Let's Add Some Color!

Many of the slipcovers that come through the workroom are understandably in neutral tones. But, every once in awhile, we get to play with color. This was one of those projects (and I got some pictures against the new navy wall in the workroom!)...

The chair is a Pottery Barn Teen chair that my client found at a consignment store. I don't have a "before" picture. but it came with a white velvet slipcover that my client was ready to move on from. She considered a variety of fabric options, but eventually settled on this red cotton duck. It was a great choice!

She just wanted to mimic the original slipcover, so we did, keeping the short, kicky skirt to show off the pretty front legs.

This spring I hired a workroom assistant, Mary (she is amazing!) - this was one of her first mostly solo slipcover projects and she did a great job!

And that bird pillow! You may have seen them on my Instagram or Facebook accounts, available through Pillows For Good. I have a few of them in my own home and they are a fun, versatile accent in all kinds of places!

Do you use red in your home?

Sherri

Finally, for us...

If you have been following me on social media for awhile, you may remember that we purchased a new couch back in June. Well, it was a new-to-us couch, found through the 5miles app - have you ever used it? We (ok, I...) had been looking for awhile, and when I saw this Pottery Barn model, clean and available locally for a great price, and the seller was able to deliver it, SOLD! Here she is in all her red-flowered slipcovered glory...

When you are looking for pre-loved pieces with the intention to slipcover, it opens up lots more possibilities ;)

In this case, I really wanted to "neutralize" our family room. We LIVE in that room - play, read, watch TV, my husband's work desk is in there (artfully cropped out, because -- Professor ;) Someday, a real home office space for him...), it opens to the kitchen, you get the idea! It's a busy people space and I needed the decor to be quieter. Quieter now looks like this...

Much better than the navy we had before, and definitely an improvement over the red flowers! I found a brushed denim for a great price here, and with the impending deadline of hosting guests, ordered it in faith without seeing a sample. The fabric came and turned out to be almost the exact color of our paint in that room, perfect for the neutral, quiet look I was aiming for! I got lucky - if there was more time, I definitely recommend getting samples to make sure you are getting a color that works.

I was a little hesitant about getting a light color in such a well-used space, but it washes well and does so much for the room, that it is worth it.

I kept the slipcover design simple, partly because I had a deadline ;) A waterfall-style skirt saved some seams and eliminated several additional yards of piping.

All ready for some serious family time (and guests)!

Do deadlines help you get projects done?

Sherri

Crisp and Tailored

My client knew exactly what she wanted for this next project - tailored, white slipcovers. The only thing that changed in the course of planning was the size of the project - we started with one sleeper sofa, but then she purchased the same sofa in a non-sleeper version to replace a sectional that just wasn't working for them. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any "before" pictures, but both of these pieces are "Axis" style couches from Crate and Barrel. She chose white 12oz duck cloth and this was the outcome...

We opted for no skirt, just taking the slipcover almost down to the floor. And I think I am a fan of those simple track arms :)

This one is the sleeper - I treated it the same as the other, but installed a zipper around the seat deck to make it easy to access the pull-out bed without removing the whole slipcover.

Just very simple. But, those throw pillows! My client has the best collection - every time I install a slipcover, she brings out all these perfectly mixed-and-matched pillows - wait until you see the whole room!

Such a great space, made lighter and brighter with the white slipcovers...

A perfect summer look, just in time for the Texas heat!

Do lighten your home for summer?

Sherri

Time to Lighten Up

Sometimes it doesn't take a whole slipcover to make a big difference in a room. In this case, my client knew that she just wanted the backs of her dining chairs covered. 

The leather seats were in perfect condition and, of course, were perfectly suited for dining chairs, so we just needed to come up with a new look for the tapestry-style backs.

She chose a brushed denim in Natural that was a great complement to the dark leather and wood of the chairs.

We kept the look simple, with top-stitching along the "boxing" around the edges of the back.

But, then, of course, we had to make the back interesting - it is the side of dining chairs that you see most.

Covered buttons with loops, and top-stitching to finish it off.

Now my client's dining room has a new look, without compromising the function (and isn't that a beautiful room?).

Sherri

P.S. In spite of what my random blog posting schedule would indicate, my amazing clients are keeping me hopping! I just booked a project for October, so I only have a few more spots until the end of the year. Just an fyi... ;)

P.P.S. Linking up here :)

Traditional Meets Preppy, with Color!

Many of my projects end up capturing more of a neutral style sense. And, while I love me some neutrals, it's fun to mix it up with some color sometimes.

My client already had a base of neutrals in her home, so she was ready for color to more fully express her style. Kelly green was her color of choice for the first couple of projects: a large ottoman and tailored tablecloth...

She opted for green duck cloth, with white piping trim, and large box pleated skirts...

It took a lot of fabric, but it's so worth it to have full pleats!

A layer of Dacron over the top softened the tufts...

(and then there were these two scoundrels, who made it very difficult to take pictures that day - tails everywhere!)

(Thankfully, Max has had a haircut since then!)

The second project was another large ottoman for a more formal space. 

This time she chose a textured linen/cotton blend in a muted teal...

...with a band of natural linen/cotton for the accent (which, apparently, perfectly matches her couch!). Again, we did full box pleats for a luxurious look.

I top-stitched the band to keep the seams going the right way.

This fabric was sturdy enough that the top did't need any extra padding to minimize the tufting.

Perfectly fresh for spring!

Sherri

Lovely Linen

My client is in the process of building a new house. So, a furniture refresh was in order, of course :)

We started with her wing chair...

... in great shape, just in need of a new look. My client chose the same linen/cotton blend that I used here. It was a great choice...

We kept the look tailored, with a short straight skirt, piping on the cushion, and top-stitching everywhere else. 

The top-stitching was tricky around the "telephone" arms, but my client was pleased with how they turned out, so that's all that matters ;)

Now it's all ready for it's new home!

Fyi: the cover on the pillow on the chair is the Indigo Engineer's Stripe from the Pillows For Good collection - head over here to see more fabulous farmhouse pillow options :)

Are you planning any spring refreshers for your home?

Sherri

P.S. Linking up here :)

Craigslist For The Win

When my client first contacted me about a slipcover project, she had a particular chair and ottoman in mind. When it came time to discuss fabric options, she had found this chair and ottoman set on Craiglist and wanted it done instead. But this was no ordinary Craigslist find - these were Quatrine pieces, in like-new condition!!

The only issue were the red slipcovers - not my client's style. But, that's an easy fix ;)

She had another Quatrine piece that had a pique-type fabric, so she was looking for something similar. We landed on a beautiful white linen/cotton blend from Gray Line Linen. Once it was washed and dried, it had that great pique texture that she was going for!

She knew she wanted knife pleats all around the bottom. And, to mix things up just a little, we used white denim for the piping.

Here's a close-up of the texture of the fabric...

English roll arms are always a classic feature...

We finished off the project with little slips for a couple of footstools. This time we used the denim for the main slipcover and did the pleats in the linen/cotton blend (this shows the before and after)...

A new look more in keeping with my client's style :)

Sherri

P.S. Linking up here :)

Subtle Alterations Can Change Everything

This project required a simple slipcover, but we made a few other changes that resulted in a dramatically updated couch - makes for a great before-and-after! Before...

August Blues - Couch Before

... a well-loved couch, sturdy, but in need of an update.

As with any renovation project, we started with the structure, before we did the cover. The couch sat quite low to the ground, so, based on the starting seat height, we determined that the width of a 2x4 would be enough to raise the seat height to a standard 18". My client's father built three frames of 2x4s to raise the couch . Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture, but there was one for each end, and one for the middle that the frame of the couch rested on. It made a big difference, both in appearance and function!

Once the new seat height was established, we could construct the new cover. Dropcloth was the fabric of choice, which provided a neutral backdrop for patterned pillows to come. We decided on a simple, traditional slipcover style...

August Blues - Dropcloth slipcover after

A completely new look! The other "structural" change was the addition of new custom inserts for the back cushions. We increased the size slightly over what we started with and filled them with cluster polyfill for resilience. The smaller, rectangular cushions (not pictured here) were also replaced with new down inserts.

August Blues - dropcloth slipcover arm after

Just piping trim and a simple, tailored skirt (with a corner pleat that didn't get pressed quite right :/).

August Blues - Dropcloth slipcover after

Subtle changes for a fresh, new look for more years of comfortable use :)

Sherri