How to Design using an odd chair

We have all had an odd chair in our lives at some point.  You know the one that was past down by your great grandmother, aunt or mother-in-law or you picked it up at a flea market because something about it spoke to you. Maybe it has history or a story, maybe you just liked the person who gave it to you.  While it may not quite fit your current decor, it's doesn't necessary have to be collecting dust because you can't bare to get rid of it.  Why not incorporate into your home?  Here's some ideas for putting that odd chair to use....

1 - Use the chair as it is.  An odd or old chair is one of the Keys in How to Achieve a Timeless Design

Michael Leva's Apartment

Alex Papachristidis' Library

2 - Sometimes the chairs are fragile or are difficult to sit it.  So use your chair as a way to display art or books just as you would a table.

Nina Freudenberger's Sitting Room

Alex Papachristidis displays a book and box

DeGunzburg

 Great use of chairs to display your art!

Todd Nickey & Amy Kehoe

This is functional art!

3 - Use your chair as shelf....

Hang your chair

Not only useful but makes a great display

Use a chair on top of a chest!

 4 - Use your chair in a creative functional way. 

To hang your clothes on in a bedroom!

As a towel rack

  5 - Use your chair as art

Love this!

Sculpture Doris Salcedo

Hand chair by Pedro Friedeberg

Do you have any other great uses for an odd chair?  send them to brandy@twineinteriors.com

How to Make a Collage Painting

I found these old paintings at consignment stores, salvation army, goodwill.  No one really wants a painting of someone they don't know so I got these pretty cheap.  It's better to get oil paintings that don't have too much texture, it makes it harder to cut up.

1  First come up with your design.  I was inspired by someone else's design and I knew it would work perfectly in our showhouse dining room design.

Design inspiration

2  Decide on the size you want it to be and make sure you have a table large enough to work on it.  I stood the whole time to make this.  The size I choose was 36" x 48", quite large!

3  Shop for supplies:

Canvas (stretched already at a hobby store, unless you know how to stretch your own)

Acrylic paints in the colors of your design/match old paintings

Cutting board (you can use wood or several layers of card board if you don't have a cutting mat)

Exacto knife with lots of blades ( you will have to change them often)

Pencil

Ruler (metal for cutting)

Acrylic matte gel (pictured below) You don't have to get very much.  I used about 1 cup for my       painting.

Old Oil Paintings

4  Draw your design on your canvas with a pencil

Draw your design

5  Start painting - it makes a nice background to your collage when your pieces don't quite match up.

Start Painting

Design is painted!

I painted the yellow stripes on the edge because I may not frame it or I may frame it with a gallery frame and I wanted them to continue.

 6  Paint the background. I went with white because I wanted it nice a crisp.

Painting is done,  now start the collage... 

7  Start cutting your old paintings.  I did mine by color.  I cut the canvas off the stretchers from the front.  I didn't bother removing the staples and unwrapping the canvas.  I just cut it off.  Fast and easy.  I cut only a few strips at a time because I had to measure towards the end of each color to get the angles right.

Cut the canvas - you can cut it from the back or the front.

I numbered them after I placed them on the canvas to remember the order to glue.

 8  Start gluing.  Use the Acrylic matte gel - apply a light coat to the canvas and to the back of the strip.  Cover completely with gel.  Use your fingers to press it into place.  Don't worry about getting it all over the canvas or strips, it dries clear.  I could only apply 6-10 strips at a time and I would have to wash my hands so I wouldn't get dried glue on the painting as I smoothed over the strips.

Apply gel to canvas

Apply gel to the back of the canvas strip.  I used a piece of cardboard to do this.

9  After gluing about 10 strips. you have to turn the painting over and put books on it so they won't curl up.  It has to dry about an 1 hour then repeat.  It won't be completely dry but enough to continue. Repeat until done.

I did one section at a time

I tried to leave something recognizable in each section from the original painting (notice the pink ear)

Making progress...I left the yellow stripes painted as a contrast to the collage.

 10  After I was done with the collage, I repainted the background and filled in gaps I didn't like and repainted the yellow stripes again.  Signed it and I was done!  You can go over the collage area with the gel if you want to give it a top coat.  They make gloss too.

It's tedious, but cathartic ~  happy collaging! Brandy

Color me happy

I am into color lately, maybe it's because it's a dreary time of year and I long for sunlight and bright flowers.  Here's a little escape from gray.  

Kim Salmela Calhoun-Chair-WEB-2

Elisa Webler Gem Prints

Jcrew, Etta Glitter Heel

Altdeutsche Cabinet @ Moooi

This would be an inspiration read on a rainy day...

What a fun way to get out of the shower in the mornings!

Rainbow Damask, Fresco Towels

Jonathan Adler, Straw Hats

These hats aren't even available yet, so I had to scan my torn page.  (Yes, I have stacks and stacks of images I tear out for inspiration.)

Do you have anything you like that brings a smile to your face?

Waiting for spring....Brandy

Challenge Accepted: Art in the Kitchen

Last week Brandy challenged all of us to get creative in the kitchen and add some life through art. I spent some time brainstorming on how I could add some more personality to my own kitchen and here's what I came up with. It's far from being finished but I am pretty happy with how it's all coming together.

First, I started with the easiest thing, adding art in to your open shelf displays. Before, I only had dishes and collectibles here but once I added this little painting, everything came together!

Next step were the walls on my main kitchen wall. This is a little more difficult because I really don't have a lot of wall space to work with. 

Here are my ideas so far. I could hang some really pretty vintage plates (which I don't have yet) to add some color to that wall. Or, I do have some really cool vintage wooden tennis racquets that I could hang here. I think the rustic factor would be awesome but I really would like some color, soooo I am still thinking on this one.

Next up, the breakfast nook:

Again, this was difficult because of all the windows. However, there is a lot of trim work between the windows so....

I just decided to hang something right over the windows! The scale is a little too small though so I will be on the hunt for the perfect piece. I also added this large painting to my trunk in the corner. I really like the color it adds. 

And my Fiddle Leaf Fig tree likes it too ;)

For a little more color on the fireplace, I added this old street sweeper brush that Brandy and I found at Canton. Elle seems to like it.

And finally, the only actual wall space I have in the kitchen is this little space. I found this vintage needlepoint at an estate sale. It's perfect because my husband comes from a little fruit tree farming town in California!

Well, there you have it. This is all I could come up with in a short time but I will be on the look out for some more art to add to the kitchen. What do you have hanging in your kitchen? Send us pics, we would love to see it, and maybe even post some! jessica@twineinteriors.com

~Jessica