i will never stop collecting chairs

In the spirit of my post on my (former) mantel I thought I would address a clear hypocrisy. I know I just told you that it's good to acknowledge the elephant in the room and remove things that aren't working in your space. True. And, I know I've discussed many times my love of 'riding' and purging crap that you don't need. Very true. However, there is a time when all of those rules and truths go right out the window and that is when you encounter a killer chair. Curves, lines, wood, fabric, chairs have it all they are addicting.

Here we have just a SMALL sampling of chairs I have in my SMALL home that don't currently have a 'place'. I refuse to get rid of any of them, nor will I get rid of their siblings that sit in rejected groups in other rooms of the house. The hubs often suggests selling them but I scream "From my cold dead hands!" and he walks away shaking his head. Some of these do have in-the-near-future plans but others might be headed to storage for a vacation.

And damn it if I'm not on my way out to look at more chairs. Luckily I can often share my chair habit with clients and know that the beauties are living in a happy home somewhere where I can visit them. But I will never stop collecting. Never. And one day I'll have cause to hold a large gathering at my house where everyone will need a seat and I won't have to rent a single chair. So that's something.

Don't make me feel alone here, what do you hoard? Anything you don't have the room to keep but refuse to toss? Have any chairs I can take off your hands?

making history your own

Anyone who has been around these parts for a while knows I've long been on the hunt for a great secretary. I mention it often, and even did a whole post here solely on my wish. So, when my parents had to make room for a new/old piece of furniture I was more than happy to take one (of many) pretty china cabinet off their hands.

Now I know you are thinking, "uh Elizabeth maybe I can help you with this - a secretary and a china cabinet are not the same thing". Yes, I know. But just as beer and gin aren't the same thing, I can make a damn good time out of either option.

My dad found this china cabinet in pieces in an old box in the back of a garage at some sale in the 70's (groovy) and had it refinished and restored. I remember this piece growing up, sitting in my parents dining room full of blue and white china. A great use for it of course, but I had other plans.

As soon as I got it home though I realized that I had the same beef with the piece that my mom has had for the past 40 years - it is a black hole. Those doors close and those shelves are like a tomb. Not the bright and fun look I'm in favor of.

Then, while on an antique trip I noticed a whole store full of great old china cabinets all with their insides painted. Chalk paint has been used on the inside of glass front furniture for generations - hello Williamsburg.

Chalky blue to the rescue. My dad growled but I reminded him that we saw the same thing at Monticello. And when you've got a founding father on your side, really no one can disagree with you, right?

Let their be light! Now let's take a look inside, shall we?

Some of my favorite design books, the bar (hand over your heart) a few pictures and accessories and of course some blue and white in a nod to my parents version of the same piece. A little of the old and a little of the new.

Have you inherited any furniture? What did you do to make it your own? Ever turned down a piece because you thought it wouldn't work? Maybe give it a second thought!

the love and hate of painted furniture

Start your engines people, the week has begun. Hopefully y'all enjoyed some good times this weekend. We were busy beavers with track meets, home projects, ORC check ins and several trips to the park. And in between all of that I was able to go out to a huge flea market that is new to the St. Louis area.

It was an amazing turn out in a beautiful (and muddy) location and I saw tons of great accessories and fabulous booths. But as I walked deeper and deeper into the market there was one thing that started to bum me out. Everyone had great furniture but all. of. it. was painted. Some of it was just slopped with white paint, and some of it was beautifully done in fab colors.

And to be honest, it really bummed me out. Does everything have to be painted? What about refinishing the furniture instead? It would involve the same prep time and the same amount of work (to do it right). Don't ruin a beautiful secretary by drowning it in gallon of cheap paint.

And then I turned the corner and saw this. Beautiful. Amazing. Head spinning console. I thought of a million places this could go and a dozen people who needed it in their home.

Obviously you know I love painted furniture as I've shown here, here and here. And I'm not suggesting it goes away entirely, but I think we need more pieces in their original state.

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What do you think? Would you consider refinishing your next vintage find rather than painting it? Would you be more likely to buy something that was refinished or painted?

the strength of ten men

A while back I was at my all time favorite antique store when I spotted something I loved (no surprise there). True, I do always spot something I love there, or 10 somethings, but this was different.

It was an antique English bamboo armoire. Cue chorus of singing angels. And it was just the right size to go down in the family room for extra storage (more on that idea later).

Quick backstory - when I was 17 there was a fabulous antique English bamboo bed, dresser with marble top and armoire at an antique store I would go to with my mom. I lusted after it. Dreamed about it. But sadly I had nowhere to put it, as I was 17. And it was out of my price range, as I was 17. Not until now had I seen a piece in person that so closely resembled it.

But there was a problem. See the door on the right - it is closed all the way. That sucker is bowed. And when you open it, the whole piece makes this popping and cracking noise as if it was going to bust apart at any minute. And the top has a big crack running right down the middle of it.

The price is good, but the condition is not. So I did something that took all the willpower I had.

I. Walked. Away. (gasp)

My mom assures me my dad could fix it but I don't think the price is good enough to take in to account the months of hard labor. And at the pace my dad works, it would be months.

Now I grew up with antiques. I have antiques. I'm under no illusion that they should always be in pristine condition, but I would like the damn door to close without fear of the whole things falling in on me.

So I'm sharing to keep me honest. It is not worth the money to buy something in such bad shape...right? Even if it is so pretty?

My only solace is that all of these months later, it is still sitting in the shop. I visit it often and always check the tag just in case it goes on sale. No such luck.

Have you ever had to use all of your willpower in a store before? Ever bought something in bad shape just because you loved it? Know anyone who can will tell me this sucker can be fixed in a week?

dining room updates

I've been meaning to tell you, my mom is a genius. Of course I knew this already, but let me just share with you her latest example of genius-ness.

I am generally happy with my dining room and the church pew works like a charm to corral the girls during dinner but there was one small problem with the layout. When anyone over the age of 16 sat at the pew, they had a good chance of knocking their head against the mirror before dessert was served.

So often I would blather to my mom on the phone about wanting to put something behind the bench to create a bit of breathing room between guests and the big O (that would be the mirror, not Oprah). A console would be perfect, but I can't find a console that is as long as the bench and isn't thousands of dollars. Blah blah blah. It was probably around this point in the conversation that my mom would tell me she had to go so she didn't have to listen to this conversation...yet again.

Then we were downstairs (pre-family room makeover) and she said, "What about this console for behind the pew?" Uh, that's not long enough mom, duh. And it's too deep. To which the smarty pants said, "not if you cut it in half."

Mind blown.

I should clarify that this woman is a furniture lover of the first degree and doesn't normally condone furniture mutilation. But this particular piece was a random HomeGoods buy (we all have a few of those around the house) and is by no means precious.

So of course I took that sucker outside as quickly as I could, measured to find the exact middle of the table and asked the hubs to buzz that sucker in half. We kept the tape down as he cut to prevent any splitting and in no time flat I had myself one. long. console.

Although each side of the now super long console still had two legs to hold it up, it was a bit wobbly. To remedy this we just screwed each side of the console into the wall to hold it in place and we were done.

So nothing earth shattering but now all of my dinner guests can enjoy themselves without bonking their head in the middle of an animated story. (we host a lot of animated storytellers at our house). And really I'm a fan of little updates to a room. It feeds my constant appetite for change without chucking a room and starting over again every few months ($$$$$$)

The runner is a temporary one I made from fabric leftovers and extra ribbon. It will hang out until I find a more permanent replacement one day.

What about you? Do you make a lot of little changes around the house to pacify the 'itch'? Ever cut a piece of furniture in half? I'm willing to rent my mom out to anyone who needs her, although maybe I should ask her first.

furniture wish list - chesterfield sofa

I don't know about you, but I've got a long list of "someday I will have ___ piece of furniture." Classic pieces that I've wanted as long as I can remember and would be with me until I passed them on to the girls. True investment pieces.

And at the top of that list is for sure a chesterfield sofa. I often imagine finding an old one with fabulous worn leather while in a little antique shop on a fabulous vacation somewhere, while sipping ice tea and wearing a super cute dress and having a perfect hair day. Not to be too specific with my dreams or anything.  But in truth, I'm not picky. Bold color or neutral, leather, velvet, cotton or linen - they all look good.

Lonny

House Beautiful

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Country Living

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House Beautiful

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What is your dream piece of furniture? Have you dreamed of finding just the right one, while wearing just the right thing? No one dreams like that but me? Probably.

i've got my sources

One of the best parts about the ORC is hearing everyones comments. It is so interesting what people notice and what sparks their interest. I've had several source requests so I thought I'd lay it all out nice and neat, just like this room was - for about an hour. I am happy to report it is now perfectly trashed, and will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future. Also, the sun finally came out so I got some more true-to-life pictures.

The rug towards the front of the room is an outdoor rug from Home Decorators and I love it. I may or may not have spilled a small bit of paint on it and it wiped up as though it were water. (thank god it was latex). Trust that I'm not the only messy one in the house though, the girls have dropped and spilled on it as well and it always cleans up like a champ. And to know that I can take it out in the spring and hose it down makes mamma very happy.

The vintage rug in the play area was found in an antique store down in Sarasota, FL. It is soft and plush and very well warn. And because of its...age spots I know it can take a beating from toy strollers, legos, and the occasional glitter nail polish and still look great.

The white stools were purchased several years ago at my favorite local antique store and have been in just about every room in the house and every color in the rainbow. I had just barely enough Les Touches to cover them and I love how they tie the red accents from the front of the house to the back of the room.

The console is an outdoor buffet table. It folds up, has a zinc top and weights practically nothing.

The blue and white is from my collection that has made its way around the house and the lovely brass hardware is from Rejuvenation.

The backs of the bookshelves are planked, just like the far wall. Tutorial to come soon.

The fabric for the slipcovers is plain white denim from housefabric.com (they are local for me). All the fabric was prewashed and the slipcovers were made without piping to prevent shrinkage when they are washed. And they will be washed. Frequently.

The red and white pillow is from Etsy, the white table used to be black, the mirror is from the side of the road (classy) and the toy under the table is probably Fisher-Price. (real life)

The plaid fabric, floral fabric and blue and white fabric are all from housefabric.com. They know me well there.

The color on the chairs is Rust-Oleum Lemongrass. The green pillow is from World Market (although I don't think it is available any more) and the ikat pillow is from Etsy. Rainbow Pom-pom garland from Furbish and sconce from IKEA.

I told you it was a sunny day. Can you believe all of this light came in from the door at the top of the stairs?!

I think that about covers it. Do you have furniture that you recycle from one room to the next? Ever dump something in storage for a while and all of a sudden it seems new and exciting? How excited do you think HouseFabric.com is going to be when they hear I'm actually sewing now?

one room challenge - family room week 4

Before I jump in on Week 4 progress, I want to thank everyone for your sweet comments on the HGTV Magazine feature. It wasn't totally real until I could share it with y'all and I'm still on cloud nine. Actually I'm kind of hoping that euphoria will carry me through the next few weeks because I feel like this project is growing. The list should be getting smaller at this point right? My design ADD is killing me. (catch up on previous weeks here.)

Now that the painting is done and I'm ready to get going on the meat and potatoes of the room I wanted to take this week to share some details on what will be sitting on those newly painted floors.

If you are new to LBD then I should let you know; I like a good bargain. And I love things that have a story to tell. (my furniture likes to talk almost as much as me) So when I can marry those two things and satisfy my 'thrill of the hunt' fix, then I am a happy girl.

For those that follow me on Instagram, these might look familiar but let's take a tour, shall we?

The couch. I found this beauty at Goodwill and loved it right away. Then the 'do I or don't I' debate started and I decided I would walk away and check back tomorrow. If it was still there it was meant to be. I thought about it all night and couldn't wait for the store to open the next morning. I rushed in and paid the $30. That's right. $30. I picked it up the next day in a surprise (and severe) snow storm with it hanging out of the back of my car for the 2 miles home. Zero visibility on the roads but 100% happy with my find.

The chairs. My friend and I go to an annual high school garage sale every spring and we usually come away with something great. The lines are long, we have to go super early and it is pure madness when we get in. We love it. This past spring we went and came up with a big fat nothing until we headed toward the exits. I saw these chairs and said to her that I had no more room for armchairs in my house (I have 4 extras in my basement), but don't they have great lines? And then she said the best thing a friend could say - "They are $8. Get them!" (thanks Becca). And so I did. They won't look like this the next time you see them, but they are again in excellent condition and I love their shape. And that's $8 for the PAIR by the way.

The lamps. Both were from Goodwill. Separate trips but equally ugly. :) Big plans for these. They were $8 for both.

The table. I knew I wanted something for the girls to draw and create on, but I didn't want to spend a lot since...they wold be drawing and creating on it. I saw this one at, wait for it, Goodwill, and emailed my lovely Linda to see what she thought. She assured me I could find some way to paint over that veneer and I pulled the trigger. $20. The dust was free.

The chairs. The green one was my dad's 'homework chair' growing up and the other chair has sat in my parents basement for 30 years. I come by my furniture hoarding honestly. Best part - FREE.

The coffee table. Snatched it up while at a retirement home sale with a client (they had great stuff). My monkeys girls' broke the glass top during an illegal dance party so it needs to be fixed and spruced up. She is the perfect length though and I love her height. $15.

So now the plan is take this motley crew and make them look cohesive and fresh. Less junky, more funky. Some of them have already been made over, some are still in process and some I still need to start (ugh!). Will I make it?!

- Rip up gross carpet (floor and stairs) and replace flooring
- Paint and plank walls and bookshelves
- Recover estate sale chairs - at the upholsterers 
- Create some sort of art station for the girls
- Paint chairs and table
- Repair and paint coffee table
- Create toy storage that doesn't involve the words 'pink' or 'plastic'
- Get some art on those walls
- Find rugs
- New Lighting

Be sure to check out how everyone else is progressing:

Calling it Home 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Classic Casual Home 

Cottage and Vine 

Design Addict Mom 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room 

The Green Room Interiors 

Henhurst Interiors  

Maddie's Nest 

Mix And Chic 

My Notting Hill 

Pawleys Island Posh 

The Pink Pagoda 

Shelter 

Simple Details 

The Vault Files 

Do you like the thrill of the hunt? Find any cool pieces lately? Be sure to come back on Monday for the greatest lighting story ever told! (no lie)