MY FAVORITE: THE CAMEL BACK SOFA

I sure do love a camel back sofa. They are kind of old-fashioned and you probably won't see one in a big casual great room setting, but for that smaller or more formal spot they can bring lots of personality to the party. Plus, they love to be slipcovered so I find myself getting to play with them pretty often. It's fun to see the different ways owners choose to dress them up, or down. 

Here are a few recent projects:

Go Bold!! The owner of the owner of this one wouldn't even let it in her new house in the original 90's hunter green and burgundy damask stripe. It positively beams with happiness now in this fun ikat print and will bring so much life to their cozy den/office.  

 
Before;

In this case, the owners simply wanted to lighten things up. This top notch sofa sits in their library/living room. The navy damask upholstery was perfectly lovely but they craved softer, lighter, more casual. The slipcover fabric is a creamy cotton in a looser hopsack weave. Great texture but still elegant enough for their lovely space.

This one was a freebie that the owner scored in her travels. The wine colored moire cotton was definitely too staid and boring for her art-filled eclectic little house.  She fell for a fabric that had just barely 13 yards remaining on the bolt. I had estimated 13 yards for a solid, and this giant 27" repeat made it a real challenge. I sweated it out but managed to make it work by finding a slubby matte silk that matched the background for cording. 

BYE BYE BIG BROWN

Haven't we all made that quick purchase to fill an immediate need that doesn't reflect our real style or ever bring us much joy? My closet boasts more than a few such treasures. The owners of this chair have never really loved it and eventually replaced it in their living room with a dreamy new one that speaks their design language perfectly.  

But, what to do with "Big Brown?"  He moved to a guest room but still lurked like an intruder in an otherwise light and restful space. Could he be slipcovered? Absoulutely!

What about fabric? Something light colored, stain proof and sturdy and affordable ... REVOLUTION PERFORMANCE FABRICS. They chose the Hailey line in the lightest shade of Bone. It's definitely an upholstery weight, but worked well over the slippery leather.

This piece was mammoth and had to remain in my garage for his makeover. The owners love the new look. It's an eyesore no more!

HOLY COW

This UDDER MADNESS fabric has been on my Pinterest board forever. I finally got around to ordering some to re-cover the seat on  little thrifted stool.

It has a velvety texture but the hair on hide print is very realistic. And super fun. Imagine my surprise when a few weeks later an owner brought me the very same fabric to slip cover her giant bergere chair!

I love this woman's quirky style. Not many people would be brave enough to put cow print on a fancy french style chair. It definitely makes a statement!

It wasn't the easiest stuff to work with for a slipcover on a curvy piece like this. The fabric is quite heavy and doesn't have any stretch at all so I really had to work to get it to fit like this.

At $18/yard it's a pretty affordable way to add a little zip to a room. I have my eye peeled for a thrift store ottoman or bench to use it again. Stay tuned.

PB BRUSHED CANVAS SLIPCOVERS

Most of us collect furniture pieces over the years and this homeowner is no different. The sofa is a family hand me down with sentimental value and classic style.  The little love seat was a 90's purchase that worked well in the family room but needed some new clothes. 

The owner saw House Fabric's Pottery Barn brushed canvas in the Harbor Blue color and knew immediately that it was her fabric. There is also a camera shy wing chair that also needed updating and she decided to just go with the same fabric on all three pieces.

It did a nice job of making the dressy sofa a little friendlier and the casual loveseat look a little more grown up. That darn wing chair never did get its picture taken, but it looked as happy as can be in its nice denim blue suit. All the fabric was pre-washed, so dog hair and overly excited football fans will be no problem for this fun loving family.

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE

Former neighbors of mine recently moved in to a beautiful brand new home and reached out to see if I could help update a few of the furniture pieces that came along from their previous home.

There's not a thing wrong with them except they didn't love the more angular profile and heavy nailhead trim in their airy new space. They wanted a softer, more welcoming attitude.

The "before"...

They also wanted easy care and after much deliberation decided to go with a super soft Crypton fabric for slipcovers. I hesitated a little because Crypton fabric is spendy and pretty much stain proof- anything is supposed to come out- so why do slipcovers? But they wanted a softer look and loved everything about their furniture except the nailheads, so slipcovers it would be!

After...

It's hard to argue with this result.

Tailored skirts on all three pieces add even more softness. Here's a close up of the fabric, it's as soft as a marshmallow...from a distance it looks white, but up close has a more oatmeal linen appearance.

I loved working with this great couple!

THE CURE FOR AGING - FURNITURE EDITION

Here's a camelback beauty that has been with its owner for a very long time. 

Years of faithful service have been repayed with a coveted spot in the loft of her new house with sweeping waterviews and beautiful sunsets to enjoy daily. 

The new house called for a more casual look and linen was the perfect casual elegant choice.  This particular fabric is a personal favorite and the same linen/cotton blend used HERE.

Don't you love the addition of a skirt? Me too, it feels so much friendlier now.

A beautiful canvas, ready for lots of pillows, a cozy throw, a juicy book and a killer sunset. Enjoy! 

PS...I continue to stink at photography and editing as evidenced above and the blue, green and pink casts in the images. I would say that the first one is the closest to reality. Apologies!

LINEN CHAIRS FOR ROMANTIC FARMOUSE

"Romantic Farmhouse." That's the description that springs to mind when I think of a space with light colors, natural, neutral furnishings, painted wood and floral accents. I recently helped a homeowner update a few pieces for her newly built home that is a perfect example of Romantic Farmhouse style. 

Sorry, this isn't a house tour but you can catch a few glimpses of the lovely space in the background of my furniture pics. 

She chose an all-time favorite slipcover fabric for two large club chairs in the great room. A cotton-linen blend, it's one of those great fabrics that can work in just about any design style or color scheme, is hard wearing, washable AND reasonably priced. Win! 

I would choose this fabric over Belgian Linen any day, especially at about one third of the price. 

The homeowner bought her barstools at Ikea. Originally the legs were black but a can of spray paint quickly fixed that. Less than two yards each of the charming Waverly floral completed her vision for  kitchen island seating. 

Here's a before shot of the club chairs. They're Pennsylvania House pieces and quite lovely in red velvet too.