It had to end because I couldn’t keep painting this damn chair and hoping a new color would make it look better. One, I was running out of paint, and two, it wasn’t working. So I let it go, stuck it out in the alley in front of a dumpster on Sunday morning. What I [...]
May 6, 2010
How to usher a nondescript chair into its own era? That was the makeover challenge for this work-a-day armchair I found in the trash near a northside seminary. Whoops, a holy chair now desanctified with devilish upholstery. I’ve had my eye on the skull toile fabric for weeks until the eureka moment when I came upon [...]
April 29, 2010
I’m behind this week. Still working on this beauty I pulled from the dumpster, a plain old arm chair. The fabric I ordered online came in record time, and I love it – a toile of sorts from Alexander Henry that reminds me of this little shanty, A Pirate’s Life is Peaceful, til Someone Cuts You [...]
April 25, 2010
Three silver bottles that caught my eye on Saturday morning. If you walk a dog even once in a while, you know you’ll often wander from the usual path when out getting some exercise. It was quiet and early on Saturday, we turned down an alley, the dog sniffed around a thick patch of vinca [...]
April 16, 2010
Found Item: Steelcase chair Where: Outside a classroom building on the NU campus The Makeover: With just week before the students flock in, the custodians at Northwestern have been busy sprucing up the buildings. Out with the old, in with the new, and this chair didn’t make the cut. Steelcase chairs are nicely engineered, I realized after finding [...]
April 8, 2010
Fabric prints are magical in how they can evoke a certain feeling. Walking through a fabric store, you can pick up the notes in each texture and pattern and be carried away or fall instantly in love. The Ikea print I chose for this chair, one by Lotta Kulhorn, tells a whimsical story with its [...]
April 6, 2010
I love a good fact-finding mission, which is why I spent some overtime finding out the history of this week’s project chair. The tag on the underside revealed a clue, and the hunt was on to find out more about Shelby Williams Industries. What I discovered is an American success story with a humble beginning [...]
April 1, 2010
Waiting in the wings are a few pieces I’m excited to get started on. This cute little cabinet stands about 30″ high, was found in the alley behind a single family house on the north side. As I stopped to load it into the car in the early morning, the former owner waved from the back [...]
March 25, 2010
Found Items: Pair of institutional, sturdy ottomans. Where: Stranded in a dumpster near Northwestern campus. The Makeover: A straightforward refinish and reupholster with a graphic treatment. As mentioned before, I sanded, stained, and sealed the wood with water-based polyurethane for a modern espresso finish. The stain was a custom blend of black and brown acrylic paints.e The [...]
March 21, 2010
This list of five spring trends zipped around on Twitter last week, and I noticed each one can do small, affordable wonders to bring the fresh spring air inside. 1. Graphic floral print pillows 2. Lanterns 3. Glass lamp 4. Silkscreens 5. White retro chairs When last we left Friday, I had finished sanding and staining the frame of these two [...]
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September 6, 2010
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