Wednesday, October 15, 2014

make me over

When I'm working with a client on their home, we inevitably have a conversation that involves "the perfect piece" for that breakfast nook or space at the bottom of the stairway or empty corner of the master bedroom.  Whatever the trouble spot in a house may be, I find that I bump up against that idea all the time.  Lots of people are convinced that they haven't properly designed or even attempted to design their space because they just haven't found that perfect piece that they envision will make the room complete.

While I definitely visualize the right item for each spot in any room I'm designing,  I'm also of the mind that if you can't find that perfect piece, you should create it yourself (or hire a pro to do it for you).  And one of the best parts of my job is making old things new and not so fabulous things beautiful.  

The Hyde Park house is in progress, and is filling with examples of creating the perfect piece.

Some seating was necessary for the living room, so we made the pilgrimage to my favorite resource for rehab-able chairs in Los Angeles -- Hotel Surplus Outlet.  They sell new furniture overstock, but more importantly, any and everything from hotel and resort liquidations.  Tons of furniture, lighting, art and frames, even a room filled with hotel dish and service ware -- total designer Disneyland. Its one of those places that I feel so lucky to have nearby and it always feels like a treat to walk into their warehouse to see 200 ugly chairs and know that a couple of the will soon be beautiful.  The other great thing about HSO are the prices.  The pair of red chairs I selected only cost $50.
Looks like it belongs in a chain hotel lobby, right?  That's because it does.  But the shape and scale are just right for the living room, so we'll reupholster and give them some cool new legs.


Side view.  And ugh, can you imagine how many dirty traveler hands have touched that armrest?  Gross.

Here are the same chairs after rehab.  They are perfection.
The new fabric is a bold peacock blue with a really subtle herringbone.  At only $10 per yard,  it was a quite a find at the discount outlet of F&S Fabrics.  The trio of metal tables are from CB2
No more dirty armrests!   And some beautiful new legs from tablelegs.com
The white boucle pillow is from Crate & Barrel.
The orange Ikat pillow cover is from Fabricadabra.

The master bedroom is a serious work in progress, with wall color and the removal of the builder's beige carpet and restoration of the hardwood floors still to come.  The furniture plan in this space is really starting to take shape.  The room is already a colorful and comfortable place to be.

The headboard was created specifically for this space.  It is simple and streamlined with a bit of cushion and a luxe linen from Robert Allen. The dust ruffle was constructed in the same fabric.
Not bad for only halfway finished. 
The beautiful pulled thread detail on the headboard and dust ruffle fabric.



Bedside tables are key to comfort, in my opinion.  Must have a drawer for the book (or whatever).  Must be sturdy, and have surface space for a lamp and maybe an alarm clock or glass of water, too.  Storage is a bonus.

I scored a great pair of bedside chests for $20 at a garage sale.  Paint and hardware is all they needed to tick all the boxes.


Solid wood but hideously painted.  An easy fix.

Here they are in their new home:
A pair of vintage lamps with white drum shades are great atop the rehabbed chests. 

The gorgeous new finish and hardware.
The bedroom is a nice, long room, so we wanted to take advantage of the space with a bench at the foot of the bed.  Nothing too large or chunky, but something with storage.  The piece we started with came from one of my absolute favorite resources, my local Home Goods store.  It sometimes take a couple of shopping trips, but I always find what I'm looking for there.  This bench cost about $100.


Great shape and the scale is right.  Bonus storage.  Boring upholstery can be remedied.
 After re-upholstery, it is everyone's new favorite piece in the room.
The fabric has just enough pattern to be a feature, not so much that it looks crazy.  And it is great with the red bedside tables.
The bright, graphic cotton on the bench is from The Fabric Store.  I love it paired with the draperies, from West Elm.

So.  Is there a place in your home that's missing its perfect piece?  I want to know. 

No comments:

Post a Comment