Eames Management Chairs in Scalamandre Leopardo Velvet

I can't believe I haven't shared these chairs with you guys yet. My babies! My pride and joy!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0208.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/DSC_0208.jpg" /></div><br />About a year ago I saw an ad on craigslist for vintage office furniture from an old publishing company that was going out of business in New Jersey. Vintage office furniture is usually great stuff, and the photos in the ad looked promising, so I hopped in the car (actually last year, I would have had to rent a zipcar, so this was a really risky venture - I'm glad it paid off!).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo KGrHqJjQE5cCyfZ7cBOeQSNmGpg60_12.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/KGrHqJjQE5cCyfZ7cBOeQSNmGpg60_12.jpg" /></div><br />I was rewarded with a pair of Eames Soft Pad chairs from the Management line. These chairs are normally <a href="http://www.dwr.com/product/eames-soft-pad-management-chair-vicenza-leather.do#.UUfmv1tASXQ" target="_blank">astronomically expensive</a>, especially when they have five wheels and are upholstered in leather. My chairs only had four legs since they were made in the late 70s/early 80s, and they were upholstered in a rose pink upholstery that was stained and not in great shape. But they were $150 for the pair, so I snatched them up fast as lighting. All the while thinking of Ames Ingrams' reupholstered Management chair that <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-office-chair.html" target="_blank">I blogged about here</a>, years ago.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo amesinghamchairPicture7-1.png" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/amesinghamchairPicture7-1.png" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">That exact same, very lucky day I was online looking for some interesting fabric to reupholster the chairs in, and I stumbled across an auction for four yards of Scalamandre's Leopardo silk velvet on eBay. You guys, this stuff is <i>INSANELY</i> expensive - like, $1000 a yard expensive (you can usually find it for about <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313&_nkw=scalamandre+leopardo&_sacat=0&_from=R40" target="_blank">$300 a yard online</a> though). I got the four yards for $200 total and it was worth every single penny. </div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0236.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/DSC_0236.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The silk velvet is smooth as buttah and I love the little bits of green strie in the gold background.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2DSC_0224.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/2DSC_0224.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As far as the upholstery goes, this was definitely <i>NOT</i> a DIY job. I had my upholsterer here in the city do these and I heard more than a few curse words come out of his mouth at one point when he called me about the chairs. Apparently they were not easy to take apart. :/</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img alt=" photo DSC_0231.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/DSC_0231.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">But a year later, I'm still loving them (such a testament coming from me) and even Michael doesn't mind them, you know, for leopard print office chairs. :) I'm of the "good animal print is a neutral" school of thought though, so I might be a little biased.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2DSC_0216.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/2DSC_0216.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Oh! I thought I would mention that, while the silk velvet is absolutely fabulous and if you can spring for it you should, there is a great alternative for those of us living in realm of budgets, other than just lucking out on eBay like I did. The actual pattern of the leopard is an open-source pattern (I think) because a few other fabric lines use it as a printed cotton velvet. I know Duralee (Braemore maybe?) sells it to the trade and <a href="http://www.calicocorners.com/product/designer+fabrics+for+the+home/shop+by+pattern/novelty/jamil+natural.do" target="_blank">Calico Corners</a> sells that retail for about $30 a yard (and they make this pretty X bench below!). The fabric pattern is called Jamil Natural and you can usually find a few yards for much less if you dig around the interwebs a bit. It's no where near as soft or as pretty in person I think as the silk, but the look is very similar from afar. And why not save $970 per yard? :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo zoeottoman.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/zoeottoman.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.calicocorners.com/product/custom+upholstered+furniture/custom+upholstered+ottomans+and+benches/view+all/zoe+ottoman.do" target="_blank">These Calico benches</a> made an appearance in the <a href="http://www.lonny.com/magazine/March+2013/4SlmgZQ0t5k/1#54" target="_blank">most recent Lonny</a>:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo LeopardBencheswallframedarthungaboveazEVp-8wXHDl.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/LeopardBencheswallframedarthungaboveazEVp-8wXHDl.jpg" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">And here are a couple more rooms featuring the leopardo pattern. In photographs you usually can't really tell which is which, but I'm guessing most of these are the real-deal silk velvet.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo sallywheatlivingroom.png" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/sallywheatlivingroom.png" /><br />Sally Wheat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo sallywheatimage_thumb16.png" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/sallywheatimage_thumb16.png" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo palmerweissleopardonvelvet.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/palmerweissleopardonvelvet.jpg" /><br />Palmer Weiss</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo leopard-bench.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/leopard-bench.jpg" /><br />Elle Decor</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo leopardchair.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album4/leopardchair.jpg" /></div>

Eames Management Chairs in Scalamandre Leopardo Velvet

I can't believe I haven't shared these chairs with you guys yet. My babies! My pride and joy! About a year ago I saw an ad on craigs...

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The Powder Bath

One of the things I am most excited for with the new house is the bathroom situation. Mostly just that there is more than one of them. :) There is a powder bath on the parlor level, and any powder bath to me just begs to be adventurous! Look how sad the bachelors made this bathroom! It's down right desperate for some love and better lighting.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/POWDER1.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/POWDER2.jpg" /></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">I can't decide about that little sink. It's original I guess and it could be sort of cute with a skirt? Wouldn't something really quirky like this sink (and that mirror!) be amazing?</span><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/bathroom-remodeling-ideas-1_0.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Elle Decor</span></div><br />For the walls, I would naturally gravitate toward a crazy, loud wallpaper pattern like this one:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/palmerweissgoldpowderroom.jpg" /><br />Palmer Weiss</div><br />With an interesting mirror:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/houzz31623_1000-w422-h634-b0-p0---powder-room.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Houzz</div><br />But the room is tiny (like 3x4) and I don't really feel like papering around mirrors and lights and fixtures with almost every single sheet. I'm thinking I might try a decorative paint treatment.<br /><br />Martha Stewart's Faux Bois kit might be perfect. I've heard it's a really fun project and that the rocker tool is super easy/forgiving. (demo video <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/look-faux-bois-craft-video-mar-128646" target="_blank">here</a>) But I'll run into a similar problem af having to work around things on the walls.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/FAUXB.jpg" /></div><br />I'm leaning toward hand-stamping the walls with a wood block. I bought this pretty 3x6" floral stamp <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/catfluff/3836688/Poppy_Flower_Indian_Wooden_BLock_Printing_Stamp_Floral_design/Craft_Supplies/Stamps/Other" target="_blank">here</a> and I think it's worth trying. It could be a really quick, fun project. The hardest part might be choosing the color combos for the paint!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/woodblockwalls.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Also diggin' that black trim in the corners. It really helps define the walls, right? Otherwise things might get a little dizzying in there with all the small pattern. Very nice.</div></div>

The Powder Bath

One of the things I am most excited for with the new house is the bathroom situation. Mostly just that there is more than one of them. :) Th...

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