a little bit of everything

First off I want to apologize for taking a couple of weeks off from posting.  I have been super busy.  Here's a little of what I have been up to:

(1)  Getting my space at Piccadilly Prairie jam packed and ready for the Summer Shop & Stroll.  What's that you ask?  Well all of the super cool stores located on the 50th and Xerxes corner in SW Minneapolis are offering 20% off everything in their store this Saturday and Sunday.  Yes, you read that right.  If you live nearby make sure you check it out! 

(2)  I finished this awesome dining/ desk chair.  The frame was in excellent condition so I decided to not paint it and leave it as is.  And again I used a curtain as upholstery on the seat.  I bet you would have never known unless you have these curtains in your house.  Cool designs and a great weight -- what more could you ask for in an upholstery fabric?  This chair is available at Piccadilly Prairie and if you purchase it this weekend you can take 20% off!

(3)  I have something SUPER cool and exciting in the works!  I wish I could tell you more about it, but I can't at the moment.  I promise I'll share the good news with you soon as I'm able to.  In the meantime just be excited for me.  ;)

pair of Thonet bentwood chairs

Check out my newest find..

Yes, that's a pair of genuine Thonet bentwood chairs!!  :)  I was so excited after I found these beauties I could hardly wait to get home and start doing some research.

Look at those curves!

Based on the style of the inner paper tag, these chairs were made between 1888 and 1922.  Super cool!

I'm torn if I want to sell them or keep them for myself.  My friend joked that I'm going to be on a TV show for hording in 20 years if I keep everything I find.  He's probably right.  But but.. they are soooooo cute!

finished carved tall back chairs

This set of three chairs were a custom order for a client that lives nearby... a wedding gift for themselves!  How cool is that!?!  Check out the before pictures here.

They went back and forth what color to paint the chairs and ultimately decided to leave the wood unpainted.  I think it accents the dark brown in the fabric very nicely.

Congratulations to the newly weds!  I hope they enjoy many, many years together with their new chairs.  :)

vintage school desk

I found this little gem a few weeks ago.  It needs some work, but I think it has potential to look great.

(Sorry for the bad lighting in the pictures.  I was feeling lazy this evening and didn't want to move the desk from our guest bedroom, nor did I want to edit the pictures.. we all have those days)

I'm thinking of covering the wood with strips of vintage maps.  I'm not quite sure how this will work (or if it will at all), but I'm going to give it a try. 

Update:  I have finished the school desk and it turned out great!  View all of the details here.

If you're having difficulties picturing a piece of furniture covered with old maps, check out some of these pictures.

source:  http://roddyandginger.blogspot.com/

source:  www.greenteadesign.com/

source:  http://shabbyredoforyou.blogspot.com/

source:  http://www.inmyroom.co.uk/

french end table inspiration

I found a pair of gorgeous French side tables this past weekend.  I have been looking for a pair for quite a while, so I snagged these babies right away when I saw them at Goodwill.

Check out the decorative leather top!

And the drawer pulls - love em'!!

See... aren't they gorgeous! :)

I'm leaning on painting them a pretty light blue/ teal color and then antique glazing them dark brown/ black.  But don't be surprised if I totally change my mind.  Here are some of my favorite inspiration pics...

source:  http://studio1404.com/ 

source:  http://asouthernstory.com/

source:  http://europaintfinishes.blogspot.com/

source:  http://uniquelychicmosaics.blogspot.com/

source:  http://www.lizmarieblog.com/

What do you think??  I would love to hear your thoughts!

more Tell City flower back chairs

I welcomed my second (and third, fourth and fifth) Tell City flower back chairs into my chair family today!  Yup, that's right, I have FOUR of these chairs!  These chairs are a slightly different pattern than my first chair.  They are pattern number 4810 and made of walnut.

I love the hand carved flower detail. :)  These chairs look so awesome painted a bright color and then antique glazed black.  The lines in the flower and leaves just pop!

I can't wait to begin working on these chairs.  I have so many ideas.  One chair is already spoken for and I imagine the others will get grabbed up quickly as well.

Be sure to check out the beautiful transformation (before, progress, and after) of my first Tell City floral back chair!

pair of Victorian balloon back chairs

I scored these beauties on "Small Business Saturday" (click here to learn more about Small Business Saturday) from a shop near my house.  I always wanted a Victorian balloon back chair, so I was super happy when I found not one but two of them!! :)  I'm still working on dating them, but I think the chairs are from about the turn of the century.

The back of the chairs have a hand carved grapes and leaf design.  But don't let their delicate design fool you, these chairs are super sturdy.

I love the curvature of the backs.  So gorgeous!

The upholstery on the seats sport a handmade needlepoint floral design.

I'm going to wait awhile before I begin working on these chairs.  My plan is to refinish the wood and find the perfect elegant fabric for the seats.  I can't wait!

leather t-back chair

This chair is a bit of a mystery to me.  I know it's a t-back style and old, but that's it.  Chair is a little wobbly and needs to be re-glued, but I can fix that.  :)

I think the seat is leather.  The padding under the seat seems to be some sort of hair/ straw material.  Once I take the seat apart I can do a little more research to what it's made of and hopefully date the chair.

I'll keep you posted on my discoveries!  :)

pair of rush seat chairs

Say hi to my newest project...

Although these chairs are newer and not in bad shape at all (the seats are in perfect condition!), they are a little blah.  I think painting them a bright color will be just the thing to liven them up. :)

vertical slat chair

Yeah, this chair looks a little boring and blah now, but I have some plans on how to spruce it up.  How does clean white paint and bright colored fabric sound?  Sounds fun to me.  :) 

I think this chair has the potential to be a very cute desk chair.

Update:  Check out the finished desk chair here!

my finished ladder back chairs

So I didn't do a whole lot with these chairs other than clean them up and reupholster the seats.  I'm waiting until we find our whole dinning room set before staining them, so everything can be stained together.

I upholstered the chairs in Waverly Parterre in Walnut.  I like how the curves in the fabric play off of the curves in the back of the chair.