I'm using the term antique loosely here. In fact I have no idea how old these chairs are but I know they're not from an ancient Pyramid and they're not from Wayfair. They're somewhere in between.
I'm sliding down a slippery slope of overindulgence. Not with money or booze or food but with old stuff. Creaky, glowing, interesting old stuff is making its way into my house again and if I'm not careful I'll be living in a granny pad once more.
I did that when I first bought my house. Surrounded myself with enough red velvet and lace curtains to choke Queen Victoria. Also I had no idea what I was doing at the time so there was that issue.
There are rules and ratios about how much old stuff and how much new stuff you should have in your house and how much older the new stuff should be from the old stuff if you want to strike the right design balance. It involves math and percentages and being very careful about the selections you make. My method for striking the right balance in decorating is somewhat less refined. I load up on one particular look until I start to feel anxiety in my toe knuckles, and then I pull back.
It's the toe knuckle test.
I was starting to get too far into the mid century mode and it was making me sweat a little. It didn't feel comfortable, as in, my toes were tingling. I wasn't really sure how I was going to solve this little problem, but I knew it didn't involve buying another mid century modern piece of furniture.
I needed something country and cozy and blanket like. That was achieved by ripping all of my floors down to their original pine and refinishing them (more on how I did that in a later post) to a natural tone. Apparently for me to get cozy I need to surround myself with saws, hammers and centipedes so large I can hear them coming.
The one thing people say about my house whenever they come in is that it's comfortable and cozy. I never, never want to change that feeling people get when they come in.
It's generally easy to maintain that cozy, comfortable and relaxed feel when there's always piles of laundry to be folded on the couch.
I was still on my rustic, cozy kick (having just bought this antique hardware cabinet for my kitchen) when I accidentally bought these chairs.
They're not what you'd call rustic.
These double blind caned (also known as French caning) Louis XV chairs were probably made in the early 1900's. Double blind caned? Oh, you haven't heard of that before? Neither had I until I accidentally bought these chairs.
What is blind caning?
Blind caning is when you can't see where the caning is attached to the chair. The holes are only drilled partway through the furniture and the caning is then pegged and glued into place. DOUBLE blind caning is when the same technique is used twice, once on the front and once on the back of the furniture. So there are two layers of caning instead of just one like you would normally see in a piece of furniture.
At least that's what I could figure out from searching Google.
I say I accidentally bought them because I wasn't looking for chairs. At all. I'd resolved to not having 2 chairs in my living room because there isn't room in there.
But there I was strolling through a local antique store the size of a shoebox (with enough furniture in it to fill a castle) when I saw them.
I got tingly toe knuckles. But in a good way.
I sat in them, got anxiety, almost bought them, decided that was stupid, walked away from them, looked at them again, left the store, turned right around walked back into the store, stared at them again, left the store, then called the store owner 10 minutes later from another store to say I was going to buy them.
What was my deciding factor? 3 of the 4 people I was out shopping with that day said they'd buy the chairs from me for their home if I decided I really couldn't find a place for them in mine.
So far they look good everywhere so I don't think finding a place for them will be a problem. They're small, lightweight and comfortable so they made great extra seating at Thanksgiving.
Once I get the cushions recovered (as opposed to stuffing them into white pillowcases as I've done here) the chairs are sure to look even better. I'm going to do them in either a neutral linen or velvet and I'm going to have them understuffed with down so it looks like they've been sat in for years. It's a more relaxed look, less formal. Also it'll help them be comfortable.
And cozy.
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Su
Love the chairs of course cause I love your style. If you ask me I’d go with linen not velvet for the chair pads. You got a great linen source tight? 😊
My rule as I decorate is something comes in something goes... painfully useful
Donna Maxwell
I now know what I am going to do with a chair that I have inherited! Total opposite of my style but a good creamy linen will clean it up. Yours are gorgeous! Pillowcase and all
Cathy
Those chairs are stunning! And I think a linen understuffed fabric is just the ticket
Stephani
Leave the pillow cases. I like them plus, no effort cleaning.
Suzanne Reith
Don't worry about the cushions. In a couple of weeks they will be piled with laundry and problem solved. Love them.
Mary W
LOVE these so much. They look very good and comfortable with the white pedestal table in front of the two lamps that I didn't like much until now. The lamps seem to me to make sense now. I'm thinking the floors have a lot to do with it. And the paintings gazing outward instead of inward - perfect! You sure do have wonderful accidents and extremely talented toe knuckles! I do have a problem with the poking up knobs on the end of the arms. I would be sanding those off unless they were integral to structure. But since I haven't sat in them, this may not be any problem - just the thought of them poking me as I relax my arm. They may be up too high to be a problem but they look like nipples on men. But other than that those two tiny things, I do love them, even the color is great - worn and perfect for you room. Good job! The room is perfect and if I lived in it, would stay the same, even the lamps that seem like guardians of the room - really like them now. And I know you were waiting for my approval with baited breath - which is a really strange thing to say - what is baited breath? maybe morning breath?
Alberta Karen
not baited, the word you want is bated.
p
Me like! J'aime les chairz! Je suis tres jelle'
Tu sont en pointe!
J'ai une Louie the fourteenth hanging out in ma basemente. It has
orange velvet which would be tolerable' but there is a jank paintjob
on the wood.
Joyce
Well, it seems you learned my secret of decorating a cozy home...piles of laundry! For the less knowledgeable, do not have piles of laundry in the kitchen! So untidy, for that room, a bowl of fruit and a cat on the counter.
Your welcome
Lorie
Have a similar chair purchased from garage sale. Painted it white and instead of reupholstering, covered it with sheepskin rug. Modern shabby chic and easy.
Madalina
IMHO a sand/oatmeal/buff linen would bridge the gap between antique and modern.
Nicole
Understuffing? I would never have thought of that, but it's so smart! It will look loved right from the get-go! I'm totally going to do that with the next cushions I stuff.
Paula
There is nothing quite like somebody wanting something that you have to make you want it even more! Gorgeous chairs. My home must be cozy because I always have clothing in the living room except when I tidy for Christmas or Easter. 😉. I would really love to learn how to balance though because living in a century home, my stuff is “grannyfied”.
Miriam Mc Nally
Loooovvveeeee those chairs.
I was actually admiring the "recovering", thinking 'what a nice, cosy, relaxed kind of cushion covering'. So, today's lesson for me, just stuff everything into pillowcases. Or leave it on the sofa, to be folded!
I'm currently on a break from clearing 2 rooms out: painter coming tomorrow. We have far too much stuff here!
Anita Hilton
In the 1930s my Great Grandmother haunted the auctions of the Hollywood movie studios. She owned a pair of the exact same chairs. Hers were purchased with maroon devore’ cushions. The velvet had a striped pattern of two 1/2 inch wide stripes separated by a 1/4 inch burned out stripe. Finally the pattern was completed by a 1/2 wide burned out stripes on the outside of the paired stripes. The down cushions had compressed to approx 1 inch thick. They were finished with the same fabric welting where the top and bottom pieces met the side panel.
Denise
Your remarkably detailed and thorough description of the cushion fabric makes me wonder whether you still have theses chairs ... :-D
Jo
I vote for Navy Rough Linen. By some sheets for fabric to make them. Think this would be perfect!
Jo
https://www.roughlinen.com/?utm_source=Artofdoingstuff&utm_medium=300x400banner&utm_campaign=AODS
From your website...
Danni McLaughlin
Velvet might make them look a little, uh, “mature”. I like loose weave linen down pillows as cushions. Cheap (ish) no commitment and there are so many sizes to choose from at places like HomeGoods that you can almost always find something that looks great.
Karen
Hi Danni! I understand what you're saying but if did them in velvet I'd understuff them and they'd get marked and worn in no time making them look old and authentic as opposed to "mature", lol. Also leaning towards a charcoal/black. They'd just look comfortable. I'll be having to reupholster them myself or have them done. You can get pillows at Homesense (Homegoods in the US) but not upholstered seat cushions. :) ~ karen!
Kelly ~ It took me 10 years to lose 10 pounds
You're hilarious. Love reading your blog... toe knuckles! You help me see old things in a new way. And I'm not just talking antiques. Everyday experiences. Thank you Karen!
Marsha
Love them.
Meg
"enough red velvet and lace curtains to choke Queen Victoria." hahah!! I'm dying. that and the laundry piles on the couch. your writing is so hilarious. love the chairs!
Karen
Currently looking at 2 loads on the corner cushion of the sectional. ~ karen!
Janie
OMG....I am so jealous. I LOVE THOSE CHAIRS. Wonder what it would cost to ship them to Texas if you change your mind. ha ha You find the best "antiques"...maybe because you have excellent taste.
I laughed at the pillow case comment. I have two beautiful antique wicker chairs with upholstered seats. I also have two cats. I wrap a king size pillow case around the seats to catch cat hair. Easy to remove and launder.
Tina
My solution is to have all furniture in leather. It’s easy to clean. Then, because I can’t bear to have my skin touch leather, I meticulously make quilted chair covers that I can strip off and wash.