As previously reported we had several antique pieces of furniture that needed a makeover….

We are always looking for unique pieces of furniture for our store. While in Texas we found some fabulous pieces and the germ of an idea was born. Two pieces of furniture arrived from France and had been stripped down to their frames because customs would not allow the pieces to enter the country with their original horsehair. The chaise lounge was built in 1912 and reupholstered in 1952. It will be transformed with the help of some of our vintage sheets and a talented upholsterer.

We also have a chair which will benefit from a bolt of vintage fabric.

And will lovingly care for the four dining chairs below.

Stay tuned as the transformation of these pieces begins. We’ll keep you updated as we move forward with the process which will culminate with the unveiling of the finished pieces.

Next up – see how vintage linens soiled over the years get a new lease on life with the help of a good soak in
Restoration

The transformation has taken place with the benefit of an excellent workroom and yards of vintage linen and French sheets.

Imagine yourself reclining on this beauty as you leaf through a good novel or your favorite travel book or just grab 40 winks in style.

Enjoy the eye candy!

Our armchair can go into almost any room with ease, den, bedroom or tucked up close to a fireplace.

Our set of four dining chairs with their simple, clean lines and neutral upholstery can be added to any decor style.

This vintage bench would make a welcoming sight in a foyer or mud room.

A stylish place to rest while pulling off rainboots!

In closing -  make a subtle yet elegant statement in any room in your home

with the addition of a vintage piece – you’ll have all your friends talking

(and jealous!).

Well not us, but our chaise lounge, arm chair and four dining chairs whizzed out of our parking lot yesterday to begin their transformation. Our upholsterer drove off with them in her red pick-up,  dropping the dining chairs at a local furniture “stripper” and taking the rest to her studio to begin the process.

Along with the furniture went our bolts of vintage fabric that had been bathed and lovingly ironed by one of our dedicated staff. Here are some photos of them in their “before” and “after” conditions.

"before" armchair fabric

"after" archair fabric

"before" chaise lounge fabric

"after" chaise lounge fabric

Stay tuned . . . . .

Many of us have a lot of doilies, inherited from family members, bought in a moment of madness, or collected over the years.  Or even ones we’ve made.  Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to do, especially when they’re fairly small, or no longer fit in our decor.  We’ve been collecting ideas across the web, of fun crafty and easy ways to use these, infuse new life in doilies, create wonderful gifts.  Many of these projects are easy enough to do with the kids, perfect for Summer

Of course we offer hundreds of doilies, runners, centerpieces, lace and more in our store… either ready for use, or ready for you to recycle.

1. Lace Votives or bowls

From Martha Stewart’s website

While this project is not strictly intended for doilies, since it calls for rectangular lace, we thought it was a great idea to adapt to a doily.  You could take the doily, and do exactly what the instructions suggest but with a doily, and get a similar effect.  You can also dye the doilies to get different shades and create an assortment.  Using different shades of pink or green for example, or going with a color theme.

The instructions can be found by clicking on the Martha Stewart link above.

2. Table Runner

From the Blog Desire to Inspire

This fun runner can be done in so many different ways. You can start with all similar color doilies or with a mish mash like the authors did – see here:

The instructions could not be simpler, and you can do anything as far as pattern, colors, shape etc goes. It would be a fun outdoor project with vats of color dyes.

Here are different looks using the same idea:

[Read more →]

We are always looking for unique pieces of furniture for our store. While in Texas we found some fabulous pieces and the germ of an idea was born. Two pieces of furniture arrived from France and had been stripped down to their frames because customs would not allow the pieces to enter the country with their original horsehair. The chaise lounge was built in 1912 and reupholstered in 1952. It will be transformed with the help of some of our vintage sheets and a talented upholsterer.

We also have a chair which will benefit from a bolt of vintage fabric.

And will  lovingly care for the four dining chairs below.

Stay tuned as the transformation of these pieces begins. We’ll keep you updated as we move forward with the process which will culminate  with the unveiling of the finished pieces.

Next up – see how vintage linens soiled over the years get a new lease on life with the help of a good soak in
Restoration

Crisp Vintage Linens for summer.. just beautiful.

You don’t have to be a vintage linens connoisseur or expert to love them and use them in modern homes for decorating and practical uses. If you haven’t tried them before, get ready, you’ll fall in love when you start.

It can seem daunting at first, but just jumping in and buying something small and easy, like the gorgeous little Boudoir or Bolster pillow shams is a great start. Buy a few that you like to make a grouping and you’ll be smitten.

These lovely little gems are usually smallish pillow shams, cushion covers, baby shams or bolsters and very easy to fill by using pre made pillow forms, poly stuffing from craft stores or you can recycle old pillow or cushion filling you have. Usually one of a kind, an eclectic mix is exactly what you’re going for.

Use them to create a look, by scattering a group of different fresh crisp vintage linen or cotton shams in a bedroom, sun room, daybed or guest room. They look especially gorgeous on wicker furniture and add a lovely fresh unique look to any decor.

Below we have a display of a few of our bedroom linens on a daybed creating a fresh country theme with red and pink accents plus some cute JellyCat plush animals to finish this chic vintage look.

Day Bed with Vintage Linens

We have beautiful cleaning solutions, linen sprays, pillow mists and storage products to get your linens crisp and beautiful, as well as smelling Summer fresh and properly stored when not being used.

Freshen Linens with Sprays

To learn more about European Vintage Linens, take a look at our information page that has a wealth of knowledge from our experts who lived in Europe for 35 years and personally buy, hand pick and bring back everything we have, direct from European estates, private homes and village markets all over Europe.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need us to make selections for you, groupings or need volume linens for bed and breakfasts, decorating, staging and displays. We can always help.

Enjoy !