7.6.14

Shabby Velvet Chair

This is where my love affair with French chairs started.


You can probably tell from the picture that this was before I decided to paint the whole house white.  It was right when our new life began.  I have just discovered this amazing world of repainting and reusing vintage furniture.  I really owed it all to Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic books and Marian from Miss Mustard Seed.  Oh, how I wanted their beautiful furniture and all those gorgeous French chairs that Marian was reupholstering.  I didn't know how or where to even find them.  I remember that day vividly.  I was driving down my street while talking to my best friend, Jess, about how much I would love to find a French chair of my own.  I swear just as that sentence came out of my mouth, I saw one of my neighbors bringing out this old orange chair.  I jumped out of the car even before it stopped.  Naturally, she came home with me and sat and sat and sat in my hoarding room...until now.


This was my first project for my upholstery class.  I might have been a bit overly ambitious.  I painted the frame with a coat of chalk paint ® in Old white then used gold glaze and dark wax over it.  I chose this gorgeous light blue velvet for the fabric.  I LOVE velvet.




I stripped it all the way down to the bone and built it back up.  I can now understand why it is so expensive to reupholster chairs.  Holy Moly.


Yours truly in action.


Slowly building it back up.


This is after I put "the underwear" back on it.


Now she sits all pretty by my bed.  Since I am turning my foot board into a day bed, I needed something extra by the foot of the bed.  A pretty shabby chair and a gorgeous Florentine table will do.




I just so adore this little pitcher filled with peonies from our garden.




And of course my dream bed.


Ever changing decors to please my moods.


It truly is the best place to unwind when the last of sun ray sets into the room and sweet lullaby of sleepy birds fill the night air.   


Love,
Victoria


Linking up with:

31 comments:

  1. Amazing as usual

    ReplyDelete
  2. You did such an amazing job, as always! Love the color you chose:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Victoria. This chair was completely inspired by Rachel Ashwell's books.

      Delete
  3. Love it! Beautiful work, Victoria! xoxo I love velvet too; it holds up well, and I even like it when it fades. I have a set of nesting florentine tables too, but I've never photographed them; they are in my room.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Su. I am leaving the chair outside for a couple of days to get it faded. No joke. I love faded velvet look. I adore florentine tables but I haven't seen them much at my local flea markets.

      Delete
  4. I want you to teach me how to upholster, you look like a pro!!
    It's a great colour and so you.
    Thank you Victoria for sharing your art, your work, and design style :))

    I love that when you start a project you are right on it and ready to design you home around it.
    I am wanting to paint my kitchen cabinets without the paint falling off them or scratching and pealing off.
    Do you love how the chalk paints bond to the piece? I have to sand the cabinets a bit and then start priming and painting, I am not looking forward to the job ahead of me and stress of the ain't sticking to the cabinet

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ooop's, I meant to write, last line that I am not looking forward to the stree of the painting of the cabinets and the paint properly stitching to the cabinets.
    Well wish me the best!!

    Lots of inspiring French chairs your way to beautify :)
    Xx
    Dore

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Dore. I repainted my kitchen cabinets last spring. I didn't sand it or prime it. I just painted two coats of Annie Sloan Old White. I didn't even wax it which I really should have. They still look good though. It really brighten up my tiny kitchen.

      Delete
  6. Wow, Victoria, this is just fabulous! You did a knock-out job on the upholstering! And I really love the fabric with the paint and glaze treatment. That room is so pretty :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Julie. The fabric is my favorite part too. I am obsessed with velvet.

      Delete
  7. Another beauty, Victoria!

    I've spent that last 2 days painting a mirror and still don't have it quite right. You whip things out in a wink of an eye and they come out incredible. I'm in awe.

    Hugs,
    Lin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww Thank you, Lin. What kind of mirror are you repainting? I can't wait to see it.

      Delete
  8. Beautiful Chair Victoria--you did and amazing job and she looks right at home in your house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Darrielle. This is one of many that I am reupholstering....soon some of these need to leave the house or I will be on that show hoarders.

      Delete
  9. This was your first upholstery project?! Wow! You're a natural. Wish I lived closer. I'd have some work for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Teddee. I have a whole line of chairs waiting for me to reupholster. The whole house is filled with French chairs now...I really can't complain. I am doing a piece for a local cafe and I am really excited about it.

      Delete
  10. You did an absolutely spectacular job on your chair, Victoria!!! It's gorgeous...looks like you're already a pro at reupholstering! Love the blue velvet you chose.
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mary Alice. I have so much to learn but learning is the best part of this whole process.

      Delete
  11. The chair looks so pretty now! Really pairs well with that gorgeous bed. I would love to take an upholstering course too, but I am not sure I have the patience for it.

    Mary @ Orphans With Makeup

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you and me both, Mary. I am the type of person when I start a project I want to work on it non stop until I finish. It took me close to three months to finish this chair. I have the most amazing instructor so I knew when I am done with the chair, it will look very professional but the waiting was painful. It is four hours class but normally I work two hours out of it and the other two is waiting for the instructor to get to me. I am buying my own tools to start doing some upholstery at home.

      Delete
  12. So so beautiful!!!!! I just love it! Everything just looks so dreamy. You have lots of talent and patience!
    I enjoy your blog..I do not have blog.
    my address is gigicrolla@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I see a future in decorating for you...you are just amazing!
    JP

    ReplyDelete
  14. You did an amazing job, the chair is fabulous. I am totally impressed. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Victoria, I really dislike this spell check, re spelling everything I comment you on.
    Thank you for the info on the cabinets. I am thinking about using this chalk paint at Home Depot called Americana decor chalk paint. Looked into the locking chemical that binds the paint to any surface. It's been around as a headliner to chalk paints for years but hitting the market big in the art world of decorative painting. I love that it's close at hand, and returnable if need be.....Not to mention it's more then half the price of Annie Sloan chalk paint and materials.
    I love the feed back I am getting from the ladies I've talked to that are making this purchase at Home Depot, and I am always game to try so etching I can even save money on, leaving more money for the important things like thrift shop finds, yard sales, flea markets :))

    I don't think I want to wax mine down either! The Americana chalk paints have different mediums of Gloss so I am going to give this brand a try. I am not one for the wax feel to my French pieces, I want more of an authentic historical look and feel of worn off age, and most of the time for so many years I have made my own chalk paints and have painted with them, but not ones with this bonding chemical that sticks to anything that is not stripped down.

    Talk soon, yet look into this product, you do a lot of painting like I do and a big savings is worth a try. They sell small samples for under $8.00 and the samples are large enough to do a table.

    Xx
    Dore

    ReplyDelete
  16. The chair looks great and I love your blog.

    Carry on!!
    Natalie

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Victoria, you did an absolutely wonderful job on the chair. I love it. I'm just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congratulations Victoria on doing such a lovely job on your first upholstery project. She is a real beauty.
    Hugs ~ Kerryanne

    ReplyDelete