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Curved consoles turn up on craiglist in horrible finishes. Good solution: bold stripes. Want modern? Ghost chair. More trad? Sleek brown leather wing chair. Done.
Showing posts with label console. Show all posts
Showing posts with label console. Show all posts
Small Measures: Striped Springer-style console
Curved consoles turn up on craiglist in horrible finishes. Good solution: bold stripes. Want modern? Ghost chair. More trad? Sleek brown leather wing chair. Done.
Re-direct
You know how sometimes you get so fixated on one thing, you sort of forget about the big picture? Oh yes, I think they call this "not seeing the forest for the trees." Well, I was running off to see this Chinoiserie console yesterday, when all of a sudden I came into the dining room from the front entryway, and I suddenly saw that accent wall anew. And it became clear that the console, mirror, and stools plan was not going to work. It would just be too busy. What this wall needs is a very large piece of art. As in, this large. (oh, the many uses of kraft paper!)
Preferably something not super colorful, with more of a focus on texture and detail than shape or pattern. Preferably, if money were no object, one of Ghada Amer's incredible embroidered paintings, with the threads hanging from the canvas. Kind of like this:
That last one is done on wallpaper, so there's an idea.
And so I wonder: do I dare improvise some kind of DIY? I know I can get artist canvas cheap at my oh-so-favorite fabric warehouse (and I happen to be heading there later this week in service of the nursery I'm working on), and I could build a frame. Or I could buy some vintage wallpaper panels on ebay and frame them out. And, you know, I'm committed and all, but is it insane to think about embroidering a piece that is approximately 54" x 68"? Yes? Well, I suppose that never stopped me before. And while of course I could never touch the kind of perfection Ms. Amer achieves, I might get some of the textured effect that I am after.
Oh. Just to wrap up loose ends. I did go look at the console, and really, it's a sofa table and therefore too short for a dining room, anyway (22 inches). It would be very cute painted, in someone else's house. The woman who was selling it clears out estates and sells a lot of the salvageable pieces, though, and now we're friendly and she might be a great source of future finds, so all was not lost.
But somehow the dining room accent wall is now further from complete, instead of closer. Don't you just hate that?
Preferably something not super colorful, with more of a focus on texture and detail than shape or pattern. Preferably, if money were no object, one of Ghada Amer's incredible embroidered paintings, with the threads hanging from the canvas. Kind of like this:
That last one is done on wallpaper, so there's an idea.
And so I wonder: do I dare improvise some kind of DIY? I know I can get artist canvas cheap at my oh-so-favorite fabric warehouse (and I happen to be heading there later this week in service of the nursery I'm working on), and I could build a frame. Or I could buy some vintage wallpaper panels on ebay and frame them out. And, you know, I'm committed and all, but is it insane to think about embroidering a piece that is approximately 54" x 68"? Yes? Well, I suppose that never stopped me before. And while of course I could never touch the kind of perfection Ms. Amer achieves, I might get some of the textured effect that I am after.
Oh. Just to wrap up loose ends. I did go look at the console, and really, it's a sofa table and therefore too short for a dining room, anyway (22 inches). It would be very cute painted, in someone else's house. The woman who was selling it clears out estates and sells a lot of the salvageable pieces, though, and now we're friendly and she might be a great source of future finds, so all was not lost.
But somehow the dining room accent wall is now further from complete, instead of closer. Don't you just hate that?
Chinoiserie console: opinions?
Just saw this one on craigslist. A different direction from what I've been thinking about (and stalking), but the dimensions are perfection and the price is right.
Is it waaay too traditional? Remember the room looks like this (plus there is an asian armoire, which is where the whole desire for an asian-inspired piece comes from.)
Is the shape too fussy to paint it chartreuse, with that little scalloped lip under the drawers? Will I regret not being able to put a pair of stools underneath? So many more considerations with the final piece of furniture to come into a room.
I'm hoping to get a close-up of the hardware and wood finish tomorrow.
In the meantime, opinions are more than welcome. In fact, lay it on me!
Ask and you shall receive
Jus thought I'd share a photo of the amazing modern- chinoiserie console that my friend Sara offered up. I have always loved this piece! It is 4 inches deeper than what I actually want for the space, so while I'm researching freight rates to get a piece like this from San Fran to Mpls, I'll be testing things out in the dining room to see if we can handle the 18" depth of this piece.
Sara also says it's pretty scratched up, so I would not feel the least bit guilty refinishing it in chartreuse!
Stalking: asian console table
Most of the time, I follow the "I'll know it when I see it approach," letting inspiration come from some fabulous find, and building a room or vignette from there. But sometimes I get a bee in my bonnet about something very specific, and while I can usually find it, I generally can't afford it.
Like the console for the dining room. There's already such a mix in there--contemporary turkish rug, farmhouse table, eames shell chairs, 1970s chinoiserie armoire, giant paper chandelier--it's kind of like finding the last piece in a pretty complex puzzle. But I have a vision. An asian altar table, or asian-inspired console table, in chartreuse. Specific, I know, but it is out there.
This one is perfect. But one of a kind, and no longer available.
Wisteria has one, for a mere $849.
House Eclectic has one, for a (slightly) more reasonable $630.
Did I mention that my budget is $100, tops?
Right.
So, I'll need to find an old wood one, and paint it, like this altar table that I found on Decor Pad (not for sale).
Easy, right? Wrong. So far, the Asian import stores that I've tried don't have anything in my price range, and even this one from Pier 1, with a simpler, but workable shape, is out of my budget, for $179 even on sale.
Even if I could stretch my budget, I hate to spend that kind of money at a big box store.
So what's a girl to do?
I found this set on craiglist, and was very tempted, especially since those stools would come in handy. But it reads a little too tiki to me, and they wanted $140, and I've sat on it for a while so it may not even be available any longer.
I continue to stalk craiglist, but if anyone has a good (local) source for asian imports, do tell!
It's lucky that I enjoy the process so much.
Like the console for the dining room. There's already such a mix in there--contemporary turkish rug, farmhouse table, eames shell chairs, 1970s chinoiserie armoire, giant paper chandelier--it's kind of like finding the last piece in a pretty complex puzzle. But I have a vision. An asian altar table, or asian-inspired console table, in chartreuse. Specific, I know, but it is out there.
This one is perfect. But one of a kind, and no longer available.
Wisteria has one, for a mere $849.
House Eclectic has one, for a (slightly) more reasonable $630.
Did I mention that my budget is $100, tops?
Right.
So, I'll need to find an old wood one, and paint it, like this altar table that I found on Decor Pad (not for sale).
Easy, right? Wrong. So far, the Asian import stores that I've tried don't have anything in my price range, and even this one from Pier 1, with a simpler, but workable shape, is out of my budget, for $179 even on sale.
Even if I could stretch my budget, I hate to spend that kind of money at a big box store.
So what's a girl to do?
I found this set on craiglist, and was very tempted, especially since those stools would come in handy. But it reads a little too tiki to me, and they wanted $140, and I've sat on it for a while so it may not even be available any longer.
I continue to stalk craiglist, but if anyone has a good (local) source for asian imports, do tell!
It's lucky that I enjoy the process so much.
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