Pendleton Slipper Chairs || 2018 Flip List Item No.3

First Flip List item of the year is a wrap!  Wait... what’s a Flip List you ask?  Well every year I set out to do seven new diy projects. Usually they’re a combination of things (both furniture and decor related) that scare me and things I’ve always wanted to try.

So this year’s list is as follows:

Now let’s meet the slipper chairs:

It was actually that citridelic yellow that drew me to them in the first place, but up-close, the fabric was sad and scratchy.  I loved the beautiful wood and cane frame so that had to stay, but the seat fabric was another animal.  I decided to do two things I’ve long wanted to do: 

1) Restore these beautiful chairs
2) Use a Pendleton Wool Blanket pattern to do it: 

Pendleton wool comes from a family owned company that's been weaving wool blankets for over 150 years.  They have a myriad of blanket patterns - mostly Native American inspired designs but they also produce a series of blankets unique to several National Parks.  It is these blankets that inspired my latest reupholstery project - specifically the Glacier National Park pattern.

Rainier National Park

Glacier National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

To me, the bright-colored stripes on the upholstery are a young twist on a classic design.  

To keep it fresh, I cut the patterns to be mirror images of each other instead of centering the design the keep it symmetrical.

I would have loved to use the real blanket on this project but they are admittedly priiiiiiiicey.  Plus let's be real... I don’t think I could bear to cut one up.  So instead I had a suede replica made by Spoonflower - something soft for the tushy (and less itchy than wool).  

The handy thing about the pattern was I could use the lines in the design to help create pleats at the corners. 

There is something somewhat traditional about cane-backed chairs.  So to me, pairing them with the primary colors of the classic Pendleton pattern makes them tres Ralph Lauren (as Chelsea puts it).

That gorgeous cane just needed a little oil to bring it back.

And this time, I moved the entire Matisse grid wall from our kitchen just to style this shoot.  

Pendleton Slipper Chairs
Now Available for Sale
$345 for the pair

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com for availability or to ask about our third-party shipping policy.

One down, six to go.  Catch up on the 2018 Furniture Flip Bucket List:

Cane-Backed Settee ||2017 Flip List Item No.5||

This warm weather has been singing my SONG!  I'm sitting on our balcony as I write this and am positively loving how sticky my hands feel in the 81 degree humidity.  I've been out here for hours sipping wine and working on this next installation in the 2017 Flip List:

Item No.5: Play with Leather

(No not like that)

When I set out to play with leather, I wasn't talking 50 Shades of Grey here (but I dare you to raise your hand if you went there.  Jk).  I've used leather in projects before (see this 2015 and this 2016 Furniture Flip Bucket List post) but working with leather or a leather-like fabric on a large scale intimidates me.  They can be difficult to manipulate but when done properly they are beautiful!

So when I set out to find the perfect material for this project, I ended up coming home with some high-end distressed pleather.  As much as I wanted to use real leather, I couldn't find (or even afford for that matter) the amount I needed.  But the pleather ended up being a nice way to easy myself into project - and the end result still very beautiful. 

When I bought the original bench, it was covered in a very traditional, very unfortunate fabric.  And it was infested with cat hair.

I spent more than I normally would on a raw piece I planned to modify, but that cane was in impeccable condition and I really like the clean lines. 

If you know me and Chelsea, you know we are always down for a good camel leather.  And believe me, I was tempted to recover this baby with a dreamy caramel color.  But I was worried it would get lost against the warm wood tone.  So I chose black as an edgier alternative.  Plus, as Chelsea and I believe, leather is totally a neutral.  And black goes with everything.  Yes it's a strong contrast and a tad masculine in color scheme but it is still balanced by it's inherently feminine details!

The dainty cane allows the piece to "breathe" as Chelsea would say and not feel like a heavy  item in the room. 

Each corner of the frame even has a little antique brass floral nail head.

This project was also a level up in my upholstery game because this was my first time using piping - which ended up being easier than I thought I'm happy to say!

To style this beauty, I pulled some of my eclectic art collection and hung them above to create a neutral palette gallery wall.

And of course I had to sneak my kilim pillow children into the shoot too.

I'm already feeling more confident to tackle a true leather piece but in the meantime, I am still crossing this one of my 2017 list.

Black + Wood Cane-Backed Settee
Now Available for Sale
$525

If you are interest in this piece or a custom order like it, please email me at cate@stylemutthome.com.

4 down, 3 to go.  Catch up on the 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List: 

MCM Dining Chairs ||2017 Flip List Item No.4||

I must have been riding a real high from last year's bucket list upholstery project when I added item No.4 to this year's Furniture Flip Bucket List.  I mean, what's 6 more chairs right?  So when I stumbled on a set of dining chairs at the thrift store I jumped at the chance to cross another item off my list.  

Mid-Century Modern Dining Chairs

I figured they'd be easy-peasy: just recover the cushions and I'd be in business.  But not only did each chair need new fabric, they also needed to be sanded, touched up, and oiled.  I'd like to say my biceps are bulging from all that elbow grease I put in, but who am I kidding - biceps need actual muscle definition to be visible.  Ha!

Although they don't have an obvious maker's mark, these chairs have the signature Y-backs and tapered legs from the Broyhill Premiere Sculptra line - a collection of walnut pieces "luxurious in appearance...[but] modest in price" dating back to 1957.  

**Update** Since publishing this post, I have learned that although very similar to the Broyhill Premiere Sculptra line, these chairs are actually Kent Coffey Perspecta pieces.  Kent Coffey was also a mid-century designer and a leading Broyhill competitor in addition to being a friend and neighbor to James Broyhill himself. 

But if I was going to restore them back to their mid-mod glory, the suspiciously sticky brown vinyl  on my thifted chairs had to go.

So taking a cue from last year's chair, I recovered them in a white linen. 

I did think about recovering them in a patterned fabric but figure the white linen will make them more versatile for a buyer's decor.  Plus you can easily accent them with pillows or other other colorful accessories.

The set comes with 5 armless side chairs

and one captain's chair.

If you're in the DC metro area and in the market for some restored retro cuties (or a custom order like them), hit me up!

Set of 6 Kent Coffey Dining Chairs
Now Available for Sale
$475

Three down, four to go.  Catch up on the 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List.