Hiya!
Just a quick update and reveal to show how our decorating is coming along and working with an interior designer. Our rugs came in from Boundless Rugs and we LOVE them. The balance of the two designs in the same space is perfect, and something I’d NEVER be able to decide on my own.
The size fits the room much better than our previous rugs. Below are the old rugs, on top of the new rug pads, just so you can see a size comparison. I donated the old Turkish wool rugs to friends, so no landfill for them. While our designer ultimately chose the final rug size, there are very handy guides online you can use to figure out what size works best for your space. What I’ve learned is most of people’s rugs and artwork is visually too small for the space it’s going in.
After about two months, we got our upholstered furniture back. Here’s a before and after of our club chairs. I got these second hand for $40 last winter. The new fabric is a ‘performance velvet’ — Crypton. That means (allegedly) I can easily wipe oil and dirt off of them, and they are a durable (and super lush) polyester that will go the distance. The fabric cost exactly twice as much as I wanted to pay, and I love them more than I thought I could.
As a reminder, here’s what the first floor looked like before (admitting that this isn’t a TRUE ‘before’. We knew most everything in here was going to change).
And now after, with our new rugs, upholstery and lamp donated from a fellow sewer in Connecticut.
I know the dining area isn’t showing, but I’m in the middle of installing lights inside the china cabinet, so that side ie a mess.
Our sectional was Jordan’s aunt’s from the mid 70s. We had it upholstered in a conveniently discontinued material. I say convenient, because it retailed for $176 a yard, and our designer was able to snag it for $35 a yard since it was no longer going to be stocked. We bought 25 yards and used ALL OF IT. We still needed to get some ‘velvet’ from Joann fabric at the last minute to finish the bottom off.
In between getting the rugs and furniture upholstered, I also bought dining room chairs (Elle Decor Holly Wire Chair) new via Staples. I chose Staples because if I hated them, there was someplace I could return easily return them. My friend Jen bought our old Broyhill chairs that were more suited to her modern farmouse style. My friend Mary came over and helped me assemble our new more contemporary style. Oh, while I am all for pre-owned whenever possible, we needed ten chairs which was much harder to find in that quantity.
These are copies of the Bertoia chairs from Knoll. These chairs were $100 each vs Knoll’s $832 PER CHAIR. I thought they were just nice wire chairs when I first saw them, but another designer friend Elizabeth let me know that they were inspired by the Bertoia chairs. I do like the chairs A LOT. My plan is to sew new pads for them in 2020 / 2021. Something with a punch of color and a little thicker pad.
That’s the overall on our living room / dining room design! After a year of living in our new place, it’s great to feel more settled and like we can have people over.
We’ll be working on getting some photos and art on the walls before the holidays. We have window shades on order to help with sun glare and add some privay. I do want to add an upholstered cornice to the windows, but the need for shades were an unexpected expense (the sofa is in direct sunlight), so a pretty (but purely decorative) cornice will have to wait a few years. I have a short but not inexpensive list of things to do in 2020 (changing first-floor door hardware, replacing dated sconces on the second floor, additional recessed lighting in the dining room), but am just going to enjoy having a place to sit down for now.
I’m overall happy we chose to work an interior designer. I have some more thoughts on this that I want to put in a separate post. Maybe that will help motivate me to take pictures after we have some stuff on the walls and our shades come in!
And now back to our regularly scheduled garment sewing content. I’ve just finished up a Burdstyle rain poncho! It needs photographing, but I’m anxious to show it soon.
Miss Celie's Pants 
This is a gorgeous transformation! I am duly impressed, Renee.
Thank you, Becky! Definitely beats my old eggplant covered walls.
On Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 9:28 AM Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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Looks wonderful. Comfort and sophistication all in one place! You made some excellent decoration decisions. All the best.
Thank you! Yes, it does feel sophisticated, but I’m okay with people curling up on the upholstery too.
On Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 9:38 AM Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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Looks wonderful. Comfort and sophistication all in one! You made some great decorating decisions, so inviting! I hope you have many happy times in your new space. All the best.
It is lovely and, oh, so liveable.
I have a suggestion about shades. You won’t do it at first, but think about having shades that raise from the bottom up – good for privacy without always blocking out natural light.
looks great and i love those blue club chairs – perfection. It is a great example to look beyond the fabric to the shape and see what can be done with them. Same idea as in sewing patterns, look beyond the styling and check out the style lines, right? 🙂
I think this is where sewing came in handy for me. I wasn’t the best at picturing everything together, but I can definitely identify good style lines. My husband, not so much! He was so annoyed when I brought home those club chairs and didn’t understand why I wanted his aunt’s sofa, lol. Now he loves it, so it all worked out.
On Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 11:46 AM Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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This is a stunning transformation, it’s bold but classic at the same time. Enjoy your new beautiful space!
Love the white piping on the chairs!
I love it. I especially love the rugs but the entire space is coming together so well. I’m afraid I can’t decorate to save my life. I love too many patterns so if ever I want to set up properly I’d have to hire a pro.
Same, same 😅 My last place looked like an Easter egg exploded in there. I’m glad I had help.
gorgeous – the reupholstered chairs are gorgeous. the room works so well and the rugs really pull it all together
LoveLoveLove the club chairs. May I ask who you used for upholstery? Thanks.
Thank you! Happy to share. His name is DeWayne and his company is DCM Decor. He works with his mother, dad and uncle. We weren’t in a huge rush so it took a minute, but I would absolutely use him again. I was going to make my own window coverings, but I’m saving up to just use him because the work was so good.
On Fri, Nov 8, 2019 at 8:51 AM Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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Such a beautiful, grown up space! THOSE CHAIRS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And what a steal to basically have a new sofa that’s enormous(!) for <$1000. Can't wait to read more about the interior design experience.
Thank you! I always liked that sofa, despite the early 90s upholstery. Having our upholsterer tell us it was well made was an absolute bonus. I can’t believe how lucky we got with that fabric either.
On Tue, Nov 12, 2019 at 9:28 AM Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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I don’t know how I missed this post but I’m glad I went through my blog roll and got to see the almost finished living room and dining room. This is so pretty, calming and reflective of who you are! Enjoy it!
Thanks, Carolyn! That’s a great compliment. It’s nice to have home that reflects us.
On Fri, Nov 15, 2019 at 8:28 PM Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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