{ Author Archive - Lauren McPhillips }

makeover monday: chair before & after

It’s finished. My ugly, orange-y pink chair has been given new life and has made its way home to me.

On Thursday, I made my way to Carrocel Restorations to pick up the chair and when they brought it out, I was floored. It was just perfect. Not only did they reupholster it in the DwellStudio fabric I chose from Robert Allen, but they also took the entire thing apart and rebuilt it with new foam and added some piping and nailhead details. Carrocel also sprayed the wood in a Benjamin Moore white as a finishing touch.

I am so beyond pleased with the work that Carrocel did and would highly recommend them to anyone looking to get a piece refinished (check out their fascinating videos on furniture restoration). The quality and attention to detail is remarkable, and they kept me updated on the chair throughout the whole process.

And now, without further ado, here is my fabulous new chair!

chair final before makeover monday: chair before & after

The 'before' shot {Purchased for only $30, the chair had a great shape but the fabric was hideous and the construction was a little worse for the wear.}

chair table makeover monday: chair before & after

Here is the chair at Carrocel Restorations in its most deconstructed state.

chair final makeover monday: chair before & after

Taa daa! The finished chair, sitting in my living room.

chair final side makeover monday: chair before & after

Thanks so much to Robert Allen for bringing the DwellStudio fabrics to Canada, and thanks a million to Carrocel for the immaculate job you did with the refinishing.

Carrocel was awesome in taking a ton of photos during the process, so stay tuned for when we show you a step-by-step of how they refinished my haggard ol’ chair. PLUS, you’ll get to see what was stuffed inside!
So what do you think of the final product?

xo,

Lauren

win a $200 gift card from posterjack!

I’ve always loved printing off my own photography and making my home a personal art gallery with my own prints hanging on the walls. However, it’s always seemed that the mainstream stores never crop it to the proper size and custom can get rather expensive.

Enter Posterjack.ca — the answer to my photo woes. This photo enlargement site has been the absolute easiest way for me to print of photos in large scale. The material options are endless as well — photo paper, canvas, peel-and-stick, custom framing or collages.

Want to know the best part, though? Besides the fact that it’s a Canadian company, Posterjack is super affordable. You can get a 24″ x 36″ print on photo paper for only $20 (even cheaper than the big box stores, who don’t do as good of a job either).

Here are a few prints I got done for my own house {keep reading to see how you can win $200 for Posterjack!}:

posterjack ashleigh win a $200 gift card from posterjack!

I took this photo of my friend Ashleigh (former Style at Home associate art director) on a weekend roadtrip to Gananoque last fall. I just love how the silhouette turned out.

posterjack hermitage win a $200 gift card from posterjack!

The photo in this image is at the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam. I was wandering around and found a quiet corridor with breathtakingly large light fixtures.

posterjack cowboys win a $200 gift card from posterjack!

I took this picture of my boyfriend when we were in Dallas a couple of years ago for the Cowboys Thanksgiving game. I figure this is a much more attractive way to show team spirit in the house than by hanging a jersey on the wall!

posterjack maastricht win a $200 gift card from posterjack!

One of my favourite photos, I took this when I was in Maastricht, Holland, for The European Fine Art Fair. I love Dutch architecture and this shot really reflects that European charm.

Now here’s the fun part — Posterjack has given us a $200 gift card to present to one lucky reader! Such an awesome prize because you could gets tons of photos printed or go big and get a mega-sized canvas.
To enter to win, just leave a comment {with an image if possible} telling me about your favourite photo you’ve ever taken {you can link to it online, as well}.

Good luck!

*Contest closes April 29th, 2011 at 12pm EST. Open to all residents of Canada, except those in Quebec. Not open to any Transcontinental Media employees, their families, or any other persons with whom they reside.

colourful canadian-made cushions

Fab find
Handmade pillowcase, $25 US each; Milk & Cookies Canada on Etsy.
fab find cushions green colourful canadian made cushions
fab find cushion pink colourful canadian made cushions

I’m always on the hunt for new cushions to change the look of my home, but can’t bring myself to pay over $60 for one. You sit on them, lean on them — in a few month’s time, that throw pillow is not going to look like you paid $200 for it.
I can’t get enough of these cushion covers that I spotted on Etsy. Handmade in Toronto by Milk & Cookies Canada, the colourful cushion covers sell for $25 US a pop, but you can also get some styles for $20 US each. If you do want to go the designer route, they also have fabrics from DwellStudio ($35 US each) and Kelly Wearstler ($75 US each).

What’s the most that you’ve paid for a throw pillow?

chair makeover in progress

After heading off to Aruba and Curacao for a week of rest and relaxation, I was delighted to come home and get an update on the chair I’m getting refinished. The craftsmen over at Carrocel Restorations were fantastic with taking a ton of pictures throughout the process, so I got to see how much they actually stripped it down. Here are a few of the snaps they took — I can’t wait until it’s finished!

chair stripped chair makeover in progress
chair paint chair makeover in progress
chair fabric chair makeover in progress
How do you all like it so far?
xo,
Lauren

lacquer nut bowl

Fab find
Lacquer nut bowl, $4 each; westelm.com
fab find lacquer bowl lacquer nut bowl


Guest post by Elaine Song
I usually gravitate towards shades more than colours. Most often you’ll see me dressed in black, white or grey. Needless to say, my home decor tends to run on the safe side with neutral tones, but this doesn’t mean I don’t love me some colour — I just tend to use it in punchy accents. I was instantly drawn to these lacquered wood bowls from West Elm. The high-gloss finish offers bright colours and shiny metallics that not only add that delicious pop to a room, but also allow you to customize these accents to your own style and decor. Use them for food, displays, jewelry, keys, or loose change — it’s up to you!

jade glass zinnia knob

Fab find
Glass zinnia knob, $6; anthropologie.com
fabfind zinniaknob jade glass zinnia knob
Guest post by Elaine Song
Hardware is so underrated when it comes to styling a piece of furniture. Whether new or revamped, add some flair to your drawers or cabinets with these beautiful glass knobs. The iron accents in the center add to its fabulous antique look and will give any piece a little pop and a lot of personality.

paint palette inspiration

While flipping through the pages of our April 2011 colour issue, I got so excited about introducing some bold hues into my own space. I was particularly drawn to the paint palette that drew inspiration from an exotic china plate. The story, produced by section editor Catherine Therrien, features paint colours that perfectly match the hues on the plate. I love this idea, because I’m constantly inspired by things I see around me everyday, whether a shape or a colour, and look to mimic it in my home.

paint palette plate paint palette inspiration

The inspiration (Wedgwood Pashmina salad plate, $44; williamashley.com)

paint palette swatches paint palette inspiration

Try this palette in your own home!


Have you ever taken palette inspiration from a shopping find?

emma serving bowl

Fab find
Emma serving bowl, $26; potterybarn.com
fab find emma bowl emma serving bowl

Guest post by Elaine Song
You know the saying, “It looks so good I could eat it”? Well these bowls are so pretty, you’ll want to eat right out of them. Enhance the beauty of your food with these earthenware serving bowls. The beading detail along the outside is subtle, yet makes these bowls oh-so-charming. At 10” in diameter, they’re great for serving a hungry group of dinner guests or just displaying fruit.

featured blog: aubrey & lindsay’s little house blog

little house lindsay featured blog: aubrey & lindsays little house blog

Blog: Aubrey & Lindsay’s Little House Blog

 

Blogger: Lindsay Stephenson

 

Location: Upper Beaches, Toronto


What’s your blog all about?
I’d like to think that what I write about on our blog is all of the things I’d be telling my family or friends over a cup of coffee. Trying to figure out how to do trim, our latest fabric finds, the new vacuum that I bought that I want to recommend, DIY projects — we really talk about everything.


What do you do for a living?
I run an online art and stationery studio called Penny People Designs and do freelance graphic design for small businesses.


If you weren’t working in the profession you are, what would you be doing?
Had I not found my passion with running my own business/being an artist, I think I would have loved to have been an interior decorator as I feel it’s similar to what I do right now– a dash of business, with a whole lot of creativity.  But, I’m extremely spatially challenged, so I think I’ll leave the profession of interior decorating to other people.

little house ikea rast featured blog: aubrey & lindsays little house blog

Lindsay's IKEA Rast table makeover, which was a hit around the blogosphere

Describe your home in 6 words or less.
Young traditional.


Favourite post you’ve done?
I have a lot of favourite posts but perhaps the one I’m most proud of is our master bedroom, because it’s a perfect example of our style of decorating — splurging in some areas, saving in others. Our bed was a splurge (Colette from Crate and Barrel), while our wood dresser was found tucked away in a vintage shop and our vanity was repurposed by painting it white and adding new knobs.
Our side tables were a project we did after seeing them in the September 2008 issue of Style at Home. We immediately did them and posted about them on our Penny People Blog, and rather quickly our makeover shot went viral.

little house nursery featured blog: aubrey & lindsays little house blog

The sweet nursery Lindsay and Aubrey designed for new baby Oscar

If money were no object, what one item would you buy for your home?
A piece of original art, either by Peer Christensen or David Grieve.


Where do you shop for items for your home?
From boutiques to the used furniture store down the street, we shop everywhere. But surprisingly, we do a lot of DIY projects that involve IKEA. We did a DIY bench out of IKEA cabinets {image below}, and also used cabinets as part of my DIY desk. We made a daybed/sofa out of an IKEA bed that is in Oscar’s nursery {not shown in image above}.

little house kitchen featured blog: aubrey & lindsays little house blog

Aubrey and Lindsay's clever DIY bench made from IKEA cabinets

What song, movie or soundtrack sums up your life?
I don’t think there is a soundtrack that sums up my life, but if there was an album that I wouldn’t mind playing my whole life, it would be any classical record. No matter what a day has been life, classical music seems to slow things down for me.


What has been your fave find under $50?
Our little hippo sugar container for $2.00.

P.S. Interested in having your blog featured? E-mail us at blog@styleathome.com

colourful ceramic spice jars

Fab find
Ceramic spice jars, $4 each; anthropologie.com.
spice jars colourful ceramic spice jars
 Guest post by Elaine Song
I have completely fallen in love with these adorable spice jars. They’re airtight and come in four pretty, pastel colours – perfect with Easter just around the corner! Each jar is numbered and impressed with the phrase “Plein de Bonne Choses” (Full of Good Things). It’s these little details that make them all the more precious.

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