Hot Home Summer!

I hope everyone is having a great summer and your style hot but your home cool! I am working through my projects and adding things to my shops. Stop me if you spy something you need! That said, now is the time to think about fall entertaining. It has been averaging 2 months to ship furniture so make sure you plan accordingly for those gatherings coming up so you can receive your items in time. Chairish is still the best price for hiring a shipper so please check out my listings there to get your instant shipping price. If it works for you, check out and we’ll do the rest!

FYI, I will be heading out for a much needed vacay! Exciting I know. I may put my shops on vacation mode early in the week. I do not expect many delays on furniture as it takes a bit to coordinate the pick up but any smalls will be delayed. This month has been crazy! Thanks for all the love and I’ll leave you with my latest preview. Just picked up this dining room from Young Manufacturing and will have the China hutch all picked up later this week I hope.

Best pic I have of the complete China hutch. I have the base (pic below) but need to pic the top up, which, does not fit in my van and I will not deliver in the Vanagon so this piece is pick up or hire a shipper only.

Base has 2 cabinets, 1 on each side. Center section is 2 drawers. The base is also low and sexy. The top is quite tall and wide. I believe there are lights in the top as I saw the cords. Also there is at least a few glass shelves but I suspect there are wood as well. More info as soon as I collect it!

I just picked up a large stash of some fascinating novelty dolls from the late 80’s. I am in a rabbit hole of research but putting some pieces together so stay tuned for my next update! They are totally wild and obscure! XO MALISSA

Adventures in cane replacement, July 4th sale on Chairish

First things first! My Chairish shop is currently on sale 15% off starting today and ending July 4th! Head over and try the Chairish app’s view in your space mode AND instant shipping quotes! I have said it before and I’ll say it again: the gas crunch is affecting shippers nationwide and getting a direct quote is reflecting this increase in costs. Chairish is still offering very reasonable rates. If you need shipping, I highly recommend you purchase through my Chairish shop! Click the black box below to head there!

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: WORKING WITH SHEET CANE

I was presented with an opportunity to perform in a local theater production’s pit orchestra of The Secret Garden musical. I saw this show on Broadway in the 90s and was smitten with the dreamlike music and fantastic melodies. Even though rehearsals are about an hour away, I decided this will be fun and jumped in. The fun part about not being an actor is that we orchestra folk show up at the end. The actors have been rehearsing for months and we roll in 2 weeks before the show and it’s go time. It’s intense with 3 hour rehearsals most nights of the week until show time. Tonight we are practicing with the actors on their stage for the first time and next week is tech week where they attempt to put it all together with final run throughs before opening night on Friday! Anyway, in this show, one of the children is in a wheel chair for most of the performance. They found a real nice antique chair but, like most of them, this one had a blown out cane seat and a larger hole in the back. A friend who is in the show, asked if I could handle replacing it. After a quick glance I realized it was pressed or sheet cane and agreed to do it. I arrived to pick the chair up on a lovely sprawling farm just outside of a small town. The stage was built adjacent to a small stream and barn. What a gorgeous location to host this event! The audience will be bringing their own chairs the night of the show, refreshments and beer sold at concessions too! It has all the makings of a fun family night outdoors at the theatre! (Pronounced thee-A-tor, of course!). We loaded the ample chair into my car and away I went. Hoping to channel my inner cane goddess once again. It had been a while and I had a few other projects on hand so off to the local cane supply shop I went!

The young acTor playing the role of ‘Colin’ is about 75 lbs soaking wet but she agreed that she would be happy not having Her butt fall through thE seat!

I gathered my 2 other projects and headed out to Kempton across the county, where we are very fortunate to have a basket weaving and cane supply shop called the Country Seat. Dealing with the local shop I am able to show up with my items and have them cut my cane and spline to size (I still have work to do but I am not overbuying what I need). Plus she shares tips if there is something hard going on with the piece. So much nicer to support a small local shop than Amazon! I purchased what I needed to do the 3 jobs and home I went. I got started immediately as my main concern was getting the chair done for the show ASAP.

REMOVING THE OLD CANE

The first thing that happens is you need to get the old spline and underlying glue loose so you can remove the old seat/back. I purchased a Bissell Steam Shot for this and use it without the attachments. The older the chair is, the easier this process is. Old glue degrades and makes this job easier. My 70s/80s Cesca chair is giving me a hard time so it has been pushed to last. Apply steam to the spline until it loosens up and gently remove. I did buy a nice $18 tool that is helping with this task. It’s an awl with a bent end that just fits in the trough and you can use to pry up the old spline. Worth it!

This chair (chairmasters on tag but possibly thoneT design made famous by designer james mont) in process of Tear down.

PREPPING TO REPLACE THE CANE

After everything is removed, I made sure the channel was free of old glue and debris. The next step is to trim up your sheet (just a little as you always want to give yourself plenty of extra but tighten it up a little so that it is easier to work with). Then you soak the sheet for 15-20 min so it won’t break when you are working with it. I also keep a spray bottle handy so I can freshen that up as I am working.

It’s time to insert the cane! In this step you gently place the cane where you want it and tap the wedges to push the cane into the channel. This takes finesse taking care not to force the sheet which can break the delicate reed. You can still make adjustments and if you don’t like something, you can remove, massage out the creases and give it another go. Once you have it where you want it, you use the wedges to work the cane to the bottom of the channel. I tapped with a small hammer.

Now you are ready for the spline! That will also need to soak for about 20 min. Once it’s out, you can dry fit and trim it closer to what you need so it’s ready to place. Then when you are ready, you will drop elmer’s wood glue into the trough. It will settle to the bottom in about a minute. Then you can put the online in the channel and tap it way down in with a hammer. That will all dry up nice and tight! It’s pretty time consuming but not like hand caning which is exponentially more laborious. Here’s a look at the 2 projects I have done, the cesca chair is still in step 1! Ha.

This chair was much harder duE to the curved back. I also used radio weave cane, WhiCh is a different weave than the standard.

Wanna see the show??? It’s in Robesonia, PA. Link to info and tickets below! Show dates are JULY 7, 8, 15 and 16th! I’ll be in the pit 📯! XO Malissa

Why vintage furnishings?

Let’s chat about why you would want to consider vintage furniture for your home. Not everyone thinks of vintage the same way collectors do. Let’s face it, some are not in love with the past. Does your Grandma’s style speak to you? Maybe it never will! I enjoyed the kitschy items my grandmother had in her home. So much so that I took a little no name funky swivel chair I used to play on and invested $600 to have it redone with durable modern fabric. I still love it like I did then but even more so because it looks awesome and is no longer lumpy, ripped, faded and tired. You can take these items from the past and choose how they look going forward. New fabrics, tweaks to the design (I mostly hate skirts on chairs and sofas! I will remove them if not replace them!), new finish on the wood, etc. It’s rare that I find 50s/60s/70s era items in ready to use pristine condition. You have to be willing to get dirty to save them and preserve them.

In case you are not a seasoned Mid Century enthusiast, let me welcome you to the club! We are people full of passion for the design and history of the items we covet. We could go on for hours discussing designers and companies who may no longer exist. The mid century was a time when American was prosperous and innovation was keeping our factories pumping out all kinds of goods. Furniture was still very much hand crafted with exotic species that now would cost a fortune and in the case of Brazilian Rosewood, may not even be legal to harvest anymore. The Scandinavian manufacturers used Rosewood a lot. Scoring a dining table or chair set will set you back some dough, but you can’t even buy that new so how do you even put a price on it? I’m not here to diss new furniture. It has it’s place in a modern home. Nothing beats a statement piece that has age and charm. Whether you mix a traditional turn of the century antique or a mid century modern marvel, they all have the element of ‘they don’t make ‘em like they used to’. Another thing to mention, most of the vintage furniture will end up costing you less than buying a higher end new maker. Don’t compare your vintage to big box stores or even department store brands. I am talking heritage brands like you get when you work with an Interior Designer or even Crate and Barrel or Restoration Hardware. Do your research. A well preserved or restored set of vintage can save you money. And so what if you have to invest a little into it! I can tell you that as time goes on, there will only be less of it available and you have yourself a long term asset that you will at the very least recoup what you spent and you may even make out better when you sell them. Mid Century has been trending for many years now and it can get over played, but it never fades away. A few key MCM focal points will bring a great nostalgia and artsy element to your home. Think museum if you will! Many of my personal keepers are found in museums around the country! Plus it’s a nice bonding moment when a guest shows up and fawns over your impeccably placed red analine Eames LCW.

XO Malissa

New items are rolling in. Don’t delay if you spy something you like as the market is once again heating up! Chairish is still your best bet for reasonable shipping rates so check there first BUT, I am happy to try to get you other quotes too!

Here’s some fun history of my latest acquisition, a Jerry Johnson sling chair! It’s fabulous. Please stop by the blog I have linked for a thorough history on this chair and it’s maker! Click on the black box below the pics!

Memorial Day Sale!

Heads up that I am participating in a 3 day sale on Chairish! If you have been eyeing something and need shipping, I highly recommend you grab it then! My shop will be 15% off for 3 days only!

New items! I have been adding some new items to my Etsy and they are submitted to Chairish however, they may not make it through the curation process prior to my sale. Fingers crossed. Here’s a peek.

Beautiful tufted chartreuse velvet couch. In incredible condition and I do not say that lightly! There are no major issues at all! Foam is soft, it is super comfy and the color is gorgeous! I would not even remove the skirt it’s so stunning! She is being cleaned and sanitized prior to shipping/delivery!

Wow! Large set of folding chairs that really compact! Sturdy and stylish temporary seating! They are in very good condition with minor signs of wear. Perfect for your next gathering! I even found the patent!

Some news to share: I am officially a member of the International Furnishings and Design Association-Philadelphia chapter, a trade organization for Interior Designers and fine purveyors of related businesses. Looking forward to connecting to many more regional design pros!

I will be out of town for the weekend so anything purchased after tonight will ship Tuesday. As always, I will do my best to assist with any quotes or questions while I am camping. We typically have cell service at this location. My retail space is open normal hours 10-6 through Sunday! Stop by if you are cruising through! XO. MALISSA.

So you want to hire an upholsterer? Inspo and tips on working with an upholsterer to revive your vintage pieces!

Greetings! I am offering up advice so if you have any specific topics you want to pick my brain on, reach out! I may feature your topic in an upcoming post!

One thing I get asked about and have helped friends navigate through is dealing with an upholsterer. There are many in my area and seriously, once you start looking, you will probably find many near you as well. My advice is not to go to the popular or first name that comes to mind. Find someone who has lower expenses and not a big flashy showroom or workspace. The more employees they have, the pricier it will be- and I mean that loosely. Always consider how much your own time is worth, your piece will take many days of work. It won’t be cheap. But you don’t need to pay a premium to get quality work.

I stumbled upon the shop I use as I was walking through our nearby city when my kids were at swim team practice. I had a chair I wanted new foam and straps put in and I literally walked in his door to meet him. He was working at a bench and another gal was at the sewing machine. His shop was in a row home and there were rolls of fabric and other furniture around the edges of the room. He had a gorgeous Victorian couch on the bench in progress. He also was versed in automotive upholstery. He told me to bring the chair in and he’s give me a price, I returned with the chair and he came out to my car and checked it out. I do not remember what for that chair all those years ago, but it may have been around $250. He put new strapping supports and foam in the seat and the wool fabric was perfect so put it all back together. It looked great. I brought him more projects and gradually upped the ante until I was bringing him comfy chairs and sofas that had to be gutted and redone. It’s been a year since I have taken him anything as I like to do small jobs myself and when I invest into large items they take a while to sell so when the 3 pieces I have find homes, I will find something else to do. Here are some tips on saving money or things to be alert to that may cost extra- review this list before you talk to the upholsterer.

1. Can I bring my own fabric? Most upholsterers will have look books with samples and even in stock rolls of fabric. My guess is most of them have lower quality Textiles because let’s face it, it costs a lot to redo a chair and unless you are into designer Textiles, you will not want to pay for them. MANY will charge you extra if you bring your own fabric! MOST OF THE POPULAR GUYS WITH FANCY SHOPS are on board with this. You seeking out a small shop with a budding upholstery artist will avoid this up charge. My guy has bolts of unused yardage from other projects he would sell cheap or add into his quote. I know my guy is working for NYC designers and I see his bolts and know the brands. He probably has some very expensive fabrics available and I would bet he does not know the value but he does not care, he did not pay for them, his client did, I try to get my excess back from him to use on other projects, but I know he will squirrel it away in his stash sometimes. Ask about excess fabrics they may be able to sell you cheap, especially if you just need a solid or simple tweed.

2. If the structure of your piece is in good shape, you may just need to redo the fabric. In many cases, mid century pieces will have degraded foam and I opt to have that all rebuilt, Foam is expensive. Look for signs of degradation in your piece: hard, heavy and saggy seat cushions, yellow powder seeping through the fabric, open any zippers and inspect. Opt to redo the foam if you spy any degradation. It is worth paying for and if you have allergies or sensitivities you will be glad you did. You don’t want to do this again. I have a very good working relationship with my upholsterer and we usually discuss what should be done during the quote process. I trust his calls on things.

3. It’s all in the details. Things like tufting, buttons and welting add to the labor on a piece. Really look at the piece and see, do all those buttons make the piece for you? Is your fabric patterned and adding tufting would just add to the busyness? Maybe you will want to redesign a bit to save on some labor. Your upholsterer can help you navigate through those options and please bring it up and see if you can trim some cost by leaving some of the fancier trims off but still end up with a gorgeous good as new piece.

4. Services. If your guy offers pick up/delivery, you may want to ask if there would be a discount for you to bring and pick up. Many big shops offer this service but ultimately, you pay for it in an inflated price. Maybe you don’t have a way to transport, then by all means take advantage of it. Just know that the more work they do for you, the higher the cost. No one works for free and gas is expensive.

Overall, reupholstering (and redesigning!) a chair or couch is so rewarding! You can take something that is well built and tired and make it new again. You could probably save money over buying new but also are saving a piece from a landfill which is even better. Reasons people choose to reupholster include:

1. Sentimental- I have my grandma’s spinning 50’s kitschy chair that I used to spin on as a little girl. It was very tired after living a full life. My mom gave it to me after my grandma passed away. I saved up and let my son pick his favorite fabric in my stash and now it’s on his bedroom, Choosing new fabric lets it please you and your space. Bonus, it’s comfy again and stain free!

2. Collectible- most of my inventory is collectible mid century modern. Most of us collectors want early examples during the production years. Yes ideally, people want original condition. But there are definitely times when you’d want to make things right again. Investing into a collectible piece gets it ready for another 60 years and it’s clean and stylish as it should be. If it’s your piece, make it your own and save it!

3. Redecorating- this reason to reupholster a piece definitely depends on your disposable income! The couch in my living room came from a friend of a friend. He told me his mother reupholstered it 5 years after she bought it new because she redecorated! Not only the couch but 3 other lounge chairs that I also bought and sold. They all needed redone again and got their wish. This reason is probably not realistic for most of us, but there are folks who like to change things up!

Have fun with the redesign process! The restored items pictured that I have for sale have a clickable link to my Chairish shop. You can get a reasonable shipping quote there. Message me directly if you are in the region and I can do better on the price for a direct sale! I currently am offering an array of vintage fabrics in my Etsy shop for small and large upholstery projects. It’s hard to fine authentic vintage designer yardage. Come check them out and reach out if you need help. I can provide swatches on some. I also have collectible vintage Knoll Textiles remnants available. Free shipping if you buy on my website, cross listed on Etsy, Buy the best fabric you can afford for all your upholstery projects!!!! XO MALISSA