what I do

what I do

Thursday, November 11, 2010

My favorite chair

I am working on two long distance projects right now. One is finishing a dining room that is part of a full house remodel that I have been working on for a while. The other is furnishing a condo that a previous client of mine is leasing while they wait for their current house to sell.


Monday I was in Crate and Barrel ordering eight Colette side chairs which will be upholstered in a gorgeous dark taupe fabric with the same silver nail heads - they will be just perfect for the new dining room. While I was waiting for the order to be placed, I saw the Clara chair again. Every time I see this chair I am reminded how very much I want to own this! It is upholstered in the most perfect shade of aqua blue. So I decided that I would use it as my jumping off point for the Condo in South Carolina. Someone should have this chair I am thinking!  



The client needed help furnishing a small living and dining area in a condo they are leasing temporarily while they wait for their house in the Chicago area to sell. There were three main things that I needed to take into consideration. One was the fact that they would eventually be gaining back all the furniture they currently own, and so some of my selections would be more temporary. Secondly, they needed furniture immediately, so I needed to use stores that had in stock items that were ready to ship. There are only two stores close to their location; Target and World Market. And their third request was that I give them 'champagne on a beer budget' (ha ha, isn't that what we all want?) ;-)
The Clara chair may be more than they are willing to spend, and if so, I will find an alternative. It did start the process rolling though.

They needed a small scale sofa, and the Hawthorne sofa (71") from Room and Board is perfect - it is well priced ($1,199), is in stock and ready to ship, and is upholstered in a very durable 100% polyester microsuede. The light color will help their small space feel larger but at the same time it will be easy to care for. It will also be simple to dress up with pillows and a rug to coordinate with the Clara side chair.


I love the Adeline rug from Pottery Barn and at $379 (for a 5' x 8') it could be perfect. Because I am working online, I will still need to verify the actual swatches to make sure everything is compatible.

I selected this bi-cast brown leather ottoman bench to use as their coffee table to give them optimum comfort. It is just the right size for their space and is a steal at $273.59 from Overstock. I have had only good experiences from ordering from Overstock and they have great shipping prices - this one ships for $.01!


smart round marble top coffee tableThis round marble top table from CB2 for $299 really says, 'champagne on a beer budget', but I think the leather ottoman will be more comfortable for the client.



This Porter side table from World Market will work great next to the Clara chair and is only $159.99. For the dining room, I chose the following table and chairs:







STORNĂ„S Dining table brown-black Length: 97 1/4
Stornas Dining Table - $399 from Ikea. It will seat up to 10 people with the leaf.

(4) Henriksdal dining chairs from Ikea ($59.99) - white slipcovers either long or short


HENRIKSDAL Chair white, brown-black Width: 21 1/4
And this Zebra dining bench, also from World Market for $199.99. The fabric looks black and white but is actually a dark brown.

Zebra Dining Bench - Cost Plus World Market

They did not ask me for this but you can never have enough storage:



And since I am adding a few extra things, they might want to have some office space. This would be my choice:
Mason Glass Top Desk (Williams Sonoma Home)


Ripple Leather Office Chair
And now I wait to hear what they like and what they don't. I'll keep you 'post'ed ;-)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on the Clara chair - absolutely beautiful color! Yum. The other choices are great too (definite proof that you can have style on a budget). Love your taste, Sherri, and I can't wait to see the finished rooms! Hope you're having a good week...

Unknown said...

Ah PK you are such an encourager! Thanks ;)

Robbie said...

I too, liked the Clara and office chair. What fun for the client to open your email with all these wonderful ideas. I certainly enjoy looking at your blog. It reminds me when I used to get House Beautiful just to read the Thoughts of the Home article. I wasn't much into the design but loved the article. With your blog I feel like I get insights into great design while having the substance of the thoughts that go behind the design. Inside Out certainly fits.

Anonymous said...

Love all of your choices. I would have a really hard time picking. :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

michiganhome said...

Hi Sherri! I just found your blog via the comment you left on Janell's blog and became your 11th or 12th follower! I don't know which it is because after I hit "Follow" your number of followers jumped from 10 to 12, and then I saw Janell's picture on there! How funny! Anyway, I love what I'm seeing here, and wish you much luck and success in your foray into the blogging world.
Love,
Michiganhome

Unknown said...

Thank you so much to my 11th and 12th followers ; ) I know it is weird but I get so much excitement out of new comments and followers! I really appreciate all the kind and encouraging words. Robbie, Thank you for your comparison of 'Thoughts of Home' - I miss that column too! Ok... back to 'crafting' - the big OZ party is in THREE days!