Some coffee table books are so great, that you don’t just decorate your coffee table with them, you read them cover to cover. Tara Shaw’s influential interior design book Soul of the Home: Designing with Antiques is a “must-have” for anyone who has inherited antiques or an interest in shopping for antiques. Unless you’re refurbishing…
Tag: restoring furniture
Furniture mods: how to upholster a seat
If you entertain a lot, dining and bar chairs need to be upholstered occasionally. I restored the bar chair in the picture with handsewn black velvet after a merry night with sparklers. Replacing the fabric on a seat is straightforward, requiring nothing more than a little time, some tracing paper, and a needle and thread….
#LKRB principle of design: waste not, want not
With a no-waste approach to interior decorating, environmental sustainability and financial sustainability go hand in hand. One of the primary reasons that glamorous historical properties are sold into trusts is because they were built without an eye to maintenance costs. A low-key luxury living space gives thought not only to day-to-day contemporary living, but also…
Furniture mods: upholstering like an expert
Upholstering your furniture with professional results does not require extensive interior design expertise. The papasan chair in the picture was transformed from a modern vibe to a rustic lodge aesthetic with a natural wool pillow cover. I used a wool wash with lanolin to soften the cover for an extra-cozy touch. Pillow covers versus upholstering…
Furniture mods: how to stain wood
Applying wood stain and a light varnish is a beautiful way to refinish furniture that enhances the original aesthetic of the wood. You can refresh one piece of furniture at a time to ameliorate signs of wear and tear. Or, you can refinish several pieces of furniture from different designers and manufacturers with the same…