Over the weekend I visited a vintage furniture warehouse in Bel Air, Maryland called Ryan's Relics (thanks to a recommendation from a good friend and her husband), where I picked up this beautiful wooden bench. I love finding these around town because they make such great accents to the foot of the bed or near the front door.
I've always loved the combination of marigold with navy blue. Plus, any type of geometric prints makes me happy. So I reupholstered the seat in a navy and white geometric fabric and painted the bench in Marigold by Rustoleum. I love how the bench transformed from being a bit demure to having a wow factor.
(Images: Nicole Crowder)
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gorgeous color combination. well done!
Great job, love the fabric!
looks awesome!
Great colors. Well done and inspiring!
I love the color combination, but this just looks like a chair that someone took most of the back off of. Am I wrong here? I've never seen a piece of furniture like this before.
It's a really nice combination, but i think the cousion would be better lower so we could still see the little "butterfly" in wood behind.
The cushion looks to thick and heavy for the 'delicate structure' of the bench and seems to hide almost half of the back. Not a fan of yellow, so it's a "meh +" mainly for not using chevrons.
Ryan's Relics is pretty great!
I like what you did, but the thicker cushion does through off the proportion a bit.
it's a piece that most likely went with a dressing table.
Most likely it was from one of those old fashioned vanities. The backs of the seats were kept low as to not obstruct the view of the mirrors. I found this one on Pinterest as an example...
http://pinterest.com/pin/91831279873432957/
View of the mirrors when standing, I should say. :)
I love old/classic items being made modern by something so minimal as paint or fabric. You don't have to be a fan of yellow or a specific print to say well done!
Love it!
Nice Job! Love it.
Scrolling down, I was a bit surprised to see the thickness of the cushion... I think it's a bit overkill, but otherwise I think the fabric and paint were a nice choice.
Honestly, I like both. Depends on how/where it will be used. If I was keeping the "before" version, I would have changed the upholstery to something more subdued and traditional. I love the bright yellow in the "after" version. I just bought a grey rug with pops of bright yellow. I love mixing old and new. Don't know if other people "get" my style. It doesn't matter since I'm the one living with it.
Beautiful colours! Nice job!
Awww, he looks shy! ;-)
I actually like the thick cushion. That "before" cushion was too flat and made the bench look "po". Now the after gave it some substance. Love the color combination! Great job!
It is a dressing room chair---to be paired with a vanity. AKA---a vanity chair, to be used in milady's boudoir. And a most excellent example, too. I do not like the color combination at all, but it's yours not mine (wah!).
Me? Oh, I would have done something boring and traditional with velvet or brocade.
I would have loved this without the paintjob. The new cushion cover with the old stain I think would have looked lovely.
Really nice!
I like the idea, personally would've done the cushion with a bright paisley to imitate the wood at the back.
Love the marigold. Very bold and fun. I'm on the fence about the new fabric. The cushion is completely out of proportion (IMO). Would have been better if you had kept the original cushion thickness.
I'd have to agree with some of the other commenters about the cushion being too high, but I love that bright yellow - so cute!
I agree with the posts re the cushion being too thick.. It's a vanity dresser bench.
19th Century Ladies in hoop skirts had a hard time sitting down: the metal hoop construction would rise up in front, as soon as the put their butts down on the chair. The solution was to have the gents turn around, then lift the contraption up, and sit on a backless stool placed inside their many yards of superfluous fabric.
19th Century Ladies in hoop skirts had a hard time sitting down: the metal hoop construction would rise up in front, as soon as the put their butts down on the chair. The solution was to have the gents turn around, then lift the contraption up, and sit on a backless stool placed inside their many yards of superfluous fabric.
19th Century Ladies in hoop skirts had a hard time sitting down: the metal hoop construction would rise up in front, as soon as the put their butts down on the chair. The solution was to have the gents turn around, then lift the contraption up, and sit on a backless stool placed inside their many yards of superfluous fabric.
I actually LIKE the cushion higher. To me, it looks less granny and more modern, which suits the makeover. I also think it looks a heck of a lot more comfortable if it's being used at all in a practical way and that's more important to me than an inch of height which will be tamped down within a few months of use, anyway.
I also don't think the extra height of the cushion takes away from the stool itself, which isn't really that remarkable to begin with. It modernizes it without making it look costumey, which I like.
To me, this was a nice job!
Oh wow, you did a wonderful job! Thanks for sharing!
So excited to see someone else with one of these chairs! I have one that's still very much in the "before" stage.
I do love the fabric on this one. :)
Very cute colors and fabric, though I have to agree with others that I wish we could see more of the back of the chair. Cushion is too, too thick.
Love!
Agree with Surfjack, though the cushion might look 'out of proportion', it also looks a heck of a lot more comfortable than the original 80's pattern thing. I can just picture the
particleboard with a bit of padding stapled to it, totally unsitable for more than ten minutes.
If anyone wants to do some actual sitting, I think the thicker cushion was a good idea.
Also, though I'm not a huge fan of parquet, I LOVE the border on the floor!
I like the before with the new fabric. The wood is beautiful. It's either a vanity bench or a piano bench!
It wouldn't be AT without people moaning they liked the wood better. It was pretty craptacular wood by the look of it. Love the after, nice job.
I feel this is the perfect example of updating/upgrading to meet today's contemp/modern/trad way of decorating and design. The color is charming and full of life and the fabric is PERFECT in color and holds the contemporary pattern! It seems you've designated it a working piece vs. a staging piece so the thicker cushion is ideal! Love it!
great wood bench, not a nick in the beautiful finish, and it is Ruined by a slather of paint. when does this stop?
the thicker cushion might seem more comfortable, but it blocks view of half the stile (the lyre), which makes it a poor design choice. this is a post of what not to do.
I agree with Mardete. The cushion is out of scale with the bench. Something more like the original would be better.. The design on the back is obscured..
I wasn't convinced until I saw the last photo. Very nice job.
great job, love the color combo and the cushion.
This is lovely, you made it look very modern and happy.
I do like the paint......I love to paint and it looks like you did a nice even job....I also like natural wood.......you could have sanded off the vanish to the natural wood and put a satin finish on it.......not crazy about the fabric or the thickness of the cushion......you could have covered a gel cushion and got the comfort without the thickness. I'm not happy that the harp is not completely seen. I would make 2 cushion covers.....one for spring and one for winter. I would use it in an entry way with a hall tree and large beautiful plant. NOTE: never use a mirror in an entry way - bad energy - it reflects good energy back out the door. Well that was a long and boring - I think it looks good, but could look better statement. Wake up - have I put you to sleep:)
jp
Super cute, I think the use of colour helps balance it out better. If I saw that baby sitting on the footpath I'd grab it!