Vintage in the Home {Vintage Cane Barrel Chair}

I know lots of people who love the idea of vintage, but have a hard time envisioning how to integrate it into their homes, offices, and daily lives.  Every week I spotlight one of my favorite vintage items and how we use it in our home.  Hopefully, this will offer inspiration to all of you who are vintage novices, as well as the seasoned collectors.

She's here!

I found this treasure at Laverty's in Waco sometime last summer.

Even in her rough condition, I knew she was a fabulous find.

$20 y'all.  $20!!!

She was stained, and tatty, and torn, and worn...and smelled like serious smoke.

But that didn't deter me.

Well...actually it did.  I LEFT her there!!  I completely passed on this fabulous little chair!  And I kicked myself the entire 3 hour drive home.  I couldn't stop thinking about this chair and how in the world had I passed over her?!  

My sweet mother-in-law did me the HUGEST favor ever.  She found out when Laverty's would be open next (because they no longer have regular operating hours) and she went as soon as the doors opened and grabbed this chair for me.  

I am not at all exaggerating when I say I waited by the phone with bated breath to hear whether or not she was able to get the chair.  And with good reason!  It turns out there was another woman interested in the chair and my mama-in-law was just a minute faster.  I will never be able to say thank you enough.

Because...with a little scrubbing (vinegar really does deodorize), and with the help of my favorite upholsterer, my chair now looks like this...

She's still rough around the edges...but I like her that way.  I was so close to painting her Benjamin Moore's Elephant Tusk, but I just couldn't.

I'm so glad I didn't.  I love the contrast of her worn wood and bright new upholstery.

You know you want to sit in her.  I had the upholsterers give her all new batting and foam and I have to say she has uprooted my other favorite chair for most comfortable.  At least that's my opinion in my swollen, pregnant state, where the slightest hint of a recline renders me unable to breathe.  

The fabric is Amy Butler's Lark Kasbah Emerald and, since it's a cotton sateen and therefore not as durable as indoor/outdoor fabric, I used two coats of Scotch Guard before bringing the chair into the house.  A puppy, a dog, a toddler, and a baby on the way...Scotch Guard might just be my new best friend.

I ordered 2 yards to be safe and I have leftovers galore!  So I'm thinking new pillow covers for my sofa pillows might be in order.  And I'm also re-thinking the paint in my studio/dining room.  The sand color still absorbs so much light...I'm thinking grey for the top and bottom stripes.  Anyone have any color suggestions?  I love Fieldstone Grey by Ben Moore but I not 100% sure.  

Vintage in The Home {The Favored Chair}

I know lots of people who love the idea of vintage, but have a hard time envisioning how to integrate it into their homes, offices, and daily lives.  Every week I spotlight one of my favorite vintage items and how we use it in our home.  Hopefully, this will offer inspiration to all of you who are vintage novices, as well as the seasoned collectors.

Please allow me to introduce you to Arabelle.

  

Don't let her age fool you...this is the most comfortable seat in the house.

My sweet mother-in-law found her ages ago at a Salvation Army in Waco, TX.  She always wanted to get this chair reupholstered.  But, unfortunately, her cats also took a liking to the chair as a scratching post.  So poor Arabelle sat lonely in a room - unused and defaced with her stuffing exposed. 

Last Christmas, as my gift my mother-in-law graciously offered to have Arabelle reupholstered in any fabric of my choosing if I would like to have her come live at my house.

To which I said, "Heck yeah!".

And so we ordered yards and yards of Robert Allen for Dwell Studio Indoor/Outdoor Peony Canary.  (Psst...the price has dropped significantly since then...I'm guessing because Dwell Studio dropped Robert Allen's name...it's a steal now!)  And my in-laws took Arabelle and her fancy new fabric to the best upholsterer in Waco to get a face-lift.  And he said...."What???  You want me to put this antique-1920's-can't-find-one-like-it-anymore-chair in a modern indoor/outdoor fabric? You're crazy, I won't do it.  And, oh by the way, you need twice as much fabric and I happen to have some lovely options on my showroom floor starting at $30/yd.  You want a traditional print in a very small scale in muted colors."

At this point there was much discussion about the crazy fabric I chose.  Yes, I knew it was indoor/outdoor.  I chose it because I have a dog and a toddler and we wanted more dogs and toddlers.  She's pretty, but she needs to function if she's going to have prime real estate in my house.  If when coffee and milk get spilled I need those drinks to bead up and wipe off, not soak in and stain.  And, no, I did not in fact want a small print in muted colors.

You can probably guess how this story goes.  Since I'm already showing you pictures of Arabelle's new digs.  The Hubster and I ordered even more fabric, found a local upholsterer with a fabulous reputation and had them do the job instead.

They didn't question.  They did beautiful work.  They charged a lot less.  And we received half of our fabric back because they didn't need so much.

So now, if you come visit me, you are more than welcome to visit Arabelle as well.  You will have to fight off a dog, a toddler, the Hubster (in that order) to have the chance to rest your buns here...but she is definitely, hands down the most comfortable seat in the house.  She is vintage...antique even...but she serves her purpose well.  And she's not too formal to hang out with my garden stool from Tar-jay and my end table from Kirkland's.

Have you ever considered reupholstering a thrift store or estate sale find?  If not, I encourage you to consider it as an option the next time you're in the market for new furniture.  Often times vintage furniture has sturdier frames than their modern counterparts.  And when you reupholster you have your pick of all the fabrics in the world, can customize your piece with details like contrasting welts, and even alter the firmness/softness of the cushions.  The result is a piece of furniture that truly suits you and your taste and is one of a kind.

Vintage in the Home {Have You Met Hazel Atlas?}

I've been thinking a lot lately about what vintage goods inspire me and how they serve a purpose in my home.

I have a serious obsession with all manner of vintage treasures.  But, when I first starting thrifting and estate sale-ing in my college days, I quickly realized that I needed to carefully consider what I brought into my home because I had a finite space in which to live (which was a mere 450 sqft back then).  I needed to choose vintage goods which were both beautiful and functional.

Not much has changed in my approach during the last decade (shhhh...I didn't just say decade).  My living space has increased over time, but it's still a finite space and I've tried to be mindful about only bringing in furniture and accessories that will actually be used.  The exception to my rule is decorative objects...art hanging on the walls, colorful vases to cheer up a table or bookcase, etc.  If its originally intended use was to be a decorative object, I'm okay with it functioning solely as that.

I know lots of people who love the idea of vintage, but have a hard time envisioning how to integrate it into their homes, offices, and daily lives.  So I thought it might be fun to do a weekly feature spotlighting some of my favorite vintage items and how we use them in our home.  Hopefully, this will offer inspiration to all of you who are vintage novices, as well as the seasoned collectors.  Once a month I will expand this to feature an item from the shop, sing its praises, and offer suggestions for how it could be used in your home or office.

So without further ado...I would like to introduce you to my hands down favorite vintage label...

...please allow me to introduce you to the fabulous Hazel Atlas.

Before West Elm, Home Goods, and many others copied complimented them with reproductions, Hazel Atlas made the El Dorado Gold juice glasses in the early to mid 1960's.

Why have the repro if you can have the real thing?  Or both, even?

I have these in the juice size glasses, and I do also have a set of clear reproduction glass tumblers which I picked up at Home Goods ages ago, before I knew a thing about Hazel Atlas.  However, I've discovered that many of the glasses made today are super thin and prone to shattering.  I really don't know, but I'm guessing this is due to the lower quality of mass-production these days.  All I know is my Hazel Atlas glasses are about 50 years old (Hazel-Atlas went out of business in 1964), are super sturdy, and were made in the USA.

As far as functioning in my much-used kitchen, I love them for juice in the morning or for the inevitable onslaught of prenatal vitamins I down each and every day.  They also would be fun cocktail glasses....and come May I might just have to have a mojito in one!  It probably goes without saying, but I don't let the Kiddo use them.  And, though we have a water softener, our water is still fairly hard so I find hand washing helps them to stay their prettiest.  That said, they totally can go in the dishwasher on the top rack...especially on a china-safe cycle.  They might be vintage (antique really), but they are workhorses these little glasses!

Above all they look cheery in my cabinets and on my table, and they make me smile.  Nothing not to love here.  :)