Replace or reupholster?

  
This week’s Hot Home Products column is about re-upholstery and yummy fabrics, both from inVU Drapery  and Primavera. But is also stars my cottage kitchen, which got an overhaul this spring. As I mentioned before, the former owners had painted the walls very dark colours (take a peek at the pic below for a taste). We wanted to lighten it up, so we painted the entire main floor in String by Farrow and Ball, which I absolutely love. This is a colour that works anytime, in any light, and I think it looks terrific with the pine ceilings and floors. You can see the finished results above. Don’t you love the silly little candle holders festooned with strawberries? They are from my fave new cottage store, Vintage Finds, on Bobcaygeon Road, in Minden….

If you have are trying to decide whether to reupholster or replace a tired piece of furniture, you’d do well to do some preliminary research with a visit to a spot like  inVu, Primavera – or your fave local fabric and textile shop. In the Beaches, for example, try Jane Hall Design. You can pick up great tips. Lisa Nicholl, of InVU, shared with me, for example, the idea of using a large print on a smaller chair by framing the motif in the middle of the chair front (or back). And while at Primavera, I ooh-ed and aah-ed over the Chinese jar prints (shown above) from Pierre Frey, for whom the showroom is the exclusive trade agent. But I wondered aloud to owner Diego Marin if I could actually live with the print day in and day out. He pointed out that, used in a drapery, you would not see the full graphic all the time, just the gorgeous effect of the colour and shape.

Speaking of upholstery, I also really like the work of Andrea Ford, who did the amazing black and white couch shown above. 

 If you love great textiles, but are working on a tight budget, mark October 29 and 30th on your calendar. That’s when the Textile Museum of Canada holds its annual Decorator Fabric Sale. It’s where you’ll find designer fabrics, unique prints, beads, buttons and lots of rare finds, including sample lengths of fabrics by Pierre Frey, Osborne & Little, silk brocades from India and indigo prints from Japan and Africa - all at bargain prices.