Objects of Lust: Revamped Vintage at Lotus Bleu

I'm positively drooling over the latest crop of reinvented vintage chairs from San Francisco boutique Lotus Bleu (earlier versions blogged here). The French/Vietnamese-flavored Hayes Valley shop takes pedigreed midcentury seating and updates it with vibrant and feminine fabrics, to gorgeous effect. Above: Slipper Chair, $1,550

Midcentury Sprung Rocker, $1,350

Reclining Lounge With Ottoman, $1,550

Vintage Armchair, $750

Rocker and Ottoman, $1,650

Wingback Lounge Chair, $2,450

Armchair, $750

Danish Armchair, $750

Danish Modern Armchair, $1,550

Granted, I'll probably never be in a position to drop $1,500 or more on a single chair, but these are inspiring me to take a fresh look at flea market furniture and fun fabrics. (In fact, Lotus Bleu can even reupholster that hand-me-down from Grandma for you in one of these amazing Robert Le Heros fabrics.)

See more of Lotus Bleu's updated vintage seating here -- and peruse the shop's other beautiful offerings here.

Objects of Lust: Burlap Upholstered French Chairs

Totally hot. (And yes, I do realize that many of you will disagree ... Feel free to discuss in the comments area.)

$1,400 for the pair from Paris Hotel Boutique.

Or maybe inspiration for your next DIY chair-rehab project?

Update: Raging debate over these very chairs going on courtesy of the (cough) always-polite commenters at Apartment Therapy: San Francisco.

Cool Stuff: MetroSofa Repurposed Classic Furniture

One part of the "Green" equation ("Reduce, Reuse, Recycle") that often seems to be overlooked is repurposing older things instead of replacing them with new ones. (No joke: I recently received a glossy press release for a new, "green" home here in Oakland. Great -- except that the place was over 5,000 square feet and no doubt replaced a much more modest vintage home that had been torn down to make way for the supposedly eco-conscious behemoth. Honestly, how green is that?)

Luckily, the folks at MetroSofa have taken the "Reuse" mantra to heart in an incredibly stylish way. The brainchild of MetroShed founder and green building pioneer David Ballinger, MetroSofa rescues vintage sofas and chairs that would otherwise be headed for a landfill and reinvents them with new, eco-friendly cushions, upholstery (many of the fabrics used are remnants left over from big commercial projects), and paint.

The results may be certifiably green, but they're anything but crunchy. Take a look:

Green and White Striped Chair

Green/Numbers Louis Armchair

Pink and Black Modern Sofa

Red and White Curved-Back Modern Armchair

Black and White Retro Lounge Chair

Red/Multistripe Modern Louis Settee

Chairs range from about $700 to $1,100 apiece, and sofas run about $1,900 to $3,600 each. See all of MetroSofa's eco-fabulous seating right here -- and contact the company directly for exact pricing and shipping details. (Pssst -- if you're in the Portland area, Flutter stocks a few MetroSofa designs, as does Seattle's Revival Home & Garden.)

Design Dilemma: What Fabric for This Chair?

More Ways to Waste Time reader Amy writes: "My eyes are sore from staring at the computer screen, and my mouse hand is weary -- I need your help. I'm looking for fabric to redo this director’s chair and its twin. I’ve been searching for a zig-zag fabric like the one on the pillow below from Twinkle Living, or maybe a wavy pattern, but I'm also open to other ideas. I’m going to sand and repaint the chairs, so some paint color ideas would help, too. Orange, blue, green, or a nice crisp white would work in my house."

What a fun project! Those chairs are going to look sharp.

I love the idea of sanding the wood and painting it a poppy hue that coordinates with the fabric you ultimately choose -- though you might not want to paint if you think the chairs might be valuable.

Since the fabric will have to support the weight of the sitter, you'll need something pretty tough, such as a thick canvas or upholstery fabric. But my friend and sewing goddess Kitty, to whom I turned for advice on this question, says that regular cotton would also work as long as you interface it.

You're right that fabric with a zig-zag pattern isn't easy to find. But Kitty and I did a little online digging late into the night and came up with a few options for you:

The big, bold chevron pattern of Schumacher's High Voltage linen-cotton fabric in Espresso is probably the closest to the design on that Twinkle pillow. (FYI: Schumacher fabrics are "to the trade" only, but if you have a design center near you, you can ask to be connected with a buyer there.) This would look dramatic and sophisticated on chairs stained a deep espresso shade.

This Zenyatta Mondatta cotton-blend fabric in Peacock, also from Schumacher, is my personal fave. I'd lacquer the chair frames in a high-gloss green matching the "olivine" shade in the fabric.

Though it's not quite a zig zag, this Marimekko Geometric Lock cotton upholstery fabric in Chocolate Chip, $20 a yard at Contemporary Cloth, has a similar effect. For pure pop, paint the chairs to match the green.

Another bold and colorful choice: Donna Wilder for Free Spirit's Utopia cotton fabric in Leaf Green and Chartreuse is just $4.24 a yard on eBay. I'd match the chair paint to the darker green, but you could go either way.

OD Zig Zag synthetic outdoor fabric in Sunshine, $14 a yard at Hancock Fabrics, would look so cheerful on white-painted chairs.

IKEA's Petronella cotton duck fabric, $6 a yard, has that geometric flair you're after and would be really dramatic on black-painted chairs.

For a wavy look, I like this fresh green Katrin cotton duck fabric, also $6 a yard at IKEA. I'd go with white chair frames for this one.

Marimekko's Lokki heavyweight cotton fabric in Blue and White, $42 a yard at FinnStyle, would be another great wavy option (and look super-snappy on white chairs) if the scale wasn't so big -- those stripes are a whopping 11 inches wide. Anyone know where to find something like this in a smaller pattern?

If you decide not to paint the chairs, the natural tones in this faux Bangal Chestnut Tiger Skin, $16 a yard from Hancock, would pair nicely with the wood. It'd still give you the zig-zag effect you're after but also add a dash of "safari chic."

For an idea of what the finished project might look like if you go the natural wood-and-animal print route, here's a pair of similar chairs I found on 1stdibs that have been done up in (real) cowhide: These babies cost $1,500, so your chairs have the potential to be a great find -- not to mention a super-stylish addition to your home.

Anyone out there have more fabric suggestions for Amy? If so, please post a comment (with a link, if possible) and share it. And Amy, please send me a shot of the chairs when you finish making them over!

P.S. Have a design dilemma of your own? Send it in, along with a photo or two, and I'll put it up here for a communal brainstorming session.

eBay Find of the Day: Vintage Suzani

You can't crack a design magazine these days, it seems, without seeing a Suzani -- usually draped oh-so-casually at the foot of a guest-room bed in the Hamptons summer home of a fashion designer or minor European aristocrat whose monthly interest income probably surpasses your annual salary. (They picked up the hand-embroidered silk textile years ago while on a Vogue photo shoot in the wilds of Uzbekistan, darling.)

If your trust fund doesn't allow for such international jaunts, consider turning (as I always do) to eBay. On any given day, you can find dozens of Uzbek merchants selling the traditional Persian ceremonial cloths on the site -- the vast majority for a mere fraction of the cost of a plane ticket to Tashkent.

This Suzani caught my eye with its striking red-and-black hues and graphic markings. It's a nice size (60 inches square) and would bring a bold shot of pattern, a rich dose of color, and a hint of moneyed bohemian flair to your home when employed as a bed coverlet, draped over the back of a couch, or used as upholstery for a chair or bench.

Current bid: $24.

(Note: When dealing with international sellers on eBay -- domestic ones, too, for that matter -- always check their feedback rating before bidding. Don't deal with anyone who doesn't have a well-established record on eBay and a history of satisfied buyers. Hint: If their rating is lower than your body temperature, don't bid. The vendor selling the Suzani above, for instance, has a positive-feedback rating of 99.8%.)