Furniture, furnishings, and interior design

[lowrey]

sick. I still have that issue on the table.

So I tried kitty litter on the musky cupboard, and no help. had it in there for almost 3 days and no change. I ended up washing the inside twice with soap and twice with vinegar, and its a bit better. I also replaced the shelves so now theres less old surface. I don't think the smell will stick to anything anymore as the surfaces are clean, so I can live with it. what a pain in the ass though.

[swami]

Lowrey,
The only sure fire solution might be to sand the finish and re stain it!

Browsing the forums I just saw you have a new addition to the family... Awesome Congrats! Life will never be the same again ha

[Faust]

My first DIY project. I got this console table made of reclaimed wood and metal. The wood was pretty raw, so I waxed it. Now it looks great, although you can't tell much difference from these pictures

I am thinking if giving it another coat of wax will make it darker, which would be nice.

before


after


process

finished

[lowrey]

turned out nice!

you can also mix the waxes if you want to alter the colour, by the way

my table is still in process... I used the wrong type of clear coat and now I have to sand the whole thing down to bare wood

[Faust]

Thanks for the recommendation!

Sorry about your table. Must be a bitch. :(

[savant]

that DIY job looks great Faust.

Did you have to sand it down first ?

What wax did you use by the way ?

[Faust]

Don't really need to when it's raw and you are using wax.

[Avantster]

Great job! There's something quietly satisfying about having something you've made sitting in your own home. Think it would look even better with another coat of wax, too.

[Faust]

Indeed!

[Dane]

I like this idea...a simple box construction (which I might paint a similar colour as the upholstery you choose) with a mattress & XL cushions. Shouldn't be too expensive to make, unless you went crazy with high-grade upholstery.

Speaking of which, some random upholstery tips - I can't stress enough how a removeable/machine washable cover is; if you have pets, take the fabric sample and rub it on them to see if their hair sticks and/or is overly visible; watch out for fabrics that pill (wools, etc.); watch out for fabrics with too much mechanical stretch (linens); fabrics with varied colours hide lint/dirt better.

[lowrey]

for the cushions + pillows, you could always look for a cheap or used couch with the right sized ones and use those? I have no idea how they are usually made, unless you just use foam which you can probably buy pre-cut.

edit: or even easier, like bestial suggested, just buy cushions if they're sold separately and upholster them.

[bestial]

Fun project! The plywood boxes are pretty easy to make as long as you have the right tools. Made a bench a few years ago, 100% rick-inspired with the antler and all, took about 1-2 weeks with many breaks for beer though.

Depending on how affordable you want the cushions too be you probably just could buy some at some of the bigger chains and sew cases yourself. On the other hand lowrey had good ideas.

[Faust]

for the cushions + pillows, you could always look for a cheap or used couch with the right sized ones and use those? I have no idea how they are usually made, unless you just use foam which you can probably buy pre-cut.

edit: or even easier, like bestial suggested, just buy cushions if they're sold separately and upholster them.

For cushions I just bought pillows from ikea and some fabric from which M is going to make us cushions. It's good to date someone who knows how to sew! (Also buying some fabric and she will make us curtains).

[Faust]

Yeah, I know it won't be a problem. I'd probably build the box in one day, just need to make it the right size considering getting cushions can get easier that way. I'd have no problem just buying some madras/ foam and upholster them in some good microsuede or actual leather. Might be a fun project after all, although more freely inspired than a true copy of anything.

It's just what I want and how I want it.

Dane, you mention high-grade upholstery, any chances where to get some?

I still remember the Rick chair in the women's department of Barneys NYC with this very textured reverse leather (?) which was purely amazing and I enjoyed sitting in the chair for quite a while. Something like it would be definitely interesting.

I don't how things work where you are but we have fabric stores that sell upholstery fabric.

[Dane]

see which store locally carried Maharam...that'll probably lead you to a retailer that offers decent upholstery. "designer" upholstery is tricky though because it often is trade-only.

Alternatively (ie - cheaper), just hit the fabric stores and see what works for you. Obviously leather is pricey, and finding sz-standards leather is hard to come by...maybe zamb or someone that works with it can give you a hand.