The big change for the Cottage was window replacement! This was a costly, but necessary, improvement.
Double-hung windows downstairs and casement windows upstairs were a much-needed, past due improvement.
With all the windy days driving me indoors, out of the gardens, I've had the time to do a few fun alterations to my decor.
A few months ago I tailored a slipcover and sewed new cushion covers for a small loveseat that was upstairs in the south gable (see "Tailoring A Ready-made Slipcover To Fit, April 9, 2012).
The ready-made slipcover I purchased was too big, so I tailored it to fit. And, to avoid the tucking and smoothing which is always a chore with slipcovers, I recovered the cushions in matching cotton duck fabric (from curtain panels) so the cushions sit on top of the slipcover negating the need for all that tucking and smoothing!
Recently, I decided I wanted to have the slipcovered loveseat downstairs in my sitting room so I gave the sitting room sofa to a friend and had the loveseat brought downstairs.
I'm changing the look of my sitting room by bringing down the white slipcovered sofa, moving in an area rug from another room, adding a few more pillows recovered with material from my fabric stash, and adding a pair of metal wall sconces (you can see one of them in the upper left corner of this photo.
I really like the shabby-chic look I created upstairs and want to have that look in my downstairs sitting room. The dark, round-backed chairs (one of a pair in the sitting room is visible in the photo above) will be painted and recovered (by me, if all goes well) to give a lighter look to the room. I've never recovered a chair, except the seats of dining room chairs, so I'm a bit scared I'll mess it up. But, I'm excited about the adventure of teaching myself a new skill!
I'll post on the chair project at some time in the future. I've already begun taking the fabric off one of the chairs so I can paint it!
To replace the slipcovered sofa in the south gable which is one of my favorite sitting places because of the view across fields and pastures to the mountains beyond, I swapped it with a wicker chair that I'd slipcovered in cotton duck curtains.
A wicker chair from another area upstairs - its cushions slipcovered in off-white - replaces the slipcovered loveseat that is now in the downstairs sitting room. A small metal stool was topped with a crocheted pillow to create a comfy footstool.
The crocheted pillow kept sliding off the stool so I wove ribbon through the corners and bow-tied them securely to the stool's legs. The result was a cute foot-friendly, poufy-topped footstool!
I made this cozy sitting area in the kitchen for enjoying a glass of wine or cup of tea by removing the large kitchen table - which I don't eat at - and replacing it with a smaller metal table (complete with a matchbook under one leg to level it!). I spray-painted the small table red to match the chairs and made a small table cloth that pairs nicely with the mattress ticking fabric on the homemade chair covers. I made a fabric topper out of off-white fabric for the table that lightens the look. An old rug from the dressing room completes the vignette.
A pot for tea, a small bouquet of flowers from the garden, and a bowl of lemons make for a decorative and welcoming tablescape.
Speaking of tablescapes...the table in the red dining room has undergone several seasonal alterations in the past few months.
Early Spring, before anything was blooming in the gardens proved to be the inspiration for the yellow rose potpourri made with ingredients from the previous year's garden.
A bit later in Spring the table top was refreshed with a new look featuring a simple arrangement of lemons and limes on a beautiful, hand-crocheted doily gifted to me by Beth Merayo.
The wind and early record setting heat inspired me to top the table with a simple, linen runner and woven basket for a cool, airy look.
These simple alterations (except the window replacement) cost little, mostly using what I already had, or could sew, grow, or re-purpose. Making these changes was fun and kept me busy on days too windy to stick my nose outside.
The thing with making changes to decor, even small alterations, is that I cannot just make one or two changes without altering the balance so that more changes need to be made to go with the ones I already made!
Thus, I've now got to repaint and recover a couple of chairs in the sitting room! For this I'll have to order new, lighter fabric for the chairs. The paint, which will be ivory was brought up from the cellar and was left over from a painting project a few years ago.
I'll keep you posted on how the redo of the chairs goes. If I really mess it up there is an upholstery shop about an hour's drive from here that can salvage my do-it-yourself plan!
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Abundance is...a hand-made gift, kindly and heart-fully crocheted and given!
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