Art Appreciation

Now that summer has passed, and #ProjectA has wrapped, I finally have some spare time to catch up a few things I've been putting off around the condo. Two weekends ago I recovered the dining room chairs in a golden yellow velvet. This past weekend I was onto a new project: art for the master bedroom. I've been in this condo 23 months, and the walls of the master were bare until this past Sunday.
 

As most of you know, since I mention it frequently, budget is a consideration when I make decor choices. In this instance I splurged a little bit up front, and saved on the other end. Here's the story: I follow designer Christian Siriano on Twitter, and he quite often tweets a "sketch of the day". One day I followed the accompanying link down the rabbit hole, where I discovered "Violet Flowing", a limited edition Christian Siriano sketch. As art goes, $35 unsigned is quite affordable (signed prints are $89), and I knew the sketch would be perfect to hang by my bedside table, so I placed an order.

I'm sure it goes without saying that the 8" x 10" sketch print arrived unframed, so the next step was to find an affordable frame that would enhance the art and suit my bedroom decor. Basically, it had to be a gold frame. I looked at Michael's and Ikea, but it was slim pickin'. I thought I might have better luck at the thrift store, and I was right - I picked up a frame for the sketch at Goodwill and added a new pre-cut mat from Michael's. All in, the framing for this piece set me back $8.72.

The only catch was that while searching for a frame at the Goodwill, I fell for another piece of art, an abstract with lots purple and mauve and swirls of gold. I paired the $6 newly discovered masterpiece with a $10 frame and now it resides above the opposite bedside table.

What I find most interesting is how different these two pieces are, and yet I find beauty in both of them. Where will you find your next piece of art?

On Time & Under Budget

Whaaaaaaaaaat? That's right, I just wrapped up a bedroom installation for a young lady (#ProjectA), and managed to come in on time and under budget. I gotta tell you, I love this room and I may just move in when it becomes a guest room in a few years. It's an incredible transformation, and my clients are super happy with the results. We achieved so much in just under 7 weeks, considering we changed everything from the chandelier to the broadloom.

Don't believe me? Check out the "Before" just before painting started:

I took this project on with a tight timeline of about 6 weeks, and the budget was tight as well. We wanted to hit a target of between $2400 ~ $2900, and I knew we could do it, but only with some thrifting luck and a lot of DIY projects. The first purchase was the 9 drawer dresser which I found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. Although I wasn't convinced that the $55 price tag was a good deal, I made a quick decision to bite when they offered it to me for $29.99. The piece truly came to life after three coats of Para's* Whitewash White. The gold framed mirror above the dresser was a Kijiji score, and it's such a beauty, isn't it? I didn't have to change a thing!

Our original idea for the feature wall behind the bed was to choose a wallpaper, but we were having trouble finding a pattern that everyone could agree on. In the end, we took inspiration from a photo that my client had pinned on Pinterest and opted for an Indian Paisley Damask stencil. We painted the accent wall in Para's Exclusive Shopping, the other three walls in Trendsetting Style and stenciled the pattern in Whitewash White. This was my first time working with a stencil, and I was super nervous to tackle the task, but after figuring out the placement of the pattern it was actually quite easy.
 

I'm sure you've all been ogling that gorgeous, glowing chandelier up there^^^. It could be a vintage Murano leaf chandelier, but there's no way to know for sure without the papers to prove it. Regardless, it's my favourite piece in the room, and it may just be the best Kijiji find of all eternity.

 

The pair of bedside tables were another great score, and we lucked out at the online auction website, MaxSold. I bid on these tables based on the drawer hardware alone. Little brass pagodas? Yes, please! These bedsides also received three coats of Whitewash White to unify the look.

I finished off the room with lamps and accessories from HomeSense, bedding from Target, and added a punch of colour with pillows sewn by moi. I am so, so happy with the way the space came together, and I am even happier that my client loves her new bedroom. Mission accomplished!!

Photos by Aliya Amarsi, A Photography.

Design & Styling by Pamela Graham, Cherish Interior Design 

*Many thanks to Para Paints who supplied all of the paint for this project.

Prest-O Change-O Grey to Gold

In my house, procrastination knows no bounds! Shortly after New Years, I found a dining set on Kijiji and posted about it here on January 31st. At the very end of that post, I wrote the following:

"The chairs will need to be recovered in a new fabric,

and I'm obsessed with the idea of using a deep yellow velvet.

Can you picture it?" 

Fast Slow forward to March 1st, when I purchased 3 yards of fabric for this little project (keeping receipts helps to keep track of spending and project timelines), spending a lavish $36.36. Then life happened, and I tucked that bolt of fabric into a corner for more than 7 months before rolling it out in preparation for cutting. I removed the existing covers from the best fitting seat and chair back to use as pattern pieces to cut the new fabric.

There was some sewing and some stapling involved in this project, but I won't go into too many details, it's fairly straight forward. The trickiest part was avoiding wrinkles in the fabric while stapling and I didn't do a great job of that, but oh well. Despite the telltale DIY signs, I'm happy with the fresh new look:

I love the contrast of golden yellow against navy blue. What do you think?

Not Exactly Quick, But We're Making Progress...

So according to my previous post, things were moving along quickly, and that is still true for the most part. Ninety percent of the key pieces for this bedroom makeover have been sourced, orders have been placed and furniture has been picked up. I'm still stuck on finding the ceiling light fixture and mirror, but other than that, we're chugging along.

The sloooowest part of the process has been the "elbow grease" pieces. The thrifted dresser ($29.99!) underwent a makeover, and since I could only work on it intermittently, it took about 10 days from start to finish. Sand, prime, dry, sand, prime, dry, sand, paint, dry, sand, paint, dry, sand, paint, dry...you get the picture.

Done at last!! Updated from scratched & dented 1960's veneer to a crisp, modern white (Para Paints Whitewash White, 2089-00):

Without missing a beat, I'm onto the next project. I submitted a max bid of $100 through an online estate auction, and the hammer came down at 95 bucks for this pair of bedside tables. I was completely sold when I saw the hardware. The drawers were a bit sticky, but some candle wax easily along the runners quickly sorted that out. After a good wipe down, it will be time to get back to sanding, priming & painting. Good times!