Lori's Custom Order Lyre-Back Chair

Lori contacted me and wanted a perfect desk chair to go with her new desk.  After a lot of searching, I found exactly what she was looking for.  This stunning reclaim was in the corner of an antique shop's upstairs storage and looked like someone has thrown a bucket of stain at the front of it.  It had such a fantastic shape, was solid mahogany and extremely well built so I began work on it right away.

This is how it began, with the original seat, etc.

Here is the beautiful back after a lot of sanding and painting.  The paint used is an oil-based satin finish white called "Highlands White."

Here is the finished product...the entire frame was sanded and prepped, with several paint layers and some slight distressing applied to the edges.  The original seat base fit really well and was solid so I kept the same base and padded it with a high-density, high-quality foam base.  It was covered with a white cotton fabric and then double padded with a stunning dupioni silk Lori chose off Etsy in a beautiful mild peach.  It turned out absolutely perfectly, this chair is now happy in California!

The African Queen Chair

This incredibly regal chair had a very auspicious beginning.  A friend of mine called and said that someone had just put this piece out on the side of the road!  I'll never understand why people do this, the frame was perfect, but the fabric was torn everywhere.  My friend said it had a great shape and boy was she right!

This is how it began...pretty shabby.

Here all the fabric has been taken off but the filler is still in there and the nasty old cushion. 

By this point it's been stripped down and the wood has been cleaned as well.  The whole front has been put in and tufted with the seat put in as well.

Though you can't see it the back here is put on (always the last step!) and this is the finished chair without its cushion.  The gimping and hand nailing turned out incredibly well!

This chair's cushion made me swear off cushions forever (of course I'm working on another one right now :), it was so impossible.  It was completely built from scratch, obviously, as the old one was thrown away.  The fabric on this piece is called "wildcat" and is very classy and exotic!  I really enjoyed working on this one and right now it is in California with it's proud new owner, Katherine!

The Harlequin Chair

This chair is so much more stately than I think people realize, and such a statement piece!

It began a Craigslist find from a dealer one town over.  It looks pretty good in this picture but the upholstery was worn really badly and torn.

This chair went all the way down to the springs as I wanted to redo the wood a little bit as well.  It was a nasty yellowish tint before and now it is a lovely antiqued amber.

The seat was rebuilt from all new materials and I chose this fabulous "harlequin" pattern that I had been saving for just the perfect match.

This is the back, I never trust backs without extra support so I added some straps to make it even more sturdy.

The finished product...after french-tufting, rope welting and a million feet it seems of nailhead trim.  So beautiful and so elegant.

The Savannah Chair

This sturdy chair is absolutely glowing in person, I hope the pics help it come across a little bit!

This chair began its life as a high-quality Flexsteel armchair that was being discarded because of how vile the fabric was.  

The seat is the gorgeous new upholstery that registers as a neutral but is actually an incredible texture of brown chenille interspersed with vibrant greens.

Modern chairs are actually much more difficult to take apart that vintage ones.  The backs are put on with machines using a kind of metal bracket that attaches from the inside.  Terrible stuff to deal with!

This is it after all the welting has been applied, the back closed and the tufting put in the backrest.  This tufting is super unique as it is my own design.  It actually serves to make this chair incredibly comfortable, as the tufting pulls the back in exactly where most people's scapular would hit the chair, very comfy!  This chair is now happy in California with Jana!

The Sophia Chair

This gorgeous boudoir chair has been very popular on Etsy and has been featured in over ten different venues so far!  This is the journey of this chair from humble beginning to fabulous end...

I found this chair at a garage sale in my town, it was very neglected with the welting peeling off and a dreadful fabric covering it.  The wood was a dingy grey and gold.

After a thorough scrubbing the beautiful original finish came through in a stunning heavy cream and gold.  The original upholstery was kept on the seat and the back to provide extra durability.  It was covered with a shantung silk in a beautiful peachy pink and tufted to the original design.  

The armrests were redone and replaced and then the back was put on, closing her up.  The double welt on this piece is all custom and I think took longer than the rest of the chair put together!

Now this abandoned boudoir chair is an unbelievable show-stopping beauty that will add an incredible grace to wherever she ends up.

Welcome!

Hi everyone, welcome to my shop's new blog!  I've had a lot of requests to show my work more from start to finish so I'm going to be updating this blog with pieces that are done and pieces as I'm working on them.  Many of my pieces are available for purchase here on Etsy.  

I will also feature other notable artists, shops, and design ideas from time to time.  I hope you enjoy this blog!