Meet my latest restoration!

Quick popping in to unveil my latest restoration! This right here is what I have been longing to do! It takes a long time to financially be able to invest this much money into a single project and hope someone falls in love! I am hoping to do more larger items like sofas in the future. Also note I have two beautiful upholstered chairs that have also received this special treatment and are looking for homes!

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH. A ONCE CLASSY PIECE IS NOW TIRED AND STAINED. But it has a great shape and the size is more vintage thaN new which is much better for a smaller space. Modern furniture is So clunky and Appears to be designed for mcmansioNs. Having built a new home with 70s BLUEPRINTS, I CAN ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT MODEEN FURNITURE JUST DOES NOT FIT.

AFTER HER MAKEOVER! No more frump! CRisp and clean lines in a gorgeous italiaN LINEN TWEED BY CLARENCE HOUSE TEXTILES.

It was getting dark with no sun when i took this so you can SEE THAT EVEN IN LOW LIGHT SHE BOUNCES IT BAck.

The back CUSHIONS HAVE DOWN INSERTS. THE SEAT IS BRAND NEW FIRM FOAM. There is spring in THE MAIN STRUCTURE UNDER THE SEAT AND SHE HAS A LOVELY BOUNCE. With the new seat height at 18-1/2”, she is comfy for tall folk like me!

NO DETAILS HAVE BEEN SPARED!

SHE’s beautiful from behind and perfEct for an open space. YOU DON’t have to hide her against a wall!

A closer look at the gorgeous italian linen by Clarence house Textiles. Those lighter threads shimmer. It’s a thicker tweed (for a linen) and will be dUrable. There is no stain protection as it is but i have a contact fOr that and WOULD gladly refer you if regional or arranGe prior to shipping at cost. This fabric retails for $300/yard and is Only available to the trade. It is LUxurIous and A DESIGNER FABRIC THAT FAR EXCEEDS QUALITY AND CONSTRUCTION OF MORe COMMON MID GRADE TEXTILES. Manufactured in italy.

The maker, Henredon, was a classic luxury furniture company. They were known for high quality furniture and are well respected by designers and decorators.

A quote about the maker: Today, among people of discriminating taste, the name Henredon represents the best. It Is known for the quality of the products they produce which makes them one of the most reliable and yes, one of the most expensive furniture brands in the world!

Pair that with an amazing luxury textile and a little bit of tweaking the original design, and we have a winner!

My Smile after sitting on her for the fIrst time. She was everything i wanted her to be and so darn comfy! At 72” long, She is a great size for a smaller space.

****this gorgeous piece can be purchased direct from me at a slightly lower price that my online markets. Please reach out! I can get you a swatch of the fabric as well. Shipping can be arranged nationwide and delivery in my region is no additional charge. If you would like to discuss your fabric protection options, reach out! Now live in my Etsy shop and will be coming soon in mid chairish shop where you can get an instant shipping quote.

XO MALISSA

The Couch of Dreams

Last week I accompanied a friend to pick up some auction winnings and fell in love with a little couch there.  I know I focus on Mid Century Modern, but I shop with an estate company that pulls from NYC metro and they offer many high end furnishings and décor that are not in my normal sourcing realm.  This said, if you are looking for anything more traditional or ornate, please know I may be able to help you out with this.  So back to the couch of dreams....what stole the show is that it's blush velvet upholstery was in relatively decent shape, only in need of a cleaning.  The cushion has a down insert in it!  So posh!  The style is classic Chippendale but features a very elaborately carved eagle with his talon in his mouth at each arm and of course, the paw feet.  I have found no other couches like this online and it is most definitely the best of it's kind.  They told me it was from the 1920's but I will be picking it up tomorrow so cannot wait to see if there are any more clues.  If you follow my facebook, you may have seen when I posted the picture last Friday with a 'does anyone love this as much as me???' post?  Well, in fact someone does and reached out.  At this point, she is first in line to claim this beauty.  In case she turns it down, it will get listed in my markets.  I will be picking it up tomorrow along with some auction winnings I picked up.  If you want me to have a look at anything while I am on the road, shoot me a message!  I would be more than happy to shoot you pics of items that are for sale and keep an eye open at auction.  The preview for the next week's auction is usually available which is always good to get a look at.  The smalls I am bringing home will probably get listed over the weekend.

Amazing 1920s Camelback Chippendale style couch.  Beautifully carved arms and legs featuring eagles.  This color is so hot right now in decorating trends.  Paired with navy or neutrals, it is sure to look fabulous in an eclectic or traditional space! I am hoping to reveal more clues as to the dating of this piece when I get it home. This is new territory for me so I have a lot to learn and look forward to delving into another era and style!

The eagle is so dreamy! Rolled arms are a common element to a Chippendale style couch.  The elaborate carvings in the arms do not seem to be common, according to my searches! Most later reproductions (the original English Chippendales date to the 1700s) seem to lack the arm carved details to this extent.  

This foot is known as a lion's paw foot. Another popular foot style on Chippendale furniture is the Ball and Claw, which is literally an eagle claw holding a ball.   A note on the shell referring to early 1900s Chippendale reproductions:  Shell motifs carrying over from the Queen Anne period may be present, but are not as prevalent in this style as they were earlier in the 1700s.

So couches may be the thing for me!  The orange couch just sold.  So I will be couchless if the pink beauty gets claimed right away.  One thing I do still have is the beautifully restored day bed.  I would love to find this thing a home.  It is amazing.  I do realize it is more of a specialty piece which makes it a little harder to place.  My home would not be able to accommodate it until I kick a kid out.  :)  If you have any interest in it let me know.  All brand new cushions with just the right detailing.  Super neutral navy fabric from Joybird's pet and kid friendly line.  Make great seating and can accommodate overnight guests.  I would love to see it go to new parents as it would be a great addition to a nursery where you can catch some Zs and lounge comfortably with a baby.  Wish I had something as nice when my kids were babies.....I slept on the floor more than once!  ;)  Of course, great for a den, spare room and more.  All the details have been taken care of!  Delivery in my region no extra charge.  Get an instant shipping quote on my chairish.com listing. 

For my birthday, I found a great little Eames fiberglass side chair featuring an H base.  It was painted so I spent a lot of time stripping it down.  It is so cute and dated 1959.  I believe it to be an early Zenith production and the black finish on the base is original.  Super cute and worth the work to add it to my collection!  Here is a look at the project.  Stripping it took some physical work, but the product did not ruin the original shine at all!  I even got the labels free of paint!  I worked quickly in sections and was careful not to let the stripper sit too long as there were disclaimers on the product not to use on fiberglass.  It had no ill effect! 

There were 4 layers of paint on this chair!  It took some elbow grease and was not the most pleasant job.  I have a full day into it.

NEW ENGLAND SHOPPERS!  I have a delivery scheduled in April to Rye, NH.  I will be staying in Nashua for 2 days and then making a stop in Rhode Island on the way back.  If you are looking at something larger and I can fit it in the car with the set I am delivering, I would gladly bring along for you to pick up or I can meet you.  I am tag teaming the trip with a friend.  Please reach out!  I can hold your item with a deposit until the delivery.  This is a rare opportunity to save some shipping! 

ETSY SHOP IS 10% OFF until the end of the month.  MOST ITEMS included but there are a few I left off.  Please stop by and grab some awesome items while they are on sale!  Leaving you with a few new items to check out!  Have a great weekend!  xo Malissa

JUST LISTED: beautiful 21" diameter faceted mirror.  Great for a hall, foyer or smaller wall.  Mirrored glass is mounted on a heavy wood piece and features black painted wood with gold painting trim. 

Picking these auction winnings up Friday as well!  Not sure which items I will be keeping but will be evaluating this weekend and getting them listed.  I love having access to some very eclectic pieces and I welcome you to request weird stuff!  The fun of shopping out of my area is finding higher end pieces!  Reach out if you see something you love as I will let you have first shot! 

Grand finale! Wave Lounge Restoration Complete!

After weeks of coordination, some work on my part and some at the upholsterer, this beautiful piece is now complete and waiting delivery next weekend.  I was beyond thrilled when I showed up to pick up at the upholsterer.  He did an amazing job!  Here are some pics.

I arrived at the time we arranged and just in time to watch him close it up.  I think he may want me to be there so I could see his work that would shortly be sealed up.  You can see his strapping which is all brand new as well as all the foam and stuffing.  It is a very firm seat but very comfy and will last another lifetime!  I particularly enjoyed his double stitch technique on the seams that create almost a faux piped edge.  Super classy without all the piping work!

The Upholsterer works to add the dust cover, the final finishing touch!  You can see in the background he does some amazing pieces and I have seen him working on more than one Victorian piece.  They always look fabulous!

Meanwhile, I was at home working on the legs.  They were pretty nicked up, had a bad repair on one of them and were in need of a fresh start.  I sanded them down, did some repair work on the bad repair and then gave them stain and poly top coat.  The final detail was all new floor glides. 

The final result is a stunning piece with all new guts and a total fresh start.  My client is looking forward to relaxing with a good book and I would be lying to say that doesn't make me a bit jealous!  

Sorry about my living room as the background.....it was so rainy this weekend I just could not get any decent pics in natural lighting outdoors, which is my favorite place to photograph. 

The color is stunning as well!!! Such a fabulous accent piece that will steal the show!

The tufting adds so much to this larger piece. It really needs some details to break up the piece visually.  If you search for this piece on an image search, you will see them done in many ways.  I enjoy the tufted pieces best and ones with thicker foam like this one. 

Overall, the finished price of this piece is well under retail in my markets.  Had I taken this on myself and invested my own money into the restoration, I would have priced it accordingly.  However, I was able to save my client money and she was able to call the shots on the important things like fabric selection and stain color.  I guess with any restoration you have to have a bit of flexibility on the final product, but generally, that's my job to pull the details together and present a gorgeous finished product you can enjoy for hopefully the rest of your life!  The pieces I select for restorations are always something with significant design or collectability status but in reality, the sky is the limit if you are willing to invest in the piece. 

I will be looking to pick up some more Pearsall items shortly that will all need complete restorations and I would love to coordinate restoration on them.  Please keep me in mind when you are looking for something for your home!  I would gladly source something for you that needs a makeover and follow through the process with you, advising you along the way.   All custom restorations will require 50% deposit to start the work.  If you have me purchase your fabrics for you, I will offer you my wholesale rates as well.  Fabric is a tricky thing but I do have some sources for discounted close outs as well.  It can be overwhelming!  Definitely order a current JOYBIRD swatch kit before you start your search!  This week I found a sale at Norwalk Furniture at $8/9 a yard for closeout fabrics they had available.  I bought 15 yards of an orange I have earmarked for my Pearsall couch coming!  $100 for 15 yards is INSANE!  Even if I have to have the strapping and structure redone by the upholsterer, I will still be well under retail on the piece.  And since it will be going in my own living room, this excites me a lot!  hahaha  You can see my current sectional in the pics above and I am so over it!!!!  My husband loves it and has fought me about replacing it.  I finally found a large 9' couch that I think will be great and we will even have room for a chair!  <3  Here is the link to the NORWALK FABRIC SALE. Norwalk, by the way, had some great Mid Century offerings back in the day!  They are still manufacturing furniture today!

These cuties will be available to customize shortly!  

I also have a quote for the X benches that are going to be redone.  I need to disassemble the second one which is extremely labor intensive.  Once I get that done (shooting for spring) they will be ready to head to the upholsterer.  I loved the fabric on the wave lounger so much I am thinking of staying with it.....possibly blush...but there is a great moss green too.  If you are interested in having me customize them for you, please reach out before I get started.  Final pricing on them will be in the $700-800 range depending on if bought direct or through one of my online markets.  They will be amazing at the foot of a bed.  I am thinking they need some tufting up top as well, so will be running with that! 

Other quick notes:  The gold tufted couch/chair set is off the hook.  It is currently in 6 shopper's carts on etsy.  I have quoted shipping to California (from PA) and checked my plycon rates in the chairish shop.  This set is going to cost $500-1000 to ship.  Seriously.  I need a regional buyer for this set unless you have a fat shipping budget.  I will drive far to find it the right home, but you would need to reach out so we can talk about it.  I prefer NOT to split the set.  The chair by itself to me is not really worth selling on it's own and honestly, I priced the set LOW on purpose.....like throwing the chair in for free anyway and factoring in the wear on the arms.  If you are considering the set, reach out!  It is a beautiful set and very current with what is trending.  I do think you can match the velvet you could have some arm covers made up to cover the wear. A quick check on etsy confirms that there are MANY options for useful and decorative arm covers!  Plus I found someone selling velvet that may match.   That is really the worst of the issues.  I can help you with that if you would like. 

ALBUM SALE on my facebook page is still going on!  Grab some goodies from my wholesaler, Primitives by Kathy AT COST!  That's right!  I am selling a bunch of cute gift items at my wholesale price!  Sure, they aren't everyone's style, but they make great gifts for mother's day, easter and more!  Please stop by and check them out at facebook.com/madformodmalissa.  The album is pinned to the top of my wall.  I will send you a paypal invoice with shipping added.  Fill a box!  Click the link above to visit!

Thanks for popping in!  I have noticed an issue with my mailchimp list and it appears that some email followers MAY have been added without their consent.  This seems nuts to me as not only do you need to complete the form on my website, you then need to follow through and respond to the email they send you to confirm you really want to be there.  I do not randomly add anyone to this list!  Not my friends, not my family, not even people who follow me on facebook.  SO, with that said, if you got on my list without your consent, please contact me via email!  Mailchimp seems to be spamming people and it makes me mad.  So I apologize if anyone is getting my updates that did not sign up for them! 

xo Malissa