Chairloom: A love affair with upholstery

April 8, 2013 Inspiration

If you’ve read my bio, you probably know that I have a love affair with seating furniture.  I could collect chairs, armchairs, stools, benches and the likes by the dozen because I am fascinated by the various shapes they come in. There is not one time when I visit a consignment store or a flea market that I don’t see a piece that tickles my interest and that I could imagine in another setting upholstered with a different fabric. Because this is the secret: I see past the ugly vinyl, the faded floral chintz, the broken springs or the chipped paint. I see what is important: the shape, the carved details, the interesting legs and I know that a good upholsterer will bring out just this once I have provided him with my choice of fabric.

Chairloom is an upholstery studio that believes in “the importance of second chances”. Based near Philadelphia in the US they source antic or vintage furniture to reupholster for a local and national clientèle. Molly Andrews & Tracy Jenkins, the partners behind Chairloom have an eye for modern and colorful fabrics from big and small fabric suppliers and a knack for unexpected combinations. Trust them, they know how to update your latest find or your grandmother’s armchair.

Their website features a great before & after section with many shots of some of the work they have done. I always tell clients about the potential of reupholstering but images speak a thousand words, so check them out and you will be surprised to see how powerful a new fabric is in giving a new personality to a dated piece.Through Co-Lab, Chairloom now also offers custom made pieces like mid-century benches, square frame benches like the one above upholstered in a Lulu Dk Fabric, fabulous X-benches or various types of stools.It seems like I had a hard time cutting down the number of pictures for this post. There must be at least ten other ones that I was ready to publish. Can you understand why? Aren’t the fabric used beautiful? I love the fact that a lot of them are hand-printed and have this handmade/uneven feel to them.Check out more of Chairloom’s work on their website and their Pinterest boards. You will be treated to a treasure chest of inspiration and who knows, you might find just the perfect chair you were looking for. Have a wonderful day!

Share your Thoughts with us !
Gudy Herder

Besides the varies shapes of the armchairs, benches and chairs, their secret are their fabrics ( in my humble opinion).
They combine very fresh and contemporary prints with classic furniture pieces and make them just unique. Lovely find, Corinne!

Cyndi

I popped over to their site – amazing transformations. It’s incredible to see their fresh vision for classic pieces. Thanks for the inspiration.

Corinne Kowal

That’s exactly it Gudy. Choosing the right fabric is such an important decision when reupholstering.

Madeline Weinrib’s one of a kind vintage furniture » Emerald Green Interiors

[...] pieces on Madeline Weinrib’s website here. This is a brilliant example, as was my report on Chairloom, that shows how much a fabric can transform furniture; Even when the mentioned furniture has such a [...]

Erin Flett Fabrics and Textiles » Emerald Green Interiors

[...] collection launched in collaboration with Alfresco Fabrics while researching for my article on Chairloom. The versatility and practical aspect of an indoor/outdoor fabric collection always gets my vote as [...]

Maxwell Fabrics

We are so grateful and honoured to be a part of the dramatic and important upholstery work Chairloom is doing. Their skills and talent are to be admired!

Colorful inspiration with 2 Flower Girls

March 26, 2013 Uncategorized

Dear readers, it’s been over two weeks since I’ve posted on the blog. Time has literally flown by. I have been quite busy working on a client’s proposal, off sick, and also reorganizing the house in a major way. Some of you will assume that I am nesting which is probably not completely wrong, although there is another reason behind this big cleanup which I am already excited to share with you once it will be official. Until then I do have to keep quiet about it.

Today I am back with “2 Flower Girls”, a monthly column started by French expat blogger Elodie of Madame Love who lives in Hamburg Germany and German blogger Inga of Glomerylane. They decided a couple of months ago to share on their respective blogs their styled pictures of the same flowers. They both take gorgeous pictures and it is so much fun to see what each of them comes up with every month while starting from the same flowers. For the third edition of #2flowergirls they decided to invite those willing to participate to share their own pictures. You can see all the entries on the Pinterest board they created for the occasion.

I absolutely love flowers and always try to have some at home, so when they announced the idea of opening up #2flowergirls to other bloggers I jumped on the occasion. The given flowers for the March edition were Raununculus and their colors were free to choose. I already had a huge bunch at home in mixed colors and purchased another small bunch in white. The tall white ones I put in an orange slim vase and the mixed bunch, that wasn’t in such good condition anymore was cut down and styled in s mall vintage vase recently purchased at a consignment store. I then used large colored paper sheets that I have in stock for picture framing as backdrop for my pictures. I had loads of fun experimenting with different colors.

I hope you like them and that it will inspire you to get some fresh flowers for your home. I wish you a lovely day. Here in Brussels despite the snow that fell again this weekend, the sun is shining which I do hope is a sign of better weather conditions to come.

Share your Thoughts with us !
Elodie Love

Chère Corinne,
Je suis tellement contente que tu participes à #2flowersgirls!
J’adore tes fleurs et ton choix de couleur. Bises et à bientot
Elodie

glomerylane

Chère Corinne, I love the colours and your pics! Thank you for taking part in #2flowergirls! xo, inga

Cyndi

What a great idea those two girls had! I love fresh flowers and try to have a fresh bunch every week – my Easter tulips are almost gone. I love that cute short vase – it really sets off the multi- colored flowers nicely! I hope your weather improves rapidly.

Corinne Kowal

Hi Cindy, they will actually run #2flowergirls every month, so feel free to participate!

Spring Cleaning

March 5, 2013 About me, Hipstamatic

You must be wondering where I have been. I promised more colorful inspiration for the past week and then I simply disappear from the blog. I don’t know what happened to me. Was it the sudden blue sky that made its reappearance after months of grey, the slight increase in temperature, the days getting longer or should I blame everything on my current state? For the past week or so I’ve gone into Spring cleaning mode  and not the light version let me tell you! I’ve been sorting through paperwork and clothing, throwing things out and reorganizing big time with the help of my better half. For those wondering about what my current state is, the answer is that I am due with number two in about six weeks. Perfect timing to move “stuff” around when you are almost 9 months pregnant don’t you think?

So between the reorganization tornado our place has seen in the past days and the days our big one stayed at home with me due to a conjunctivitis, I didn’t take much time to sit down and write blog posts. Instead of letting you sit another day without anything to chew on I thought that I’d at least share a few hipstamatic shots of what I’ve been up to. So here we go:

So I reorganized my design and decoration book by color. I know it’s not super original and that everyone does it but I do love the result and who knows I might change them again soon for a different display.I found this beautiful Art Deco inspired glass vase in one of my favorite thrift stores in Brussels. The glass has a slight crack at the base but I only paid five Euros for it so it wasn’t a big expense and I knew that the shape would compliment very well many bouquets sizes. How do you like my white raununculus in it?This is just a small detail of a very large old botanical school print I found months ago in a thrift store and that was neatly stored in a corner of our office. I am really happy that it is up and I’ll show you more pictures in the near future when this little corner of the office is ready and neatly styled.

What have you been up to in those past days? Is the Spring also showing it’s nose where you live and is Spring cleaning something you do every year? I really love how doing it is making me feel alive and active, but maybe those are just my hormones playing with me. What do you think?

Share your Thoughts with us !
cyndi murdoch

Your nesting instinct is kicking in big time! You might be in for an early surprise! I love that vase, by the way, Art Deco is so structural and compliments so many shapes of bouquets, you are going to enjoy it for a long time!

Corinne Kowal

Hahaha, I hope not Cindy! Would enjoy a few extra days if possible. My first one was supposed to come early and then decided to stay warm for almost two extra weeks past the due date. And since I am feeling pretty well I don’t really mind. Oh yes I love my vase!

Sarah {Lacquer and Linen}

Congratulations Corrine!! I so know what you mean about that hormonal spring cleaning. I am due May 9th and have been cleaning/redecorating like mad. I guess if you call it “nesting” it doesn’t feel as crazy ;-) .

Kara

Hi Corinne,
I’m a fellow Blog Boss student and picked your blog as one that I think rocks. I love how you consistently apply your design aesthetic and your colourful photos/interiors are so lovely.
Congratulations on the soon-to-arrive Baby #2.
Kara

http://www.winkinteriors.com/2013/03/blogs-that-rock.html

Designer Focus: Amanda Nisbet

February 25, 2013 Designer Focus

I would like to introduce you to the New York based American designer Amanda Nisbet. I came across her work some time ago and wanted to share it with you. Here is one designer who is not afraid of using color and who does it really well. Pick any color of the rainbow and you’ll find it in her portfolio. The secret to her designs is that she has understood the power of color and the risk of doing things half heartedly. She never uses more than two or three colors at the most at a given time but once the colors are chosen she creates interest by layering objects and art, fabrics and textiles with varying patterns throughout the space. The end result is either bold or more traditional depending on the colors chosen, but it is always coherent and this is something I find particularly important. I mean, some might find it over designed, but what’s the point of hiring a designer if it looks like your next door neighbor did it and nothing really stands out?

I love the example below. The rug on the right side has all the colors of the room in it: the color of the oak panneling and some pink which is barely to be seen on this picture but you can see it here. The pink fabric on the wall is from her own signature collection which you can see here.The example below is a great example of how using only one color doesn’t have to be a bore. Interest is achieved by mixing plain and patterned fabrics in the same shade of blue.Oh and I love her reading room from her own appartement in New York, where everything from walls to woodwork and fabrics are declined in this great shade of lemony green.I wish you a great week with more color inspiration to come in the next days.

Share your Thoughts with us !
Kerry Bee

Hello!

Have been looking through the blogs on Blog Boss forum and couldn’t help but be drawn in by the colours in this post! wow!

I have to admit i’m a little bit of a fraidy-cat when it comes to so much colour, we’re moving into our first home in 2 weeks and colour at the moment is quite at a minimum – lots of greys, whites and neutrals..might have to start with some yellow cushions though as it looks stunning on the grey upholstery!

Yana Puaca

I absolutely adore the pink wall fabric! Amazing- it looks brushed on by hand, in the most artistic way possible, of course!

Tressie

Great designer spotlight, I am loving all the color!!

Stacey @ Likes to Smile

Hello Fellow BYW Student!

I was just perusing the student blogroll and found your blog. This designer is amazing! Thanks so much for introducing me to her.

How are you liking the course?

Stacey

Elitis Volare Wallcovering Collection

February 20, 2013 Fabrics, Suppliers, Wallpaper

Hello Everyone! I hope you had a beautiful weekend (yes I know it’s Wednesday already). This post was actually scheduled to go live on the blog Monday of last week just before leaving for a week as there were school vacations yet again. Somehow they come back every six weeks. Anyway I didn’t get a chance to publish this post and we spent a week pretty much with failing internet connections everywhere we went: so much for carrying my laptop around!

I wanted to share with you one of the latest Elitis wallcovering collection I spotted at Intirio. Elitis is a French fabric and wallcovering supplier based in Toulouse in the south of France which is now well established but still pretty much a newcomer as it was founded only in 1988. Since their launch they have managed to build a very strong collection based on one side on beautiful classic fabrics such as heavy linens and velvets in an amazing color range, and on the other side on very arty and/or technical wallcoverings with finishes such as fake animal skins. Those new wallcoverings are simply modern, yet neither tacky nor overdone, and therefore usable in many classic interiors.

There new Volare collection showcases six different designs based on feathers. Figurative wallcoverings are most often than not, not exactly my cup of tea, but those strike a beautiful balance between representation and abstraction and their colors are truly well chosen.

 My favorites are Pampero and Euraquilo. Which ones are yours? Or do you rather avoid animal stuff altogether?

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Share your Thoughts with us !
Meredith

I love this study. What a great spin on animal print and a fresh use of feathers. I really like the texture that Loo gives while still giving a calming and soft tone.

Thanks for sharing!