Friday, July 1, 2011

Aaahh.... what have l done.

We used to live in a teeny house and coming here we found ourselves  a bit light on for furniture. Something we really needed was a lounge suite, so when my elderly Aunt who lives in Melbourne was downsizing her lounge suite she kindly offered this one to us. We hired a small truck, risking life and limb driving through Melbourne to pick it up.......which wasn't easy cos it weighs a ton. Since it doesn't have big puffy seats and armrests hubby was less than impressed, and l admit it's not something l would pick out ... but it was something to sit on. l'd always had the idea that l'd paint it, but Aunt had polished and treasured that carved wood so l was a bit hesitant to let lose with the paintbrush, and what if she caught the train and visited and saw it... Lordy l did not want that face etched in my brain...
Any way l got over it  and here it is. Also she's way older now and unlikely to visit. Now if the suite was an antique l most likely wouldn't have painted it but since it's an 80's repro l don't feel too badly.











































As you can see the cushions in the after pic are not the original. l was lucky enough to come across another couch which had all these feather filled cushions on it. l payed the $150 they were asking for the couch and l only took the cushions. They were nice enough to get rid of the couch frame for me. When l got home they fitted perfectly..yay!!
It took ages to sand and l knew l had to do a pretty thorough job as it had been polished fanatically (not by me). To paint it l based it in grip lock primer and then 2-3 coats of a warm white. It was a colour l concocted myself, so no name.







Although it looks ok in this pic l just think it's a bit dark and old fashioned.






l've done away with the back cushions and made my own softer ones. l put lace around the bottoms since l'm so not a fan of the floral. l made the front cushions ages ago and they seem to match in ok.











Drab to fab.....what do you think?? (Sorry about the fuzzy before pic).




Even though all the covers come off and can be washed it's just so cosy and comfy with this old chenille bedspread thrown over it. 








































This is how it sits in the family room.

































l mentioned that l'd painted a fly on the cupcake in this painting and thought you might like to see it. Not very appetising.....either the fly or the cake...but a bit of fun.





pinterest.com  

l hope to start the kitchen setting soon so have been looking around for inspiration. Love this table and chairs.





Gorgeous flowers from weddingwhims.tumblr.com via pinterest.


l can't believe l'm saying this again already...but have yourselves a fantastic weekend. 

Take care.
Bron.


4 comments:

  1. Hi Bron,
    It's amazing what a coat of white paint can do. The room looks lovely and the white really complements the patterned fabrics.
    Beth x

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  2. My Gosh, I am so amazed at how gorgeous you made the furnishings look! The white paint brought out all the ornateness and movement of the pieces! What a fabulous job! I just love what you've done! And, the fly on the cupcake, is sorta whimsical, so true to life! Love your creative thinking! Adorable!

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  3. Hi Bron, the makeover is superb,it does look so much better now, the original cushions even looks pretty now.

    p.s. your floor is so clean!!!!

    Have a great weekend, Tam x

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  4. Georgeous photos Bron and you have really transformed this loungesuite from drab to fab. Now it's elegant, romantic and very comfy and looks fabulous with the rest of your decor. Only you could make it look this stunning. I love the fly on the cupcake. So very funny!
    xMichelle

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