Site revamp

We have been giving some serious thought as to which direction we would prefer our business to go in.
We have had alot of customer comments about our bespoke service, where we take in pieces and bring them back to life, by either distressing them, or just painting them to better fit in with the surrounding decor of the home they live in.

initially, this was going to be the sideline of the business, but it seems that it is in much greater demand than we first thought. So after a little time I decided to revamp our site to further push for the bespoke service.

Have a look at it here: http://chic-2-chic-interiors.weebly.com/bespoke-service.html and let us know what you think.

Because I am so passionate about making things cost efffective, and reducing our own and others' carbon footprint, it really does make sense for us to be reducing the strain on the furniture making industry - which lets fact it, is not always the glamour-fest we think it is.

By learning to love our grannys moth eaten and fusty smelling wardrobe again, or clinging onto that retro 60's lime green kitchen, we can all do our bit.

Finished Dining Table

Well, here it is. The finished painted dining table. And to be completely honest, we are thrilled with the outcome.

We were careful not to allow the red to become too garish and in your face. So with some careful mixing of Emperors Silk and Primer Red we managed to get a shade which is striking but not 'phone box' red, which might get old far quicker. The pictures also do not do the colouration of the top any real justice, since in the flesh it has a very delicate barely there pinkness to it which stops it from being too stark. In the right setting and with the right lighting, it will look amazing.

There are several layers of wax all over, which when buffed give the whole piece a nice gentle sheen and adds protection. Although we wouldn't suggest placing hot cups and plates directly onto the table surface (as with any dining table ideally).

We believe that it is OK to make a statement with your furniture. Traditional is fine, and believe me we have our fair share of that in our home too, but it's always nice to have possessions which say something about your personality or your ethos on life, or your family.
This table will give someone the opportunity to do that. To have something which says 'I'm a bit apart from the norm, but that's the way we like it'.

Do let us know what you think. These types of table are always coming up, and we would love to get ideas for future projects.  

Dining table.

We recently came across this two-a-penny dining table which can be found in just about every pine furniture store in existence. And paid a fiver for it! 

It's one redeeming feature is it's pedestal!!! It's such a chunky substantial example that we felt we could give the whole thing a new lease of life.

We have faithfully stuck with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, deciding to use a mix of Emperors Silk and Primer red for the pedestal, and an old ochre mix for the top.

Now, we know that alot of people wont like the
colour mix we have chosen, but painted kitchens are becoming increasingly popular, and red appears to be one of the most favoured colours.

We think that if marketed right, it will be the ideal table to have in one of these types of kitchen.

corner unit

When we found this corner unit, it reminded us of good old 80's dinner parties! All that was missing was a hostess trolley, a teak sideboard, prawn cocktail and olives on a stick!  

The faux leaded glass doors were wobbly and bent, and the glass itself had a horrid plastic feel to them...so off they came. We didn't even give them a second thought.

These days we believe people like to be able to create space, and doors close things in. They also make the whole thing retain its dated look.

The paint of choice had to be Annie Sloan and we liked the idea of keeping things classic, so grey it was. However, we found that Paris Grey wasn't quite what we were hoping for, so we created a mix from Graphite and Old White. We are quietly impressed with the results. 
The inside was originally a wishy washy magnolia, so we gave it a couple of coats of Old White, to keep things simple, and finished the whole thing off with several layers of wax to add subtle lustre and protection. 

We like to think that it has gone from being a bit of an old fuddy duddy, to something young fresh and absolutely usable. 
It will no doubt look equally amazing in a bedroom, or a bathroom, or a living room..in fact, any room. 

Lets hope we find a good home for it. 

Pretty chairs

As I have previously mentioned, I am absolutely mad about chairs. I find them and their stories fascinating and I just cant leave them to fade away.

We found these two hidden away in the back of an old barn, and knew they would be better suited to a home environment rather than accommodating spiders and woodlice.
So, we rescued them, and gave them some much needed tlc. We used a vintage grey on them, and several layers of good quality wax.



We decided against distressing them. They are late victorian in age, and at least 100 years old, so I think they are probably distressed enough :p

The quality of them is so good, we didn't have to do any repairs except on a few ancient worm holes on the top rails.

Personally, I think they would look great in a farmhouse kitchen, or perhaps in a couple of guest bedrooms.

Lets hope we can find good homes for them.

wardrobes and chairs

We have had some lovely weather, so have been making the most of being able to work outside.

We came by this beautiful wardrobe which was destined for the dump! Sometimes, we simply can't believe what people will happily throw away.

Here at Chic2Chic, we are very passionate about being as environmentally friendly as we possibly can be, so being able to save this piece and move it on to a good home is very important for us.

It was so pretty, we sold it simply as it you see it here. Needless to say, once we had advertised it people were close to breaking our arms for it.
We are happy that it has gone to a good home, where it will be used and loved for many years to come.

Also, we have acquired 4 of these tired but sound wheel back chairs. There are several options available; we can strip them and refinish as they are now. Or give them the Annie Sloan treatment with paint and a shabby finish, perhaps using two colours.

I personally have a real passion for chairs. I love to think about what they have seen in their lifetime. How many bums have sat on them, how many children have been sent to sit on one of them whilst in disgrace, and of course how many more have been given praise on one of them. How many letters have been written whilst sat on one them, and how many dinner parties have gone on into the early hours whilst sat on one of them.

I believe that chairs have stories to tell, and revitalising them and sending them back out into the world to start a life a-fresh is a wonderful thing to be able to do.

Sadly, chairs seem to come second place to whatever they sit around or under. And yet without them, that table or desk would be almost unusable. So try to give a little thought to that poor, neglected chair the next time you scrape its feet across the floor or dump yourself into it without a second thought.

And if you have some hanging around which look tired, or unloved, why not send us a picture and see what ideas we could come up with to match or compliment them to your new interior decor. 

Shabby sideboard

Today we wanted to be able to do something simple with this sideboard unit we were given for....FREE! Yes, it's amazing what people will throw away.

Needless to say, our eyes absolutely twinkled when we took it home. The only problem we had, was choosing between us what finish to give it.

We decided on an understated Annie Sloan chalk paint finish, in Old White, and to gently knock back some of the edges to give it a slightly distressed look, then to give it a good few coats of wax for protection and a nice patina.

We are very happy with the finished piece, and hope it will find itself a nice new home, where it will be used for many years to come.

Looking at it now, and comparing it to how it looked this morning, it is heartening to know that it can now blend into either a modern or traditional setting.

For instance; with some lovely textiles around it and perhaps a nice mirror it will look stunning in a chic/cottage styled bedroom. Or with a choice lamp, retro or otherwise, and some cleverly placed ornaments it could look equally at home in a study.