pull up a chair

i have a chair problem. i see chairs everywhere that i want. sometimes, like in this particular case, they're incredibly old and weathered. and chained to phone booths. but i could see this chair in a hallway with a stack of books on it, and maybe an old phone sitting on top of them. i could see it being used as a little side table in a guest room with a pretty book or two and a small arrangement of sweet pink flowers. of course the chain would have to come off...


i've also been coveting a midcentury rocker from urban...and now it's gone. so gone i can't even look at it and lament that it's not mine. except i can torture myself by looking at it here.

my love for chairs knows no limit...i don't discriminate - i love all styles and sizes, all time periods and origins.

i collect chairs at tag sales and garbage piles (imagine that said under my breath - i'm not proud of it. well actually, i'm a little proud of it, but mitchell's not). i have a dream of what they'll be one day. my latest obsession is this, in our next apartment. i'll paint several disparate chairs all in one high-gloss color (TBD) and have them around a dining room table all together. i first saw the idea in sjp's home, and became obsessed. i've written about it a few times already, because i never tire of it.

here are the chairs i've collected (well, ones that look a lot like them) that will all live in harmony one day soon around my table. so far, i've only spent $10.

one thonet bentwood style chair, $5 at tag sale:

one chippendale style chair, $5 at tag sale:

then, i have my sights set on two chippendale-style armchairs at my grandmother's house (free) that are far less bamboo-esque than these, but you get the idea. and i love the fact that there are two...it breaks up the pattern of only having one of each and gives it that more collected feel, which in this case, is totally authentic.

then i have 2 french country chairs like this from my other grandmother (free). another couplet...

and then when my mom gives in to my urgings to get these chairs for her dining room table, i hope to take a couple of their current ones too (free). they look like this (no arms):

okay and one more -- this style captains chair which i picked up in a..."recycling" pile. it looks almost exactly like this, except it's in three pieces at the moment:

and i'd like to add a couple more should i ever come across them at a tag sale or something...a shaker style chair like this:

and a curved back one like this:


oh, and maybe a queen anne style like these:

where am i putting all these chairs? i really don't know the answer to that. like i said, i have a problem. maybe one day when i'm a millionaire, i'll have a chair annex. and then i'll live there and stare at all my chairs all day. don't judge.

thonet chair image, chippendale image, chippendale armchair image, french country chair image, other images from here, and here

seeing red

sometimes i feel bored by red, but i'm kind of loving the idea of a bunch of these red chairs from pier 1 surrounding a big wooden table like this one.

or even a more modern one like this.

the chairs' ladderback, shaker style reads like a neutral to me now, where a few years ago i would have thought they looked dated and stuffy. perhaps it's the idea of mixing them with a different colored wood that i like, and i love this pottery barn version too, and you could even mix and match colors. a really inexpensive option would be to buy a set of these simple chairs from ikea and paint them yourself with whatever color you want. high-gloss would be fab!

to make the look a collected, relaxed one, i like the idea of throwing in a couple of different pieces too. i would probably go for 4 or 6 of the red chairs, and then add in one of these stools ...

and one or two slipcovered parsons chairs, depending on the size of your table.

or you could keep the look a little more uniform but still not matchy by swapping out two of the pier 1 red chairs for two of these which are a slightly different red and have arms.

do you like the idea of a deconstructed dining room set? this image was what originally got my wheels turning on it, and i've loved it ever since.

if you knew suzani

for whatever combination of reasons, i've found myself gravitating towards suzani and ikat prints in a way i never was before (more on ikat later this week, and here. and here.) suzani means needlework, and are defined as "decorative tribal textiles made in tajikistan, uzbekistan, kazakhstan and other central asian countries." and i love them. a lot.

generally, suzanis carry meaning in regards to fertility, household stability, protection and health, so they make a perfect decor item in any home. i love the idea of mixing these patterns in with other patterns and pieces of furniture and art that don't directly correlate.

to me, textiles like these add such warmth and grounding to a space, and contribute to the feeling of a home that has come together over time. of course, there is a great appeal to the real deal, visiting these countries themselves and sourcing your one perfect piece from a local market, but there is also a wealth of access out there to collections of these pieces, including great sources on ebay. here are some of the pieces i love that i found there:






how gorgeous are these? and what's really lovely is that most of the sellers of pieces like these know a great deal about each one, so you have a sense of the provenance of what you're buying, which is so authentic, and really a nice connection to the craftsmanship and culture of the suzani.

a large piece like these is perfect as a wall hanging, a bed cover (on top of a comforter) or a topper over a tablecloth. they even look amazing just draped casually over a great chair or ottoman. wisteria sells some pretty ones which are "inspired" by vintage suzani fabrics, shown here.


for other real-deal suzani pieces, i love jayson home and garden (let's be serious, love them for everything) and i particularly adore these pillows:


and etsy shop material recovery is a mind-blowing sea of vibrant colors and textiles. it's a project put together to "unite antique embroidered textiles.....with furniture salvaged from second hand stores." YES PLEASE. look at this bench and chair:


I DIE. sort of reminds me of this anthro chair i was coveting. and then the pillows:



for some other beautiful "suzani-inspired" pieces, wisteria has a few pillows i love, and an ottoman that's pretty close to perfect. i love the image of it in front of a broken-in leather couch and an oriental rug underneath.



etsy seller eleganttouch makes pillow covers inspired by suzani designs which are a less expensive (around $50 each) step into the suzani world. these are my favorites - i love how they're sort of washed out looking, and think they'd look great in a more subdued, spa-like space, even though they are still vibrant.





even dwell by target has taken on suzani, though i would stick with the throw pillow since it has an embroidered texture which the comforter and shams do not -- so much of the look is about the embroidery, and i'd hate to have it all flattened out and mass-produced looking.



to me, even buying the reproduction versions of suanis supports the tradition of the embroidered art and keeps the place of the important heritage in today's design.

top two images from elle decor and soul pretty; all other images from linked sites

MIA

tell me you wouldn't want to live in this miami penthouse.







i dare you.

dining room photo from architectural digest, all others from house of turquoise - interiors by jennifer post