Franken-Chair Reveal

Once upon a time, long, long ago, I decided to reupholster and combine 2 antique chairs. franken-chair-pieces

Ok so probably more like almost 6 months ago, but it feels like forever.  Well, aside from a few minor tweaks left Franken-Chair is finally done and functioning!

Franken-Chair-after

And Charlie Bear couldn't be happier.  Seriously.  I have to fight with this little fuzzball practically every time I need to sit down and work.

bear-chair

Franken-Chair took far longer than it should have to reupholster and isn't the picture of perfection that I was hoping for, BUT it's comfortable, functions the way I had hoped, and isn't an eyesore anymore.  I guess I can consider that a win!

Franken-Chair-after2

After my upholstering success with my other antique chair, I got a little cockier than I should have with Franken-Chair.  I thought I could rely on my sewing skills, but I forgot to take into consideration how the foam and curves would affect how the fabric stretched and attached to the frame.  I now understand why the original chair was upholstered in vinyl.  With a chair like this, a fabric that you can stretch to your needs is ideal.  Otherwise you end up with lots of wrinkles that cannot be avoided no matter how hard you try (and trust me, I tried!).

bear-chair-peek

I was tempted to try to photoshop all of the fabric wrinkles out of my images so I could have pinterest perfection, however that wouldn't be real.  I want you to learn with me for better or worse.  Eventually I'll hand this chair over to the pros and get it all done perfectly, properly, and in a way that will last for years.  Until then, however Franken-Chair is a pretty decent temporary solution if I do say so myself.

Franken-Chair-after

Not perfect, but who says it has to be.  Keepin' it real guys.  Have you had any projects go a bit differently than planned but still work out in the end?

Busy Week

It's only Wednesday, but this week has already been a big one in the Goodman household.  Aside from getting brandy new headshots for the new blog design (coming in May), several new design client consultations, and trading in my 20s girl convertible for a fun new Mini, Hubby decided to take a huge leap career-wise.  Very soon I will be married to a real estate agent!  It'll be a great move for this sales-addicted, budding real estate mogul, plus it won't be a bad move for our flipping business either.  Hubby gave his 2 weeks notice on Monday and since then, the reality of us both being self-employed is starting to sink in a bit.  I'm pretty sure we can handle it.  Wine will help.  So will kitten cuddles. Speaking of kittens, Daisy got some new head shots too.  She was shockingly cooperative during the photo shoot with Stephanie Rita.

daisy-headshot

I wouldn't be shocked if there were an equal number of shots taken of the cats as there were of me.  They were on their best and cutest behavior and I didn't even have to bribe them with treats!  Pop over to Stephanie's blog to see a preview of the human-focused part of the photo shoot.  These photos are going to look awesome on the new site!

Anyway, I'll be back on Friday with a REAL post!  And not just any post, a DIY post!  I'm just putting the finishing touches on Franken-Chair before it's big reveal.  It's long overdue!

Shop the Look: Statement Art

This post is brought to you by Photos.com by Getty images.  I promise, however, that the opinions and content are all my own. There are few things that can make an impact like statement art can.  A growing trend these past couple years is over-sized photo art, and ya know what? I'm totally on board with this trend!

OLD+BRAND+NEW+•+KAITLIN+MCHUGH

Photo: Kaitlin McHugh's gorgeous home as shared on Old Brand New

To shop the look above, I decided to get specific and look for stone formations by the ocean like the photo in the space- something a little moody.  Luckily for me, Photos.com has a whole category of Seaside>Rocky Beaches.  I was pleasantly surprised with the options!

Photos.com by Getty Images

Photos: 1/2/3/4

My personal favorite to capture the feel of the statement art above would definitely be this one, however.  Bold and brooding with a touch of color.

Photos.com by Getty Images

The next room I wanted to see about emulating is this elegant living room by Steven Gambrel as featured on Housebeautiful.com.  Same oversized photo trend as the first room, but a very different vibe.

house beautiful oversized art

This time I'm torn between 2 great options:

Photos.com by Getty Images

Photos.com by Getty Images

Both options would be amazing in the space- the backgrounds keep the overall print pretty neutral, but the small pops of color from the beach-goers add a playful tone.  Not too serious, not too funky- just the right note.

As I poked around Photos.com a bit more, I stumbled on this ridiculously fun print that I'm just itching to put in a room now.  How awesome would this dalmatian be as the focal point of a play room?  Printed on acrylic and mounted to the wall on metal stand-offs?  Hello!  The grayscale palette would keep it from looking to busy with the inevitable rainbow of childrens toys strewn about the room.

Photos.com by Getty Images

Thanks, Photos.com for bringing you today's post and all the statement art inspiration!

What's your favorite way to use photography in your home?