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Tuesday 24 January 2017

Chair backs and musings on budget home interiors

Here's what the chair backs looked like recovered.
On the back I need to make some holes in the fabric for the screws, which means they are not really removable.
I sewed the fronts to the backs on three sides, matching the corners and easing the top seam to fit.
I then slipped the back into the casing and pinned the bottom in place and slipstitched it. The stitching should not be visible once the chairs are reconstructed.

I have overlocked all the way round the edges of the seat pieces. These will be carefully stapled in place with a staple gun avoiding the screw holes in the seat. Then I'll be able to reassemble the chairs and put them in place in the conservatory.

Budget Home Interiors
My house is filled with second hand, donated, inexpensive and a few new pieces of furniture. When I started over after getting divorced (6 years ago now) I had some random things from the old house, some old things from my parents and friends and a few things I bought. I replaced a few things over time and had a pleasant rented home. 2 1/2 years ago I bought a little house, a similar size to the rented place, but a different layout and shape of rooms. I started with all the same furniture but gradually have replaced the pieces that did not sit too well, donating the previous pieces to charity and a friend also starting over.

I noticed I have developed a consistent approach which I thought I would share in case others would like it too. The house is a small 1980s place in northern europe, so I have kept colours light.

- when assembling a room from mismatched furniture it is more restful to the eye if each room is in roughly the same colour of furniture. Mine mostly boils down to two options (though I've not been able to completely stick to it) - Ikea beech (now discontinued) and white melamine. Where possible within one room I try to have most of the furniture in the same 'wood' tone, so the living room is mostly Ikea Beech as is the study, the bedroom is pine painted cream and the sewing room is white melamine. I had a few outlier pieces in dark wood, these got donated.

- I try to have mostly shades of neutrals (ivory, cream, taupe, light brown) and one accent colour per room. This is a medium blue in the living room, pale green in the kitchen, terracotta in the conservatory.

- Woodwork and radiators are kept white, walls are neutral or light in colour. The pine built in wardrobes were painted cream, the faux mahoghany fireplace taupe.

I am currently debating the study, as I have quite a few grey metal accessories (wastepaper basket, drawer unit, storage boxes, noticeboard, in trays etc) which doesn't fit with the cosy aesthetic in there. though the desk has grey metal legs.
I could use them in the garage for storage, spray paint them white or embrace them as they are, though at the moment they are a little jarring. They are also full of stuff, so the answer may come organically as I sort and tidy the contents.

1 comment:

Carol in Denver said...

I have only 3 pieces of furniture purchased new in my home: 2 bent wood dining chairs and a set of Ikea drawers for my desk. Everything else has, quite literally, been pulled from the dumpster, salvaged from the alley or bought used. A few pieces were inherited from my grandparents. Thank goodness I love to sew and refinish furniture. With those interests plus elbow grease, I can create high-end effects that would be expensive to buy. Like you, I use a limited color palette. My daughter in law said she likes the way my home looks, kind of zen.