Project Recovery: 5 Months Later

Okay, okay, I admit it - I procrastinate. If I was really motivated, this project would have been done months ago (and without the help of Mom, my trusty volunteer, it still wouldn't be done). The root of the problem is that I do not actually enjoy DIY projects. Regardless, Project Recovery is now complete, and I can cross one more task off the to-do list.

Here's the cost breakdown:

Set of 5 Chairs: $180
Paint: $22.55
Foam: $25.00
Fabric: $63.53
Labour: Priceless
Total Project Cost: $291.08
Total Cost per Chair: $58.22

When I sell my Ikea Gilbert chairs on Craigslist, I can subtract that amount from the total cost and these chairs will be practically free!!

This is the step by step photo diary of the process:

Refinishing the Wooden Chair Frames

Remove seats from chair frames:

Sand and apply 2 coats of primer:

Apply 2 coats of paint
(Left side is primer, Right side is painted):

Recovering the Seats

Remove all 4 layers of fabric from seats:

Purchase new foam seats or have pieces cut to size.
I took one seat to De Cutting Edge to have 5 pieces of foam custom cut:


Purchase new fabric for seat covers.
I chose fabric #2 from bb bargoons:

Add 4"-5" inches along each edge, mark and cut the fabric:

Staple Fabric to Seat Base:

Reattach seat to frame:

Sit Down & Relax:

All photos by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto.

One of a Kind Spring Show

The spring edition of the One of a Kind Show starts Wednesday and runs through the weekend at the Direct Energy Center at Exhibition Place. Dates are March 31st to April 4th. Don't forget!!

Fabric: The Final Frontier

This morning I woke up determined that before the day was over, I would find 2 1/4 yards of fabric suitable to complete Project Recovery. Having struck out at Designer Fabric, macFAB, and even at Michael Levine in LA, it was time to knuckle down. So I left Miss Picky at home and took Miss Determined to Get This Project Done...all the way to Concord where the only bb bargoons store is located.

bb bargoons
8201 Keele Street
(North of Hwy 7)

Although known for their fabric selection, bb's also offers an excellent selection of inVU ready-made draperies. This entire wall was lined with a variety of drapery panels in solids, stripes and patterns:


I was quite surprised by the amount of home decor items they also offer - lamps, vases, toss cushions, and assorted accessories to create interesting vignettes. Those pretty yellow gourd lamps are only $69.99 each!!


Now onto the main event: The fabric selection!! The store has a prolific selection of prints in a wide variety of colours. I must have spent 15 minutes just wandering up and down the aisles with bolts of various hues on either side:

Black

Brown

Aqua

Turquoise

Pink

Sage Green

Red

Yellow

Indigo Blue

After ogling all of the other fabrics, it was time to focus on the project at hand. After careful consideration, I narrowed my selection down to these 5 fabric choices:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

Which pattern did I choose? Stay tuned for an upcoming post which will feature all of the steps it took to complete Project Recovery from start to finish, including the final fabric choice!

Tiny Swatch

I started Project Recovery late last October. The plan was simple: Sand and paint the wood frames of 5 dining chairs and then recover the seats. Thanks to my number one volunteer, Mom, steps 1 and 2 have been completed. So what's the holdup with completion of the most simple step 3? Miss picky (yes, that would be me) can't find just the right fabric - it's the story of my life.

I thought I was onto something when I discovered that I could order a Kravet chinoiserie fabric through macFAB. Considering the $90/yard price tag, I wanted to see an actual fabric sample before placing an order, so Lola at macFAB arranged for Kravet to send an approval swatch. Here's what I got...

...ummm...

The seat to be covered is roughly 20" x 17", and I understand that a swatch is just that, a swatch, but it's so difficult to understand the scale of the pattern from such a small piece. I wish I could say "That's it!! That's the One!! I Love it!!", but it isn't the one, and I don't love it. Sigh.

Next stop: bb Bargoons. Wish me luck!!

Earth Hour 2010 in Toronto

Tonight marked the fourth annual Earth Hour event where we all turn out the lights for one hour to think about the effect our actions have on our environment. Tonight I walked over to the Bathurst Street bridge to get a shot of the Toronto skyline going dark, and although it felt a little underwhelming, there was an obvious drop in electricity use when the clock struck 8:30.

Of significant note was that ALL of the major bank buildings in my line of sight extinguished their rooftop logos, including Royal Bank, Scotiabank and Bank of Montreal. Of course, the landmark CN Tower made the most impact by switching off its energy efficient LED lighting system.

Before 8:30 pm

After 8:30 pm

Dishonorable mention goes out to the following corporations:

Toyota on Front
(8:42 pm)
Shame on You!

Concord Cityplace
(8:46 pm)
Tsk! Tsk!


Rogers Centre
(8:51 pm)
Looks like someone forgot...


Best Redemption of the Night:

Rogers Centre
(8:52 pm)
...Someone finally located the switch!

As I write this, my laptop is running on battery power and I'm surrounded by a candlelit glow. The most important thing we can learn from the Earth Hour exercise is that even small gestures can make a difference to help preserve our environment.

Thanks for participating Toronto!!!

Photos by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto.

Sarah's House 3 Episode 3

On this week's episode of Sarah's House, it was time for Tommy & Sarah to take on the upstairs bathroom. This bathroom will serve guests in the north and west bedrooms shown on last week's episode. The colour scheme for this room was drawn from the printed curtain fabric: Yellow, White & Graphite. Love it!!

Splurges:
Printed Cotton Drapery Fabric $650 (5 yards @ $130/yard)
Stone Mosaic Tiles $70/square foot
Saves:
Tub $200
Sconces: $325/pair

And for a change, Sarah finally completed a room UNDER budget!!
Original Budget: $25,000
Final Cost: $21,215

Photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

The all white home of design editor Ann Marie Favot is currently featured on the Style at Home website. As perfect as the space looks in these photos, I wonder how it would feel to live here? Would spaghetti and pizza be allowed? What about pets?

One thing is for sure: This type of design relies on a variety of materials and textures to stimulate the senses.







What do you think about an all white decor? Could you live comfortably in this space?

A Page From Style at Home

It seems like I'm not the only one who fell for the bright yellow urns from Homesense. Check out these colourful images from the May issue of Style at Home: