Monday, July 27, 2009

Chinese Chippendales: Act I

***First - Thank You, THANK YOU for all of the sweet birthday wishes you sent my way! You know how it is...at some point after your 21st birthday (ahem, years ago for me), your special day sort of becomes just another day....but you gals, my friends here in Brazil, and of course, my sweet little family made it perfect. Muito Obrigada!***

On the project front: I started the Chippendale redo the other day. Lemme just say, removing nailhead and old, vinyl upholstery is no walk in the park. Upon closer inspection, I realized just how much TLC these chairs need. They spent several years as patio chairs (hence, the vinyl seats). Exposure to The Elements (in Houston, TX no less!) has made it necessary to replace the batting and seat support straps. It is evident, though, that in their day, they were properly and well-upholstered. I hope I can restore them to their former, glamorous selves!

I bought an "off the shelf" high gloss orange paint, and spot tested it on one chair...
Do you agree, it's a bit too citrus? If we're gonna stick with food references, I'm thinking less tangelo, more persimmon.
But, here's what it looked like in the can - not too bad, huh? Since it's not a custom mix, I'll either attempt to return it - a rather unappealing option, considering my limited Portuguese - or donate it to my friend's playroom redo project. Either way, a different shade is in store...

I do need to chop-chop, though, because here's the fabric - in all it's glory ...in TEXAS! I asked Shannon to ship it to my parents', so my Mom could handle the customs forms, etc in getting it to me...but I am soooo anxious to see it in person! I originally planned on making the seat recovering a DIY project, but considering the quality (read: cost) of the fabric, I'd be devastated if I blew it. Yep, I'll leave this recovering to the pros!

13 comments:

bluehydrangea said...

Oh my gosh, they are going to look great! and you already got your fabric? That was fast (well, at least your mom got it!)

MFAMB said...

i can't wait. i agree about the paint. it seems a little muddy yellow orange. not the crisp, bright orange i think you want. more pink in it? but not coral, right? paint seems like it should be easy but it's soooo not! picking colors for me is terribly hard.
love the fabric and they will look great!!!!

LindsB said...

So glad you had a great birthday!!

Isnt taking apart a chair that has been that way for years just so much fun, haha. I had the same issues when I was re-doing my chair, the amount of staples in that thing was out of control.

The fabric is amazing and once you get the right orange color, the chair is going to be so amazing, I cant wait for more!

The Townhouselady said...

I kid you not when I saw the title of the post Chinese Chippendale's I thought it was gong to be a video of buff dancing/stripping Asian men!

Now about those chairs...Love the choices of color and fabric. I agree that a more persimmon color would be better. This orange isn't reading right.

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Love the chairs. I think they will look amazing. The fabric is awesome. Hugs, Marty

Brooke @ Blueprint Bliss said...

I hope your birthday was great. Can't wait to see the chair transformation!

Picking paint colors is the hardest part of my job...

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

This chair is going to be Persimmon perfection! I'm so anxious to see the result...

Beth Connolly said...

I like the orange, but either color will be fab with that fabric!

Unknown said...

Is that the Tango fabric? I have the Tango curtains from Z Gallerie in the same colorway. I actually love it!

Carrot Jello said...

I'm with Townhouselady. I was thinking, "wow, China allows male strippers? They're really progressive..."
I can't say I'm disappointed that you were talking about chairs.

Hill Country House Girl said...

Love the chair and the fabric is great! I am looking for your post on your visit to the hill country - is there one? Always enjoy your blog!

Kalee said...

Wow, that will be incredible!

Minnie said...

OOh, I'm beginning to think this is the place to come for my glossy bright color kick! I love this project and especially adore the orange.