Friday, September 10, 2010

Before & After - Barrell Back Chairs

On a recent buy I spied these gems buried in a sea of mid-century pieces. The scale of them was perfect, not quite as small as most vintage chairs, and their silhouette was absolutely stunning. After refinishing the wood came the decision for upholstery....

as found

The fabric they were found in, above, wasn't doing them any justice but underneath the "new" covering the original textile, below, was actually quite pretty.

original

It was a bit reminiscent of a modern favorite, Chiang Mai Dragon, which I have yet to use in a project but was unfortunately on back order for months....

option 1
Very Pretty.


option 2

The fabric above (which I would have done in another color) mimicked the pattern in the wood but I wasn't sold. Another favorite, Basseterre Earth, complemented the wood finish beautifully but was too busy.

option 3

And so it came to be....

Picture 28
Click for additional images and info

What can I say, sometimes less is more! I will merchandise them in the showroom with a colorful lumbar pillow, or pair them with a patterned sofa or on a bold area rug, but when it was all said and done the simple contrast of the cream against the lacquered brown frame showcased the true design of these special pieces.

Get inspired!

for more before and after's click here and here

3 comments:

Vanessa Stern said...

I love the simplicity of cream with the frames!

Tracey Weiss said...

I am obsessed with these chairs.

Personal Art said...

Nice post thhanks for sharing