A Better Option

Remodeling and decorating an entire room in one fell swoop has some hidden hazards.  Turns out one of those popped up when I redid my foyer.  I was moving along from built ins, to fireplace tile, to paint and drapes and I was pretty happy with how it was coming together.  Somewhere in the process I decided I needed new fabric for the chairs that I wanted to use in the room.  Sadly, the cushions I recently paid too much to have made, were not going to work with the drapes in this room.

 I was on a mission to find different fabric and make them myself.  Somehow that was supposed to redeem me from spending too much the first time, and now discarding them altogether.

 I constructed them myself, but,  I was not totally satisfied with the results.  The fabric was just ok and the fabrication was so-so.  But, I guilted myself into believing they would be just fine.  Little did I know I was totally setting myself up for a change.  Those suppressed doubts play around in the subconscious and eventually pop out in the strangest ways.


This is how it happened.  My brother, John, dropped off two ottomans he scooped up from curbside trash pickup.  He rightly assumed I might want them.  They sat around for about four months as I thought where I might use them.  I tried them in the guest room, but that wasn't going to work.

When I carried them down to the first floor I placed them in the foyer just to have them out of my way until I decided what to do with them.

Well, they started to grow on me in that room and I decided to search again for fabric that would go with my drapes.

I found this piece on www.fabric.com and ordered a swatch.  Turns out I really liked it with the floor in the foyer and proceeded to order enough for the ottomans and....

yes, those darn cushions were now going to be recovered again.

One last look at the cushions in the short lived fabric.

Now imagine them in this fabric.  Third time's a charm, right?

Next step was to deliver everything to the upholsterer.  For about 15 seconds I considered doing them myself.  Then I rushed them off to the upholsterer before that thought had a chance to manifest.

Today was the day they came back home.  With this pattern I would have regretted attempting to upholster these myself.

 

There is a seam on each side about six inches above the piping and that's a tough match as it curves on the ends.

Here they are in front of the fireplace waiting for someone who wants to put their feet up.

And about those seat cushions....they are finished as well.

 

I like this fabric, but I also like that there is more of it than just on the cushions.

 

It doesn't look like it in this picture but these ottomans are actually wider at one end than the other.

 

It is really hard to see but the end closest to the chair is one and a half inches wider than the other end.  I think it gives them style....a little flair, if you will.

 

I wouldn't want all my decorating to take three tries to get it right.

 

But in this case, I think it was worth it to persist until I was totally satisfied.