A Cinderella Chair Story

I can now share these amazing chair transformations with you.

As expected, the chairs returned looking fabulous after being in the super-capable hands of the talented Flourish & Blume team. The girls chose the fabrics and were given free reign with the design.

Do you remember the sorry state of the chairs before?

I'm blown away by the restoration of the wood, Katie's specialty. I had no idea that this beautiful Tasmanian Blackwood was hiding under the cracked, mouldy layers.

The design of the upholstery and attention to detail is blissful perfection.

The sides of the seats and back have been covered with our "French Stripes" print. All of the fabrics used are a natural flax linen and printed with eco-friendly Permaset Aqua Red ink.

The same striped fabric has been used to make the adorable mini back cushions with feather-filled inserts.

Other fabrics used are our "Dotty about Roses" and "Hydrangea" prints.

I've never been much of a matchy-matchy type of a girl so quite like that the chairs have different fabrics that work well together.

Lovely details include 3 covered buttons across each of the backs.

All inners have been replaced with brand new foam and take a look at the new quilted seat support. Laura has done an amazing job and has been put her fashion training to good use.

Unfortunately, these chairs don't suit my decor so we're offering them for sale. I'm sure you can appreciate the time, workmanship and quality of materials used. To purchase, visit the website here. Pick up from our studio in Capalaba only.

Images are taken by me (Thea Samios).

The Fairy Godmothers

The Thea & Sami studio had two very special visitors yesterday.

I had the pleasure of meeting Katie Blume and Laura McEwan, also known as Flourish and Blume, the ladies who created this beauty. We spent 4 glorious hours together. It was non-stop excitement with the passionate exchanging of ideas and playing with fabrics.

I asked the girls to take my two ugly vintage armchairs away and work their magic! Ugly they may be but I have been told by Laura (taking measurements) that they are Don Rex chairs.

Apparently, these chairs are quite collectable but I haven't been able to find much information on-line. However, I did learn that Don Rex was a Queensland based furniture manufacturer in the 1960s and 70s. The factory used local timbers and Rex's designs were based on the popular Danish furniture of the day. If you know more about Don Rex, do educate us.

Update (6/8/11) It has been determined that these are not Don Rex chairs but Australian-made Tasmanian Blackwood in the popular Danish style.

This is the old fabric on the chairs which is highly unlikely to have been originally used by Don Rex.

I'm sure that Laura and Katie will do something fabulous with the chairs using 3 of our printed linen fabrics. We won't tell you which ones as we don't want to spoil the surprise. I know that I can't wait to see the transformations which will include new modern-shaped upholstery foam and cushions.

See more furniture magic over at Flourish and Blume.

Brilliant Upholstery!

There is a dynamic duo in Lismore, New South Wales who are upholstery geniuses.

Laura & Katie who operate under the name of Flourish & Blume find the most neglected, you-could-never-imagine-saving chairs and totally transform them into true works of art.

Look at these 'before' shots. Would you have seen beyond the ugliness?

The fabric used is our Petersburg Linen in Dusty Pink, custom-printed with our Marguerite floral in a Creme colour for the girls. You can read more about the upholstery process here.

I am quite excited about meeting the girls when they visit Brisbane at the end of the month. Watch this space as we are planning future collaborations.

Visit Laura and Kate's blog to see more of their amazing work and please show them some love.

Images are courtesy of Flourish & Blume,