MCM Dining Chairs ||2017 Flip List Item No.4||

 
 

I must have been riding a real high from last year's bucket list upholstery project when I added item No.4 to this year's Furniture Flip Bucket List.  I mean, what's 6 more chairs right?  So when I stumbled on a set of dining chairs at the thrift store I jumped at the chance to cross another item off my list.  

Mid-Century Modern Dining Chairs

I figured they'd be easy-peasy: just recover the cushions and I'd be in business.  But not only did each chair need new fabric, they also needed to be sanded, touched up, and oiled.  I'd like to say my biceps are bulging from all that elbow grease I put in, but who am I kidding - biceps need actual muscle definition to be visible.  Ha!

Although they don't have an obvious maker's mark, these chairs have the signature Y-backs and tapered legs from the Broyhill Premiere Sculptra line - a collection of walnut pieces "luxurious in appearance...[but] modest in price" dating back to 1957.  

**Update** Since publishing this post, I have learned that although very similar to the Broyhill Premiere Sculptra line, these chairs are actually Kent Coffey Perspecta pieces.  Kent Coffey was also a mid-century designer and a leading Broyhill competitor in addition to being a friend and neighbor to James Broyhill himself. 

But if I was going to restore them back to their mid-mod glory, the suspiciously sticky brown vinyl  on my thifted chairs had to go.

So taking a cue from last year's chair, I recovered them in a white linen. 

I did think about recovering them in a patterned fabric but figure the white linen will make them more versatile for a buyer's decor.  Plus you can easily accent them with pillows or other other colorful accessories.

The set comes with 5 armless side chairs

and one captain's chair.

If you're in the DC metro area and in the market for some restored retro cuties (or a custom order like them), hit me up!

Set of 6 Kent Coffey Dining Chairs
Now Available for Sale
$475

Three down, four to go.  Catch up on the 2017 Furniture Flip Bucket List.

Reader Design: Ashley's Evolving Dining Room

Cheers to the weekend! Back with another Reader Design today from the talented Ashley of Bigger Than The Three Of Us! We shared her stunning 'Airy Bedroom', (at left), last week which had us spinning with fresh ideas, and her dining room sure doesn't disappoint either!

Just as a reminder, Reader Designs are an open invitation to share your unique design and creativity! There are no requirements to be a professional decorator or even a fellow blogger. The purpose of Reader Designs is simply to share incredible rooms with fresh ideas and document these features in our SPACES section to use as a reference of inspiration. Besides, who doesn't like getting to peek inside beautiful, creative homes?!

So, are you ready to see more from Ashley?!

From Ashley:

"When we moved in to our house three years ago, I hated the formal dining room space. The built-in was definitely not my style nor was the wall coloring. I painted the walls gray first thing. Next, I tackled all the trim and the built-in. They both got a coat of bright white."

"I found a vintage credenza on Craigslist as well as some mid-century chairs. I paired those with an old table that we had and some garden chairs. Instantly the room had life. I kept adding more layers to make it my own. My husband painted the ikat painting for me and that helped finish the space."

"Things have to evolve for me and continue to evolve and that's the only way I know how to decorate."

Well, Ashley, your home is evolving absolutely beautifully! Thank you so much for sharing your hard work and creativity! Now, how can we commission your husband to paint a few more ikat paintings for us???

There are two ways you can share your SPACES with us: Tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram or just post photos right onto our Facebook wall! We LOVE seeing your handiwork and are thrilled about the line-up of Reader Designs coming up - one of which is by a beautiful French woman living in Australia!

Thank you all for stopping by and have a splendid weekend!

Now for sale: Buffet + Bar cart {traditional with a twist!}

Happy Friday, folks! I'm excited to kick the weekend off with a couple of entertaining pieces - a matching buffet and bar cart! I've actually never done a bar cart before - the ones I see while out thrifting are glass and brass/gold and don't need any of my attempts at improvement. But, when I saw an all wood bar cart in perfect condition on old casters, I grabbed it with not the faintest idea of what to do!

Fortunately, I also snatched up this buffet on the same day which gave me a great jumping off point for creating a set! (I'm gonna go ahead and apologize now for the quality of the pictures - I had a tight window to get them done and it was during our darkest, rainy day this week while my kiddos ate lunch. These pictures were the least of our disasters this week, however, and I'm already looking forward to starting fresh come Monday! Just don't stare at my blurry pictures too long, I'd hate to awaken your vertigo.)

BEFORE

AFTER

I really wanted to maintain the traditional integrity of the buffet and decided to go with a classic color - a very soft, creamy grey. One of my favorite custom color mixes is Paris Grey and Old White, (both by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint), about equal parts of both. Rather than do any deep distressing, I just painted on two solid coats, applied the clear wax with a brush, and then buffed with a clean cloth. When buffing, I pressed a little harder with my cloth along the edges and details to pull some of the paint away, but it's nothing harsh. 

Seems a typical, lightly distressed grey buffet, right? But wait! There's more...

I'm not a totally traditional gal - I appreciate traditional pieces and design, but I personally prefer to put soft, unexpected 'twists' on such classic styles. Nothing that screams "whoa there, big fella!", (name that Seinfeld episode), but enough to give such sophisticated pieces a more casual, edgy look. I am in debt to Cate for helping me with this one - I knew I wanted to do something a little different with this piece, but I really didn't want to cross the crazy line. Cate's fresh eyes were so helpful and when she suggested leaving the inset panels in their natural wood state, I knew she'd hit the nail on the head. It was just enough of a twist without going overboard, maintaining the classic integrity of the piece.

And with a matching bar cart to boot, we're quite classy, indeed, today!

For a touch of glam I added aged brass pulls which I had removed from another piece last month. It was one of the easiest updates considering the impact they add to the simple cart. (NEVER throw out old hardware...unless you feel it's truly quite hideous!)

This set is now available for sale, $525. Email me at chelsea@stylemutthome.com if interested! 

To see what else we've got for sale please hop over and browse our Garage Shop!

Enjoy your weekend and thank you for stopping by!