Cards and Chairs

Two quick things:

Firstly, Jordan rocks my world. She delivered a big ol' stack of freshly pressed business cards to me at Alt and it was like Christmas, except Santa was a gorgeous and witty brunette in a cute floral dress.

You can't really tell in these photos, but the edges are a really bright persimmon red. I love them.

Jordan's letterpress business will be going strong while she lives abroad this year. She'll be doing the designs herself and her talented business partner, Alexis, will do the printing. I couldn't be happier with the quality of my cards.

Also, I had help designing my card layout and my new logo (see the JK blind emboss behind my new business name?). My professional site is finally going to launch soon. I'll post more about that later, but I have been so incredibly happy with my designer, Eileen. If you need help with your site, shoot her an email here.

Second item of business:

Craigslist has been so good to me the past few weeks. Check out one of the pairs of chairs I got for almost nothing recently.

PS Want to be the happiest person for an hour or two? Type the word "pair" in your craigslist search box (either the furniture or antiques section) and all kinds of goodness shows up. It's true. Everything is better in pairs.

These are going to be our host chairs for the DR table. They need some work, for sure. But a little paint and fabric will go a long way.

I'm thinking white frames and something in a bold but small-scale pattern for the fabric. Or maybe like acid yellow paint on the frames and solid black Sunbrella for the fabric? Maybe still a fun pattern on the chair backs...

New (Old) Dining Set

Guess what? In November I bought a vintage dining set off Craigslist from another decorator. We had been using that farmhouse style table for about two months, and it just wasn't working in our space. It didn't look or feel right to me. The biggest problem was the table top was not on the leg frame in the antique shop, so while I measured everything before buying, the top ended up sitting strangely high on the frame and made the finished height more than 32", pushing 33". It was uncomfortably high for me - even with the taller chairs I was using. I felt like a little kid at the table, which was weird. (Lily Tomlin style)

I was able to sell the farmhouse table for about what we paid for this new dining set, so I didn't feel quite as bad/guilty as I would normally. Plus the seller threw in a really great pair of lamps that I'm also using in the dining area (on top of the red credenza!)

I love the inside of the black paper shades:

These are the seller's photos of the set. The table is actually longer than the 8' farmhouse table was! We can very comfortably seat eight and we've even had ten people over, which was also just fine.

Here are the things I love the best about the table:

The pedestal legs are so pretty! I especially love the casters.

I love the blond-ish wood against our white floors! I know it's not really, but I love that it has an almost Biedermeier color to it.

The inlay on the table top is subtle and pretty, and of course I love the Greek key detail in the Klismos style chairs.

The seats are tooled black leather in sort of a patent finish, and are just the right amount of broken-in. They are unbelievably easy to clean and super comfortable!

I'm getting some upholstered host chairs in a fun pattern and am finishing the art above the table, so I'll share photos of the dining set in situ when the other pieces are ready to show.

Happy weekend!
xx

Dining Chair SOS

A friend just emailed me with an urgent request. They recently moved to a new apartment and sold their old dining set. Here's what their new place looks like:

They purchased their new table from Housing Works (a really great thrift store here in NYC). It is round and has cute spindle legs and will either get painted or refinished.

Here's where the urgent request comes in. My friend is hosting Thanksgiving dinner and needs a set of dining chairs ASAP and doesn't want to get something off Craigslist (which can be expensive and a pain without a car here).

I thought you guys would be interested in my suggestions for relatively inexpensive and readily available dining chairs that swing a little modern to go with a vintage table. So here's the list, from most to least expensive. Nothing is over $200 per chair:

These Tolix chairs from Pottery Barn (available in gunmetal gray, red or white) come out to $179 each when you buy a set of four. Or they are $199 when purchased seperately.

Talk about a classic--and the ultimate in kid-proof!

This great orange velvet chair from Pier 1 is a great price at $170. I love that it's modern but also pretty formal.

Ballard Parsons chair in off-white duck for $129. There are other less expensive Parsons-style chairs out there, but none have the traditional upholstered legs that I love.

Kmart is absolutely teaming with great chair knockoffs right now! At just over $95 per chair, this set of Eames syle chairs looks like a great deal!

There's a similar set that comes in acrylic too! $145 each.

Bertoia!

I absolutely LOVE this pair of chairs from Overstock ($265 for two). Doesn't the brown and cream fabric look suzani-inspired?

World Market just came out with these awesome French bistro chairs ($260 for a set of two). I think these would be amazing painted a bright color or white or black. Really any version of these chairs is going to be great (other than the unfortunately current state).

As a side note, this $199 bench looks so cool. It's upholstery in a woven kilim-like zebra pattern:

$100 at IKEA buys you a really cool chrome and acrylic chair.

I have an obssession with klismos chairs and I think these from West Elm are a really cool, modern spin on the classic style.

Just $79 per chair, available in many colors. I'm partial to the yellow and the red.

This $60 chair from IKEA is a great, basic buy, especially if your dining table is going to be colorful. Or if you use a colorful dining room rug.

If it's blue and lacquered, what's not to love? These chairs from Target are just $40 each!!

Do you have any favorites to share?

Dining Room Dreaming

I love cooking and eating and congregating with friends and family, so it's no surprise that I get excited by a great dining room. I'm so happy that the apartment we'll probably get has a decent size dining area (with a fireplace! fun!)

It's a good thing too, because I already bought that huge farm house dining table that, as it turns out, looks a lot like Tia Zolden's here:

I can't decide if I will paint out the wood, ebonize it or keep the current dark stain.

There are a couple of key items that we're planning on spending a little money on after the move and good dining chairs are right at the top of the list. I want something really comfortable and really kid-friendly (and really gorgeous).

I've decided that a straight-back Louis chair is the winner. Probably with some different, bigger host chairs:

Robyn Karp

I have plans for upholstering the seats in faux ostrich and the chair backs will get a fun print probably, or at least a contrasting color.

Sort of like this Emma Jane Pilkington dining room. I love the colors here.

Ballard is a great source for Louis style chairs, and usually they accept COM orders. Apparently though, as I just learned, they won't accept vinyl or leather. So I'd be stuck reupholstering the new chairs and basically the cost of the Ballard chairs in the lowest grade fabric, plus the faux ostrich and print yardage and the reupholstery cost = a bazillion dollars.

I don't want to jinx it, but I think I found a local furniture manufacturer that will make my chairs (well, actually will just alter a current design they already produce) and use my ostrich+print for the initial upholstery. All for less than half of the cost of the Ballard chairs. I'm going to check out the warehouse next week I think, so I'll keep you all posted.

Cottage Living

Elle Decor

Christopher Maya via Cote de Texas

Domino

House Beautiful

Elle Decor

Renovation Style via La Dolce Vida

Dining Style

There are two apartments that we are seriously looking at for our move this summer. Both of them are open concept, where the kitchen, living and dining areas are all together.

It's taking all of my self-control (of which there is not much) to not buy furniture for our new place yet until we sign a lease. I really want a HUGE farm house style table and tons of chairs. I want a place to spread out our craft projects and to put down groceries. A place to do homework (I will have a kindergartner next year! tear...) and somewhere to lay out fabric samples and floor plans. We love to have friends and family over for dinner, and I want a chair for everyone!

For a long time, I've been dreaming of this Parsons-meets-farm-house oak table from the Lorimer Workshop in RI. I LOVE IT.

But over the weekend, I was doing some furniture shopping for a client and I stumbled across this 8-foot long table for $300. I don't have a photo of the legs, but they were really cool - chunky and turned on a three-inch apron frame.

I decided to wait on the table (at least a little longer). But I did pick up this pair of bentwood chairs for $2 each.

Someone did a horrible glaze job on these and the seats are covered in grime. But they'll sparkle when I'm finished with them.

I think it would be cool to have an assortment of chair styles, but all with the same paint and fabric treatment, surrounding my huge table.

Though, there's nothing wrong with a full set of bentwoods...

via Desire to Inspire

via SF girl by bay

via D*S

Martha Stewart, from Pink Wallpaper

domino

Apt Therapy

Abbey Nova, via D*S