{ Posts Tagged ‘upholstery’ }

anthropologie’s louisa settee

Be warned – big-time swooning follows.

But you can’t blame me for going settee crazy lately. First there was that shapely velvet number from The Cross; then the Sutton from West Elm, and now Anthropologie’s chosen this petite seat as its cover girl for their April catalogue…

The Louisa Settee, Anthropologie

anthro1 anthropologies louisa setteeCould you be any more in love with that upholstery?!? It’s like a traditional French settee that’s been hit by a denim thunderbolt! This is truly upholstery as art, pure and simple – and the fact that it’s paired with a totally trad, grey finished Louis XV frame makes it even more of a standout.

anthroangle1 anthropologies louisa settee

And how cool is it that the upholstery carries through to the back of the settee? It’d be a shame to push this up against a wall – it’s dying to float in the middle of a room to be admired from all angles.

anthroback anthropologies louisa settee

I’m crossing my fingers that Anthropologie will get this beauty in one of their Canadian locations… (They’re not offering Canadian shipping on this piece at this time…)

anthrofront anthropologies louisa setteeWouldn’t you love to hang some Blue Willow on the wall above this baby? In a haphazard, totally un-frumpy way?

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how it’s made: barrymore furniture

Sometimes seeing how something’s made can alter your enjoyment of the finished product. As much as I love hot dogs grilled on the barbeque every summer, for instance, I never, ever want to see how wieners are made. Ever.

On the other hand, when it comes to fine furniture craftsmanship, seeing the artful process of how it’s manufactured can enhance your appreciation of it, elevating something as taken-for-franted as a simple slipper chair to a true work of art.

Last week, I had the chance to go behind-the-scenes at Toronto’s Barrymore Furniture to see how their soft furnishings are made, and it just reinforced the beauty of their custom collection of sofas and armchairs.

It all starts, of course, with fabric. Barrymore offers a huge selection of upholstery options in their own fabric line, as well as high-end threads from the likes of Robert Allen and Kravet. Just take a look at their sample room… So pretty!

b upholsteryoptions how its made: barrymore furniture

 

…And behind-the-scenes lies Barrymore’s fabric storeroom. Bolt after bolt of trendy textiles. Before it’s cut, each length of fabric is completely unrolled and inspected for quality control on a giant roller.

b fabricwarehouse how its made: barrymore furniture

 

The selected fabric is then cut (by hand!) according to draft forms. These racks contain all the templates for each sofa and chair model Barrymore carries.

b cuttingforms how its made: barrymore furniture

 

Springs are hand-tied into position into the (heavy — but so durable!) hardwood frame in preparation for upholstery. Barrymore uses a special string that resists that annoying “squeak” after you’ve been plunking down in the same spot for a number of years.

b springs how its made: barrymore furniture

 

Exposed wood elements of the furniture frame are taken to the spraying room for stain treatment. Doesn’t this look like a Star Wars set?

b spray how its made: barrymore furniture

 

Now we’re ready for that upholstery…

b frames how its made: barrymore furniture

 

This is what tufting looks like — from the side of the chair we never see!

b upholstered how its made: barrymore furniture

 

…Et voila! A completed sofa, upholstered in a lovely Larry Laslo fabric.

b larrylaslo how its made: barrymore furniture

 

These particular sofas are on their way to various Canadian embassies all around the world! (Nice to see Canadian diplomats abroad still remember to buy Canadian!) Kind of cool, as well, to think that dignitaries across the globe are able to enjoy Canadian craftsmanship each time they visit the embassies!

b embassies how its made: barrymore furniture

If it looks like they’ve got the process down to a science, there’s a reason: Barrymore’s been at this for over 90 years now. What a great “Made in Canada” success story!

Barrymore Furniture, Toronto, 416-532-2891

bemz marimekko slipcovers for ikea

Woah.

Talk about a match made in heaven.

Check out the new Marimekko collection of custom IKEA furniture slipcovers from Bemz… Without a doubt, the best fabric options Bemz has put out yet.

fandango tomelilla 22b bemz marimekko slipcovers for ikea

Hello, fuchsia! What a striking statement piece… (Bemz also scores extra points for styling this shot with my all-time favourite bowl in the background – the red, stemmed Maribowl from Iittala!)

 

 

kirsikka falsterbo 34b bemz marimekko slipcovers for ikea

Marimekko is a Finnish design studio that absolutely epitomizes “freshness”. Their designers have basically defined the superchic Scandinavian modern aesthetic that’s now a global phenomenon.

 

 

unikko henriksdal 7b bemz marimekko slipcovers for ikea

Marimekko’s poppy print (“Unikko”) is probably the studio’s single most iconic contribution to design. Here, it breathes new life into IKEA’s Henriksdal Parsons chair.

 

 

unikko klippan 19b bemz marimekko slipcovers for ikea

And here, IKEA’s Klippan sofa gets the Unikko treatment.

There’s only 13 days left until these very merry Marimekko upholstery options are launched from the Bemz website… Check out the live countdown here!

galbraith and paul fabric

gpfabric galbraith and paul fabric

To me, summer means Galbraith & Paul fabric. The Philadelphia-based design duo of Liz Galbraith and Ephraim Paul specialize in the art of hand-block printing — pressing carved wooden (or foam rubber) blocks coated with coloured vegetable dyes onto fabric to make patterns. It’s a thousand-year-old process that’s Galbraith & Paul have brought into the 21st century with their penchant for stunning patterns and pretty palette of over 80 colours.

Fern (above) is a new hand-block printed pattern for Spring 2009, and Birds Silhouette (below) is a new variation of my all-time favourite Galbraith & Paul fabric, Birds (a citrusy, multicoloured version of the same pattern — on linen it’s positively dreamy). Wouldn’t these make the prettiest throw pillows for the cottage?

gpbirds galbraith and paul fabric

Love the Birds Silhouette in black, too… So striking!

gpblackbirds galbraith and paul fabric

For more information, visit www.galbraithandpaul.com or call 215-508-0800.

must have: ikea furniture slipcovers

bemzslipcover must have: ikea furniture slipcoversIs your Ektorp looking a little worse for wear?

Does your Klippan need a facelift?

Breathe new life into your fave IKEA furnishings with washable slipcovers from Bemz! Designed specifically to fit IKEA’s most popular furniture frames snugly, Bemz is the perfect solution for updating a sofa or chair at a fraction of the cost of custom reupholstering. They’ve recently added to their slipcover options this plush new chenille option in Cinnabar Red — a fantastic way to add a punch of colour over the holidays, and what could be cosier than curling up on chenille? 

Bemz 100% cotton Chenille slipcover in Cinnabar Red (on IKEA’s Karlanda two-seater sofa)

Slipcover price: $309

Available at: Bemz

enduring elegance

gold cropped 01 enduring eleganceBabs has done it again. Barbara Barry’s new Enduring Elegance home fabric collection for Kravet Contract reflects her signature style – sensible, understated chic in a soothing palette –  in all its glory. I admire how Barbara constantly finds inspiration and beauty in the everyday items around her, whether it’s a pair of shears or a paperweight. And as these are contract fabrics, it means they’ll withstand the test of time – ideal for high-traffic areas in the home.

 

Available through designers: Kravet, 800-535-3258; Montreal, 514-931-2437; Toronto, 416-921-1262; Mississauga, Ont., 905-607-0706.