Café Design

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Hello, hello dear friends! I hope you’ve had an awesome 4th of July weekend! What’s blooming in your garden right now? After the colorful riot of lupines and peonies, there’s a bit of a respite in mine. The lupines are seeding, not a pretty sight, but a necessary one, and my daisies and echinacea are about to unfurl. The Japanese beetles feasting on my roses are nothing new, but there’s something special in my flower beds that’s stealing the show that I want to talk to you about. Hollyhocks.

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If you’ve ever been tempted to take on an upholstery project but were intimidated by the enormity of the job, or are looking to get started with upholstery in general but don’t know where to begin, dining chairs could be a quick and easy job, with a high ROI. Or so I thought. 

In one of my previous posts I shared a set of antique dining chairs I found on Facebook Marketplace, and talked about my plans for a quick makeover. Today I’m here to share the outcome, and to eat my words – it wasn’t quick, far from it 🙂 The chairs were simple enough to reupholster, but the whole process took much longer than anticipated, and needed some repairs and skills I did not possess and had to figure out along the way. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn a commission on all qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Happy unofficial start to summer, dear friends! I hope it’s a great one for you and your loved ones! Once again, life has gotten in the way, and I didn’t blog as often as I wanted to, despite the fact that I’ve missed you all and have many design projects to share with you. For one, I am done refinishing the dining chairs I talked to you about in my previous post. It was not an easy project – it took longer than anticipated, I made too many mistakes, and I felt like giving up a bunch of times, but I’ve also learned a lot in the process and I’ll be happy to tell you all about it. So, for those of you interested in upholstery, I’ll share my experience and the outcome in my next post. Stay tuned!

Happy Easter Sunday, dear friends! It’s a nippy day here on the East Coast, perfect for a slow morning. The coffee is brewing and the smell of a freshly baked orange cake (the only one I can successfully make with my eyes closed) is filling the kitchen, and I have an unusual moment of quietude and desire to write. I’ve been procrastinating a little on sharing my latest Facebook Marketplace haul (per your request), in part because most of it is in the basement and the lighting down there is not the best for taking pretty pictures, but also because I was otherwise preoccupied. But yesterday the sun was out and the vibes were right, so I started work on the latest set of dining room chairs I got from Facebook Marketplace. I’ll share them in their raw state today, and hopefully remember to snap photos as I progress in their makeover. 

Happy Spring Equinox, dear friends! It’s been a while, what have you been up to? 

In a world on fire, escapism has become my lifeline. Escapism and furniture shopping. I’ve been trying very hard to focus on the upside of things this winter and you can tell it was a rough one by the sheer amount of Facebook Marketplace furniture pieces I’ve added to our collection: twelve new dining chairs (in my defense, they are stunning), a new old sofa (also stunning), all of which I have no use or space for, two wingback armchairs, a secretary desk to serve as entryway catchall once refinished, and four rolls of vintage wallpaper with no idea where or how to use them. 

All of these stray pieces of furniture have somehow found their way into my basement, despite my better judgement. They were lovely, affordable, and the sellers highly motivated and willing to deliver – an irresistible combination for me. Clearly, my hoarding tendencies have returned, stronger than ever, and my attempts at self-improvement have, for the moment, stalled.