In last month's House Beautiful, they featured these great (made in the USA) slipper chairs from Urban Outfitters. On first look I thought, "I ADORE that fabric, but can I pull off the mid-century modern look in my 1840 house?" But then I started looking around at other slipper chairs and realized that it's really a pretty classic piece (this one definitely has a mid-century feel however). And while ikat print is especially trendy right now, I think it has a hold on tradition as well. I deliberated for a week or two and finally came to the decision that if they went on sale or offered free shipping, I would cave in and buy them. Well...last week Urban Outfitters announced free shipping on select furniture, so I jumped at the opportunity and bought two. I have to say that I was INCREDIBLY impressed with Urban Outfitters customer service. They called me immediately to talk with me about my order and make sure I was who I said I was (which always makes me feel good).
I also need to give some credit here to one of my best friends, Abbey A.B. Bloom, who I consult on nearly every furniture purchase (and most clothing purchases) I make whether it be from Craig's List or anywhere else. She has the best eye for style and I trust her to tell me if I misstep. :)
The chairs helped me to make an executive decision to do our living room in blue and white, with yellow accents. The living room is on the front of the house, and the windows in the room are under the porch. The room receives a lot of light, but not streaming-in sunshine. To help brighten the room, I've decided to paint the walls white. The wood work and tin ceilings are already white, so I'll have to be really careful to select a complimentary white. The white will also give us a blank canvas for bold prints in the window treatments and furniture. Plus, I want to do the connected entry way in yellow. The idea is for the yellow accents in the living room to work with the yellow paint in the entry to connect the rooms visually. That's the hope anyway! I have no idea when I'll ever get these things accomplished, but now that the chairs are arriving in a couple of weeks...I hope it's soon. They'll look pretty stupid in the room the way it looks now.
i love slipper chairs! still have anne's perched in the corner of my apt. have been trying to find one small enough to fit in my new living room (with many pieces from overstock.com)...but most are too large for the space i have. the ones from urban outfitter's look great though for your space! love the pattern.
ReplyDeletei am so famous now!! actually, i wish i had bought them, too! maybe if the apartment sells . . .
ReplyDeleteyour ideas sound fantastic. you could do a sisal rug, or natural, textural floorcovering for warmth (or an Oriental with blues in it to be more formal). the new house beautiful features a sisal rug that had a border painted on it. i just love that idea. bunny williams, you're so smart!
i also love that you are putting a modern spin on 'this old house' - that's how it's going to look unique, young and fun. i cant wait to read more!
yes, jessie also loves slipper chairs. i can concur.
i like the look of sisal -- but it may not go with your more modern motif...it also falls apart under heavy traffic -- ie dogs! a friend of mine had lots of sisal rugs around his house...but his dog practically tore them apart (and not with his teeth :))
ReplyDeletecan't wait for the next update!