Portugal and will be posting some photos soon - it is a wonderful country and we were continuously amazed!  More on that later ....

I do need to get back into my blog - it's been two weeks.  I have continued to use Pinterest to find ideas and images that I can use.  Here are a number of BEFORE and AFTER photos and sites that are truly inspiring and I want to give full credit to the creative folks who saw the potential in these old pieces and found a way to make them stunning again - thank you!

One site I do want to emphasize is called - what a wonderful blog name "Better After - the Best of Your Before and Afters" http://betterafter.blogspot.com/ - what a wonderful idea to dedicate a blog to this great concept.  

Found on Pinterest - http://betterafter.blogspot.com/

Found on Pinterest - http://betterafter.blogspot.com/2011/05/file-away.html

Found on Pinterest - http://missmustardseed.com/2011/11/the-grass-sofa-before-after/