New Office Chairs

I'm working on getting pictures of my office to share, but I thought you might like to see the desk chairs we decided on in the meantime?

Our new desk is really long (long enough for two large work stations), so I wanted to buy a pair of matching desk chairs. I wanted them to be good looking and super comfortable, so I figured I needed to buy vintage. I scoured craigslist and eBay for a month or two looking for a pair of reasonably priced Miller/Eames aluminum group management chairs. But since I needed two, and I didn't want to buy a new knock-off version, I struck out a lot in my pretty specific search. Most pairs were going to cost at least $1000 or more (no bueno).

Then I saw this gorgeous chair on the One Kings Lane Windsor Smith sale.

It was about $1000 I think, but it had been newly reupholstered (I LOVE the lavender linen!!).

Anyway, it got me to broaden my search parameters to just simply 'vintage office chairs' and that same day I found the perfect chairs for my office space.

They were made mid-century by company called Jansko. They are super comfortable (though I'm sure not as comfortable as the Eames chairs would have been) .

And the price? Only $135 for the pair! I got them from this great eBay seller, who has lots of fun retro/vintage furniture. He shipped them well and fast.

I love the bright blue color! Sort of reminds me of Kate Spade's (much more beautiful) blue leather desk chair.

Happy Memorial Day!! See you next week. xx

Rope Detailing

I like *touches* of nautical inspiration in home decor. Not whole rooms - but maybe like a little brass anchor on a stack of books. Or a bold navy and white stripe fabric. But as of late, my favorite thing has been carved rope detailing on furniture.

I bought these stools a couple months ago on eBay (there are still some available if you are interested in making an offer).

Even though I'm planning to reupholster and repaint them, I still love the shape.

I wish mine were a little more delicate and had the nice knot detail like this much more expensive Draper bench and Meg Braff's vintage chairs below. Someday maybe, but mine are great for now, and I think really fit the scale of our space.

images source: Coastal Living

Also, another rope project HERE:

How to Remove White Heat Marks on Furniture

During the holidays we had some friends over for a dinner party. We served an extra hot meal that night and after everyone left and the dishes were cleared and the table linens removed, I discovered foggy white marks all over my beautiful new table. This one was the smallest, though brightest mark.

Before I had a chance to freak out too much, my husband did some googling and we discovered that on some pieces of furniture if moisture (usually from the steam condensation on a hot dish) gets under the finish, white splotches called heat marks will appear and will stick around until treated.

You'll be surprised to learn, as I was, that to remedy heat marks, you apply... more heat and moisture! Weird, right? I just used two folded over clean white linen napkins and sprayed them down a little with water. You want there to be several layers of cloth between your iron and the table surface. Then I ironed over the napkins on top of the heat marks for about 15 seconds with the iron on a medium heat/steam setting. Don't just set the iron down though - keep it moving.

I have no clue why my table looks so dark here. Must have messed up the camera settings.

It was like magic and the heat marks disappeared (though in these photos I can see I missed a spot that doesn't show in person).

Anyway, random post today, but I thought maybe some of you might have had a similar issue with your wood furniture. Or if in the future you see these heat marks on a thrift store table, don't pass on it - it's an easy 15 second fix. I can remember one gorgeous coffee table that I didn't buy because of it's heat marks. I thought I would need to strip and refinish the whole thing! Who knew?

**A little disclaimer: this trick worked for me, but I guess a few other readers have not had success. It might be wise for you to try a less conspicuous area on your table first. Be sure you're using damp cloths with your iron on a medium setting with steam. And be sure to keep your iron moving!**

Cards and Chairs

Two quick things:

Firstly, Jordan rocks my world. She delivered a big ol' stack of freshly pressed business cards to me at Alt and it was like Christmas, except Santa was a gorgeous and witty brunette in a cute floral dress.

You can't really tell in these photos, but the edges are a really bright persimmon red. I love them.

Jordan's letterpress business will be going strong while she lives abroad this year. She'll be doing the designs herself and her talented business partner, Alexis, will do the printing. I couldn't be happier with the quality of my cards.

Also, I had help designing my card layout and my new logo (see the JK blind emboss behind my new business name?). My professional site is finally going to launch soon. I'll post more about that later, but I have been so incredibly happy with my designer, Eileen. If you need help with your site, shoot her an email here.

Second item of business:

Craigslist has been so good to me the past few weeks. Check out one of the pairs of chairs I got for almost nothing recently.

PS Want to be the happiest person for an hour or two? Type the word "pair" in your craigslist search box (either the furniture or antiques section) and all kinds of goodness shows up. It's true. Everything is better in pairs.

These are going to be our host chairs for the DR table. They need some work, for sure. But a little paint and fabric will go a long way.

I'm thinking white frames and something in a bold but small-scale pattern for the fabric. Or maybe like acid yellow paint on the frames and solid black Sunbrella for the fabric? Maybe still a fun pattern on the chair backs...

Daybed with a Pop-Up Trundle

Remember this layout?

Well, things have changed a lot, like they always do. In the office area, which is the bottom left room, we decided to have a long and narrow desk run the length of the windows so that we could put a murphy bed or a trundle bed where my huge partners desk used to sit.

I'm coming to realize that part of living in a big city is hosting an almost constant stream of house guests! I actually really love hosting though, so I don't mind at all. I just wish we had a real bed for them that's not of the leaky Aero variety.

Here's an updated layout:

Turns out a Murphy bed would barely fit in the office space when pulled down. It was going to be so tight that the expense would have been wasted, I think. So, we are going the 'daybed with a pop-up trundle' route. Not my first choice, but after thinking about it for a few days, I'm sold on the idea. I've got two options right now, and I think I could make either one work great with a little elbow grease and some DIY spirit.

Option 1 is a curvy number, that could almost look Swedish. It reminds me a bit of the uber expensive Marston trundle bed from Restoration Hardware.

I'd paint it and do a cool mattress cover and skirt.

OR! I can get a simple pop up trundle frame and make upholstered sides to get this sort of look:

Armonia Decor, courtesy of the Glam Lamb

What's your vote? Painted Swedish style or upholstered with a contrasting welt?

Dining Chair SOS

A friend just emailed me with an urgent request. They recently moved to a new apartment and sold their old dining set. Here's what their new place looks like:

They purchased their new table from Housing Works (a really great thrift store here in NYC). It is round and has cute spindle legs and will either get painted or refinished.

Here's where the urgent request comes in. My friend is hosting Thanksgiving dinner and needs a set of dining chairs ASAP and doesn't want to get something off Craigslist (which can be expensive and a pain without a car here).

I thought you guys would be interested in my suggestions for relatively inexpensive and readily available dining chairs that swing a little modern to go with a vintage table. So here's the list, from most to least expensive. Nothing is over $200 per chair:

These Tolix chairs from Pottery Barn (available in gunmetal gray, red or white) come out to $179 each when you buy a set of four. Or they are $199 when purchased seperately.

Talk about a classic--and the ultimate in kid-proof!

This great orange velvet chair from Pier 1 is a great price at $170. I love that it's modern but also pretty formal.

Ballard Parsons chair in off-white duck for $129. There are other less expensive Parsons-style chairs out there, but none have the traditional upholstered legs that I love.

Kmart is absolutely teaming with great chair knockoffs right now! At just over $95 per chair, this set of Eames syle chairs looks like a great deal!

There's a similar set that comes in acrylic too! $145 each.

Bertoia!

I absolutely LOVE this pair of chairs from Overstock ($265 for two). Doesn't the brown and cream fabric look suzani-inspired?

World Market just came out with these awesome French bistro chairs ($260 for a set of two). I think these would be amazing painted a bright color or white or black. Really any version of these chairs is going to be great (other than the unfortunately current state).

As a side note, this $199 bench looks so cool. It's upholstery in a woven kilim-like zebra pattern:

$100 at IKEA buys you a really cool chrome and acrylic chair.

I have an obssession with klismos chairs and I think these from West Elm are a really cool, modern spin on the classic style.

Just $79 per chair, available in many colors. I'm partial to the yellow and the red.

This $60 chair from IKEA is a great, basic buy, especially if your dining table is going to be colorful. Or if you use a colorful dining room rug.

If it's blue and lacquered, what's not to love? These chairs from Target are just $40 each!!

Do you have any favorites to share?

Gorgeous Nursery Glider

Did you see Jordan's post yesterday about her gorgeous glider? We originally had it in her bedroom, but doesn't it look great in her living room?

It's the Jennifer Delonge Luxe Glider in navy linen, and it's a splurge, but it's oh so beautiful. And I really really want one.

Do you have a glider that you love? Where did you get it? Do you feel like it was worth the cost? Jordan's glider doesn't look juvenile at all, so I feel like it was a good purchase since she's able to now use it in her living space. But what about something like this one from Pottery Barn Kids that's the same price as Jordan's Luxe glider? A waste of money (and floor space?) after a year or two?

All photos by Jordan

Ruthie Sommers' Furniture Revamps

Years ago I bookmarked this post that Courtney from Style Court wrote for Design*Sponge, and even today I still love seeing the before and after furniture projects from Ruthie Sommers.

I think they just don't make furniture like they used to - so why not find a gorgeous (and inexpensive!) antique or vintage piece and then make it totally your own with paint or upholstery?

Some Hump Day inspiration for you...

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

And saving my favorite for last...

Before #1

Before #2

And the lovely After (from Ruthie's own bedroom)