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DIY – The Bentwood Chair Transformation

Hello!  Meet my new chairs and see their journey to my dining room!

So, I had the bright idea to get inexpensive chairs and paint them pink to add a pop of color to my dining room/office.  Of course I chose pink…not shocking at all given my obsession with the color.  Not just any shade of pink, naturally, it had to be the Pantone color of the year for 2011 (when I started this project) Honeysuckle…which will look fabulous!  I had to assure a lot of people, especially my family (boys) who did not see my vision…now to find chairs!

These photos were my inspiration for doing painted chairs…I showed my friends and family, but some people still couldn’t envision pink.

   

It’s funny how I was always drawn to the simple, classic shape of the Bentwood chairs.  It actually took me several months of on and off scouring Craig’s List for the “right” chairs to take on the festive pink hue and not break my piggy bank.  I was so excited when I finally discovered these “gently-worn” vintage Bentwood chairs and purchased all 4 for $20!

Seriously needs help!

I did a lot of searching for fabric to recover the chair seats…a lot of searching, actually.  In the end, I decided I liked the simplicity of the wood seats instead.  So, my dad had to remake them because the original seats were in bad shape.

Stripped down and ready to sand & prime
My grandpa makes the best helper! He’s always ready to tackle a project with me!
A few of the chairs needed a bit more repair…we called in my uncle Doug, our “body man” to do his magic!

After getting them home and inspecting them further, I discover that one of the chairs has a slightly different shape and is shorter than the other 3. My family thinks no one would notice but I decide to highlight the difference and paint that chair silver.

The 3 pink chairs got tinted primer, they look like I coated them in Pepto-Bismol at this point…

After lots more painting, sanding, clear coats…basically blood, sweat and tears from my family, my chairs arrived for my birthday last year!  They look great in my apartment and I’m so happy with how they turned out!  Huge thanks to my family for all their hard work!!!

The pink is fabulous! Check out how well it coordinates with my original Jeff Kapfer bag, too!
Love how the silver turned out, too!
All 4 chairs ready for a party!
The silver chair adds a little sparkle to my living room!

Stay tuned for the blog post on the completion of my office with the new chairs!

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my collage wall

So, about 3 years ago, I started collecting fabric swatches, wallpaper samples and fun wrapping paper pieces in the hopes that I would someday assemble them into a cohesive collage.  I had the intention of filling the small wall outside my bathroom with all these bright color fabrics and canvases.

I am so proud that I finally finished it and am able to share photos!  It makes me happy every time I walk by it!  A lot of people have asked for instructions…unfortunately, I was in such a “zone” when actually completing it, that I didn’t take very many pics of the process.  Here goes:

1.  I spent quite some time trying to decide on the right combination/balance of color & pattern all while mixing the frames with the canvases.  I laid everything out on my dining room floor for 2 days and kept tweaking until I got it the way I wanted it.

2.  I used old wrapping paper and cut out the overall size of each of the pieces and taped them all up on the wall.  I actually couldn’t take a good photo of this because the tape kept falling down.  However, I got one pic which hopefully gives you the idea.

3.  I started with the largest which is the “wish” piece and hung it slightly off center to the wall.  I tweaked each one a bit as I filled out the collage around it.  It is not important to have consistent space in this type of organic collage.  It is actually more appealing to have random spacing between the frames.

I’m very happy with how it turned out…have I mentioned that?

 

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happy 2012 – year of the bean

Hope you had a wonderful holiday with family & friends!  I enjoyed mine immensely and I’m gearing up for the new year. At this time of year, we often reflect on our lives and strive for a few improvements.  My goal this year is to be more authentic in my personal and business life.  I am very grateful for my friends and family as well as my wonderful clients and I look forward to a great 2012!

Tabs & I on New Year's Eve

The Year of the Bean – “the bean represents the origin of all things”

– My wonderful best friend gave me this necklace for my birthday in November.  Her timing was uncanny.  Turning 36 this past November was kind of a turning point for me and I feel a renewed sense of vitality.  I had been letting stress and external factors bog me down for the past few years and I was ready to make healthy changes in my life.  Imagine my surprise when I opened this necklace!  I wear it every day and it inspires me to keep on my path to success!  Thank you Noelle!  You are the best!

New Adventures – Creative Director for a Wedding

– I am so honored that my clients, whom I worked with for the past several years, have asked me to be involved in their daughter’s wedding this fall.  She is also a past client and the experience of working with them again is very special to me.  This is a wonderful opportunity for me to stretch my expertise and develop new skills.  I have always loved entertaining and the idea of throwing elaborate parties so this is really a dream adventure!  Also, I couldn’t be happier that the big day falls on my birthday!  What a way to cap off my 36th year!

A Look Back at 2011

– I am so grateful for the projects I was able to work on this past year.  After 12 years of designing, I get such a thrill out of finding the “perfect” pillow/sofa/lamp/etc for my clients homes and helping them bring their vision to life!  Here are a few of my favorite rooms from 2011.  Time to get the professional pics taken!

2012 Goal – Be more like Tabs!

– My sister is seriously my best friend and makes me laugh harder than anyone I know.  She has such an infectious optimism and has fun wherever she goes!

i love this photo - it captures the essence of my sister

 

Wishing you much happiness & success in 2012!

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cooking with kimmy – #1 – shrimp risotto + all clad

I’m excited to debut a new set of blogs and a new phase in my life – healthy cooking.  While that doesn’t seem like a huge challenge, I do have a couple of hurdles to overcome…

One, I don’t really know how to cook.  My mom, God love her, can’t cook her way out of an Easy Bake Oven.  I’ve inherited a lot of great traits from her but skills in the kitchen were not up for grabs!  I’m good at following recipes to family dishes but they aren’t necessarily healthy and often require cans of Campbell’s soup.  What I am eager to learn is how to cook with raw ingredients from the farmer’s market.  I’m not very confident at the market and I want to learn more about these “foreign objects” and how to create wonderful dishes on the fly.  (Note: I secretly like to imagine myself as a Parisian woman shopping at the market in heels and a beautiful hat, flirting for deals on produce, mais oui!)

Ahh...the French Skillet from All-Clad!

My second hurdle is not having a well-stocked kitchen.  Until a month ago, I had very primitive tools and usually only cooked substantial meals at my parent’s house on the weekends.  I have since invested in some key pieces to round out my kitchen tools and I’m very excited to use one of them for the first time tonight!  My All-Clad French Skillet which is so beautiful and gleaming and already makes my little apartment kitchen look that much more “professional”!

Of course, there are other obstacles but I’ve just have to dive in and start tackling recipes!  I’ve also purchased a few new cookbooks geared towards healthy & seasonal eating with easy prep.  I’m going to challenge myself to make one new dish a week to broaden my skills and try new things.  I hope that making a blog out of it will keep me from straying too far from my goals.

Tonight, I started with a shrimp, basil & spinach risotto from Williams-Sonoma’s New Healthy Kitchen cookbook.  I LOVE risotto and I’ve never made it before.  I must say, it was pretty easy thanks to my new skillet and it tasted super yummy!  Here are a few photos from my inaugural outing!

Stay tuned for more adventures coming soon!