Home Decor

Fellow MWL poster Jamie came to me with a challenge she is facing with an architectural detail in her condo.  Jamie’s place is a 1920’s era 6 unit charmer on the isthmus.  As with most any condo of this time, it has lovely architectural details.  Jamie’s challenge involves a ledge/shelf that runs on two adjacent walls of her dining area.  The ledge was originally meant to hold china.  It is four inches deep and has a groove that runs across the top so that the china plates etc have a place to rest.  Jamie is currently using one of the shelves as a picture ledge for her wedding photos, the adjacent ledge is still waiting to showcase something.  Our homeowner wanted some ideas of how to spruce the ledges up and make them look a bit more styled.  I have some ideas to share, stay posted for the”after”… 

Here’s a makeover of my very own.  I got these 2 matching chairs for free on Craig’s list.  I planned on re-covering the chairs myself through my MATC upholstery class, but after my last project took 6 months to finish, I got antsy and decided to enlist the help of a professional.   Altogether this project (including fabric) was about $900 for the 2 chairs.  It’s not exactly cheap, but when I priced out other options at a $450 price point, I found that this option was the best for me because it was custom (I got to pick the exact fabric I wanted) and I really liked the lines and quality of these chairs.   An added bonus– the luxurious down cushions that didn’t need any new stuffing!  The fabric came from JoAnn’s (an orderable) on the West side.   At $40/yard, I used one of those 50% off coupons they’re always throwing around and got all of the fabric for around $150.  The upholsterer I used is actually one of the teachers at MATC.  Check out his website here.  He’s super nice and look how cute he is.  Finding a good upholsterer is important– you don’t want to just go with the lowest bid.  Trust me, I’ve seen some bad upholstery jobs and it’s really not worth your money to go with a novice.  Always ask for referrals and ask to see previous work.  You don’t want to see any wavy piping or lumps and bumps where they shouldn’t be.  Peter did a great job on my chairs, and charged a fair price.  Thanks Peter!  

I love this makeover.  My friend Rachel spied this ratty console at the Northgate Antique Mall on Sherman Ave. on Madison’s North-East side.  I think she paid about $50 for it.  Rachel saw beyond the bad paint job and hardware and found potential in this piece.  It has great lines with just enough ornamental detail in the woodwork, and an added bonus–storage!  She chose a glossy cream paint and rubbed bronze hardware.   Painting furniture is an inexpensive update but I wouldn’t call it easy.  It requires hours of sanding, priming, sanding, sanding, and painting.    Cottage Living has a nice little article on how to properly paint pieces.  They recommend using a spray-painter but if that’s too difficult,  a good brush and small roller work just fine.  I like to use the roller on larger surfaces to decrease brush strokes.  Other fun colors to think about are: black, sunny yellow, red, grey, apple green and grey-blue.   Thanks to Rachel, enjoy your new custom piece!
 

Driving in my old ‘hood this weekend, I decided to stop by one of my favorite home decor spots: Unearthed.  The little shop opened at its new location across from Lombardino’s restaurant last summer.  Unearthed was previously located upstairs in the now defunct Hue Gallery on Monroe.  Shop owner Heidi Anderson has put together an eclectic mix of vintage finds for the home.  You can find anything from French linen market bags (I’m a sucker for anything linen AND French) to early American foundry forms. I would use these pillows in back of the (pretend) built-in benches in my sunroom.  The foundry forms would look great as part of an art wall with various framed pieces around it, and maybe an interesting mounted plate or two and a few mirrors.  I must admit, I have a hard time coming up with uses for some of Heidi’s offerings.  I’m not sure what one would do with a vintage fencing mask, but I’m open for suggestions!  The shop has a dose of feminine finds but there seems to be a trend toward the masculine.  There are science lab tables and pyrex glass beakers, WW1 leather map bags, and gas station signs.  I think it’s important to include masculine pieces in the home.  Every abode needs a dose of yang to even out the yin.    I purchased 3 different sized lab glasses to use as bud vases.  The smallest will be perfect for summer violets. The others, great for one beautiful flower above my kitchen sink.  I hope you check out Unearthed sometime soon.  Remember, in order to keep great local shops around, we need to support them, so buy your next birthday gift at Unearthed!  You can also visit Heidi’s website for her latest finds at the Unearthed website.

Who doesn’t love a great makeover? Whether it’s home/garden/makeup/wardrobe, there’s always something fun about seeing the before along with the after. My favorite home makeovers don’t involve gutting/remodeling and tens of thousands of dollars. I’m much more taken by the gifted homeowner that can take a problem situation and come up with a clever and inexpensive fix. One of the least expensive solutions with the most impact is painting. This home belongs to a friend of mine. Obviously, she has an artist’s eye (she is a gifted graphic designer) and could see the potential in this previously hum-drum space. I love that she didn’t try to remove the wood paneling, but worked with it to create a cozy, welcoming and fun living area. How cute is that red trim? Loveit! Great job Katie U.