apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i bought a beautiful colorful striped clothe from the hell's kitchen flea market in nyc... the best part is that it's woven by the nupe people of nigeria... my home country. i used it redo a fab neo-louis chair that i got for cheap on craig's list... sit on it everyday when i check email and the like... love it!

I like to buy cheap sheets on sale if I like the print/color/price and make drapes out of them.

i had that skirt!

Tablecloths meant for long rectangular tables can make really great floor-length curtains...

Vintage kimono silk, scraps of antique oriental rugs, "cutter" quilts that I buy on ebay for a few bucks.

I can't remember the last time I used fabric store fabric for anything.

Shouldn't that read, "Non-traditional"?

I buy big ugly dresses, skirts, or shirts from thrift stores if I like the pattern and think I could reuse it. My local thrift store also sells packs of scrap fabric, and I recently reupholstered an ottoman with a cool Aztec-like patterned fabric.

I really like the fabric behind the chair (the chair looks great too!) hanging on the wood counter top. Where did you get that?

i use knolltextiles remnants and make clothing out it and anything else for the house.

and i have defiantly used flat sheets to make duvet covers in the past. hey , it was college...money was tight. and creativity was at an all time high.

I covered low-profile davenport sofa in turquoise dupioni silk and just *lovelovelove* it.

That fabric is much better as upholstery than as clothing!

i like everything about those pictures. i want to see more (if it's an actual home). is that a lamp? what is it made of?

i upholstered a bistro cafe chair with an old pillow case. it has retro blue, yellow, green and white floral designs which match the color scheme in my bathroom. i bought the pillow case at a local thrift store for 30cents and the chair was a find on the street! unfortunately, i didn't add enough cushion to last the amount of time i sit on my chair as i browse through AT. but the other half of the pillow case is hiding my cat's litter box that sits under the bathroom vanity. once i redo my bathroom, i plan on WASHING the other half of that pillow case and re-upholstering the chair again.

Check out the upholstery fabrics at Rubie Green: http://rubiegreen.com/
They're organic cotton, and bright

Missoni towels. Go on ebay.it and you can find dealers who sell them for way cheaper than in America (I've bought some for 12 euros). Missoni makes their towels out of a really plush velour, so it really doesn't feel like you're sitting on a towel!

Haha!
Was it a community skirt?
We love the skirt on the chair as well!

i agree w/ michael w. it's 'non-traditional'

untraditional sounds so clunky. great fabric though!

I recently bought a large velvet striped curtain on sale and use it as a throw on the couch.
Also a medieval inspired tapestry wall hanging I was tired of is used to hide a folded blanket every day on the bed. That idea made me want (some day) to use an entire antique tapestry as a bed cover, but knowing the price of even good copies it might just stay an idea.

After Christmas I found striped Martha Stewart tablecloths marked down to four dollars each! I bought the four large , rectangular ones they had left. Two of them sewn side by side are the perfect size for a queen bed. I put 100% cotton batting between them and tacked it. I waited five years to buy bedding because I never found anything I was crazy about. I'm glad I waited. It was cheap and beautiful!

great ideas!

People, people, use your dictionaries and move on. The two terms are interchangeable.

Nontraditional- sorry it's the grammer teacher in me! (:

I recently recovered a chair with a valance that I loved. I found it on sale but it was too short for my windows. I laid it across the chair to think about things and when I looked down I knew what I would use it for.

I found the Eames style chair at Goodwill with a horrific flowered fabric on it.

Hi there !

Ikea provides great fabric for upholstery.

I bought a staple gun this summer, and I can't seem to be able to stop myself from renovating since !

Here's a glimpse of my last projects :

A stool : http://nocesdecoton.canalblog.com/archives/2009/10/04/15307282.html

A footrest : http://nocesdecoton.canalblog.com/archives/2009/09/24/15183142.html

A headboard : http://nocesdecoton.canalblog.com/archives/2009/09/17/15103854.html

A stool : http://nocesdecoton.canalblog.com/archives/2009/09/15/15083640.html

A stool : http://nocesdecoton.canalblog.com/archives/2009/09/10/15021772.html

Hope you enjoy it !