Slipcover Sass

What a wonderful way to freshen your furniture and your interiors.......with slipcovers.  You know the old saying, "A change is as good as a rest"!  It's true! 

Nothing perks me up more than a change in our interiors......I stick with the basics, but continually change the look of our rooms with fabulous fabrics.

The change can be seasonal, for a special event or just to give your eyes something new to enjoy......in other words, a rest!  Right now, I am in the process of making new slips for two living room armchairs and six dining chairs...........the effect will give both rooms a fresh outcome!

Look at some of these ideas and let your mind wander about the possibilities.  And remember, slipcovers aren't just for chairs and sofas as you can see below........headboards, footboards, lamp shades, tables and yes, dog beds, can benefit too!

Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

BEFORE photo of red striped chair



AFTER of same red striped chair

Note how Katrin Cargill accentuated the gilded carving at the top of the chair with ruffles.  As for the cushion on the chair, she dressed up a solid color pillow by adding a colorful sleeve tied with velvet ribbon!

 

  

  

Image 1 Lee Jofa, Image 2 Diamond Baratta

Images 3 - 9 Katrin Cargill via Country Home



Suite Dreams are Made of This

Image 1 Barry Dixon, Image 2 BHG Images 3 & 6 Pinterest

Image 4 Coastal Living, Image 5 Cottage Living

Image 7 Homes & Gardens, Image 8 Elle Decor

The Fairest One of All.................?

Image 1 Katrin Cargill, Images 2 & 6 Charles Faudree

Image 3 Mark Hampton, Image 4 Charlotte Moss

Image 5 Unknown, Image 7 Nancy Lancaster

Image 8 Unknown

Oh, Mario.............!

Anyone who has ever had the faintest interest in interior design has to have come across the work of American designer Mario Buatta.......known as the 'Prince of Chintz'!

He has the ability to take any space and turn it into an English country setting.  He is the first to admit, though, that his rooms "do not appear overnight from a department store showroom"......nor should they.  He is a firm believer in collaborating with his clients so there are never any surprises.  The final results of his rooms evolve with a great mix of antique and new furniture, his wonderful mix of fabrics - chintz, stripes, ginghams and his beautiful background colors that bring his rooms together.  I also love that he appreciates 'collections' and displays them appropriately....his personal dog art collection is a delight!

I have chosen his floral, feminine rooms to post here, but this designer knows no bounds......his masculine rooms and his gender neutral rooms are to die for.  His interiors are such classics! 

The following rooms are samplings from some of the many different homes he has designed.

Hope you enjoy his look as much as I do.......

This is the first Mario Buatta room I ever saw and I have been

hooked ever since.

Kips Bay Show House

House Beautiful cover back in the 80s and I still have it!

All photos via Architectural Digest

Last photo from House Beautiful

Bodacious Barkitecture

It's a dog's world!!

Paris Hilton's $325,000 dog house, dog pool and dog lounges

Rachel Hunter's dog house

Rachel Hunter's dog house interior

Colonial

French country

Victorian

Victorian

House of Coco

Two story

Swiss chalet for a mountain dog?

Australian beach huts for dogs!

Image 1 Unknown, Images 2, 3, 6, 7 & 8 The Coolist
Image 4 Planbreddesign, Image 5 David Zentz Photography
Images 9 & 10 Unknown, Image 11 Abbeville
Image 12 Dogspoilingmadeeasy, Image 13 Unknown
Image 14 Hotfrog

A Day in the Life of a Design Blogger

I ended my day yesterday with my thoughts going in all directions and concluded that either I need more hours in a day or I have to work faster..............but I wouldn't have it any other way!

As I thought about my day, a poem began to brew in my mind.  I grabbed my pen and pad and began to jot.

Day after day,
I search and scheme
I scan and save
And plan my theme

Books and nooks
Beds and sheds
China, chairs
And every manner of pet lairs

The colors red,
Pink and green,
Yellow, blue
White and cream

Ginghams, toiles
Linen and lace
How much longer
Can I keep this pace?

Authors, artists
Designers and such
Sometimes it seems
It's much too much.

But then I rest,
I sew or read
I walk our dog
Or the garden weed

I bake a cake
I clean and scrub
Iron, mop and grocery shop
Till I near drop

And then to bed
I toss and turn
And all the while
Ideas churn

So in the morn
When all is clear and no more fog
I begin once more to sow a seed
For those who read
My designer's blog......

                - Kay Furlong

Toile Tales

Toile de Jouy is fabric that was initially designed with scenes which tell a story......peasant life, pastoral and farm life, romance, etc.  And in the beginning it was usually one color on a light background (i.e., red on cream).
'Toile' being the French word for 'cloth' and Jouy being the area of France where it became mass manufactured, it was believed to have originated in France, but, in fact, it originated in England, and it was the French who made it famous.

Now, in our age of super mass production, it no longer is just printed on fabric, but can be found on just about anything one can imagine - shoes, wallpaper, lamp shades, dishes, furniture, mirrors......whatever the mind can imagine.  And it no longer just 'tells tales', it now is available in florals, as seen below.  It is also available in many, many color combinations and no longer just two colors.....often three.

Today, I am going to feature red toiles.......hope you enjoy!  Another day, another color!

And have a great weekend!

Remember to click on images for larger detail.                                            

Image 1 Charles Faudree, Image 2 Southern Accents

Image 3 Katrin Cargill, Image 4 Traditional Home,

Image 5 Martha Stewart, Images 6 & 7 Unknown