second coat design

Eliot School Present

2010-12-21T13:11:00.006-05:00

Do you need to get someone an original gift for the holidays? Do you live in the Boston area? Well if you do, then come on down to Ernie B....Elliot School and sign up for a class I'm teaching in the winter. In this class we'll refurb a small piece of furniture with paint! I'll teach you everything I know, and more!?

Happy Holidays!

Annie

2010-10-19T15:08:00.012-04:00

Here's a recently completed project, and we'll call it Annie.

From a far Annie looks curiously warm and inviting. Not a cold gray and not a clean white, but a warm...something. When you get a little bit closer, you realize that this 'something' is the cream-based linen pattern painted directly on the three-drawer piece. If this dresser wasn't made out of wood, you would want to cuddle with it.

Craigslist Find!

2010-08-30T08:55:00.001-04:00

Spotted this kitchen hutch for cheap on Craigslist. Scooped it up, gave it some fresh paint, and voila.

before...

and after...

McCarthy

2010-07-30T00:27:00.002-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, meet McCarthy. This poor guy was on his way to the landfill, can you believe it!? Despite a few scratches, some missing hardware, and a rough finish... he had a lot going for him.

Here's McCarthy before...

Here's McCarthy after...

It's Been a While!

2010-07-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! It's been way too long. We've been keeping busy with lots of projects and another round of upholstery classes (more on that soon). The big news of the day is that we just completed two custom pieces for our lovely friend, Annie Chase. Annie came to us with a chair and a washstand and gave us total creative freedom to do whatever our hearts desired. We had a lot of fun with her pieces and here are the results!

Annie's washstand before...

and after!

Annie's chair before...

and after!

We found the fabric at the Etsy store KainKain, based out of Jakarta, Indonesia. The store's owner, Jenny, was such a pleasure to work with and even set up a custom listing for us that was the perfect size/color for our chair. Be sure to check out her shop -- amazing embroidery skills!

Brimfield

2010-05-16T18:34:00.001-04:00

We ventured to the Brimfield antique festival this weekend. So much to look at...

Decorating with Books

2010-04-15T16:26:00.004-04:00

I've got a thing for old books. I have a small collection going, mostly flea market finds. Clothbound, leatherbound, old and a little musty. Today I decided to go for a walk on my lunchbreak and stumbled upon old book heaven: The Brattle Book Shop on West Street. I walk by this place all the time and for some reason I've never gone in. I had no idea what I was missing!

Not only that, but turns out the Brattle is all about helping you decorate your home with beautiful old books. "The Brattle works with decorators who need books by the yard based on color schemes, such as autumn-colored, cream, dark or red." They'll help you create the perfect display. Ooooh I can't wait to go back tomorrow. My wallet is going to be so sad...

Pets on Furniture

2010-04-13T15:27:00.005-04:00

Mondays are tough. Tuesdays are easy, because LOST is on. But, good news! Mondays just got a little better with Desire to Inspire's weekly "Pets on Furniture" posts.

They've combined two things I love most. Brilliant. Ahem, scroll way down to the bottom. That's our Ming. Sorry, proud pet parent moment...

Blue Room Mystery Solved

2010-04-05T09:23:00.011-04:00

Last week we were wondering what paint color Ila & Nate used in their JP dining room. The answer is... dun dun dun...

Academy Blue by Ralph Lauren!

The shade looks a little different in this picture, but still gorgeous! Check out a tour of the rest of their colorful home at Apartment Therapy.

Blue Room

2010-04-02T07:13:00.000-04:00

The Boston Globe just did a feature on local homes that have strayed away from white/beige and lightened up with bright paint colors, awesome!

photo by Essdras M Suarez, Boston Globe

Ila & Nate, if you're out there... we're dying to know what paint color you used in your gorgeous JP dining room. We're big, big fans!

Can't Wait to Try This!

2010-04-01T08:55:00.020-04:00

As you know, we've been on an endless quest for fabric. We've traveled long and far across the internet (and Boston), and haven't come up with any winners. The trouble is usually weighing cost and how much we love the look of the fabric. One of the problems we keep encountering is finding interesting prints that are only available in light-weight quilting fabrics, not so good for heavy upholstery projects.

BUT we've stumbled upon something that could be truly great: Spoonflower Fabrics

You can upload a JPEG and design your own fabric. They give lots of helpful tips for creating the image/making sure it looks the way you want when it's printed. You can also order a swatch just to be sure it's perfect. Prices are reasonable, they use eco-friendly methods, and there's no minimum to order (and they do offer upholstery weight fabric). Goodness gracious I could go on and on. What a brilliant idea. If you can't tell, we're really excited about this. Also, the sun just came out for the first time in days!

You can choose to make your print private, or you can go public and offer it to others. If other people end up using your print, you get a small designer's commission. I can't get over how genius this idea is. They do a weekly fabric contest on their blog where you can go through submissions and vote for favorites. Definitely worth checking out!

"Yellow Daffodils" by Holli Zollinger who won the Daffodil-themed weekly contest. She posted more about the process of designing the print on her blog.

More weekly contest winners

We haven't tried it just yet, but we can't wait to give it a go. We'll keep you posted. If we can just sharpen up our sewing skills, the possibilities will be endless...

Mirror, mirror, on the ground

2010-03-31T11:26:00.005-04:00

I really like the idea of having a transportable mirror. By that I mean, not affixed to the wall. For instance, I have this mirror resting against my wall in my apartment. Still serves the great purpose of opening up the space in my small place and I can put it anywhere I want at anytime!

I do want some nice wall mirrors, though, I just haven't found any that would work well with my space. Searching searching searching. Maybe I should get one of those mirrors with a television hiding in it.

naaahhh.

Peelable Fabric Wallpaper

2010-03-30T07:16:00.002-04:00

Very cool idea (especially for renters!)

Ruche did an awesome job with their Spring lookbook. They recently blogged about the DIY projects they used to bring the whole look together. One of the projects included using fabric as wallpaper, and creating a homemade wallpaper "glue" out of cornstarch.

Recipe here:
"Make one batch at a time to avoid lumps in the paste. For one gallon of paste, sift one cup of cornstarch into a large pot. Slowly add one gallon of hot tap water a little at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition of water with a wire whisk. Heat the mixture on medium high heat on the stove, stirring constantly, until it thickens and becomes clear. Let the paste cool to room temperature for use."

Best part is -- it's totally removable. You can just peel the fabric off and wipe down the wall once you're ready to move on and you're good to go! Definitely want to give this a try. Will let you know how it goes!

Nice Room

2010-03-25T11:36:00.006-04:00

If you've checked the forecast recently, you'll know that it's calling for rain/SNOW tomorrow in Boston. Yuck. I will close my eyes and pretend I'm in this room...

It's Been a While...

2010-03-23T17:34:00.002-04:00

Hi loyal readers, we apologize for the lack of posts recently! Truth is, we've been very busy with several new projects. We're so excited we forgot to blog. Can you forgive us?

Recently we decided to tackle a project that involved stripping the varnish off of a wooden piece so we could restore it. Most stripping agents are highly toxic and really need to be used outside, which has been tough with all the rain we've had. Nick & I agreed that it'd be best to try something safe and non-toxic that we could use indoors. We went with 3M's "Safest Stripper Paint and Varnish Remover"

It sounded perfect: "3M™ Safest Stripper™ is a non-toxic alternative to caustic paint and varnish removers. Powerful enough to strip virtually any finish. Biodegradable, wash down the drain. No strong fumes or methylene chloride. Requires no gloves. Use indoors."

However, we give it the thumbs down :( It sort of worked. Some varnish came off in streaky patterns, leaving us with a lot more work to do. The good news is, it didn't damage the wood, but it didn't quite do the job we were hoping it would.

So here's our question for you... Have you ever tackled a project like this and if so, what product did you use? Have you found a non-toxic varnish/paint stripper that works as well as its poisonous cousins? We've heard a few good things about Citistrip Safer Paint & Varnish Stripping Gel and that it actually smells like oranges! This might be the next product we try.

Any recommendations? Please leave a comment or shoot us an email!

Rain, Rain Go Away

2010-03-15T12:51:00.012-04:00

We're so ready for the rain to head on out. We spent the weekend working on several pieces -- although the rain made it a little tough. We've got lots of exciting projects we can't wait to share with you. Stayed tuned for some before & after shots coming soon!

For now, enjoy these prints by Ashley G and Drew (available on Etsy). They seemed kind of fitting for today's weather. Also be sure to check out their other prints -- they do custom portraits. Could make for a great gift!

"One Of Those Days"

"Let's Stay Home"

Nick's Upholstery Update

2010-03-11T08:54:00.006-05:00

This past week, I continued padding my chair with cotton and 1-inch foam. I laid the cotton on the arms and stapled it down. Then I put the foam over the cotton and stapled that down. Pretty simple. The chair is starting to feel comfortable.

More Than Just Hardware

2010-03-10T17:05:00.000-05:00

As Nick mentioned earlier this week -- we're often on the hunt for hardware, but we don't have just one go-to spot. We tend to shop around until we find what's just right for the project at hand, but we do have a few shops we check in with frequently.

One of those is Village Green Renewal on Davis Ave in Brookline Village.

Not only is there a ton of vintage hardware to choose from, but it's also a warm, friendly shop where handyman and super nice guy, Seth Barrett, will fix almost anything you can fit through the doorway. So good to know he's in the neighborhood!

Watch a CNN video on Village Green Renewal here. Such a good find, we hope you guys will drop by to check it out sometime!

Empty Wall Space?

2010-03-09T11:20:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Nick and I got to talking about our mutual love for maps, both old and new. I came across this series of hand-drawn city maps by Karen M O'Leary of StudioKMO and they're pretty incredible. Talk about patience and attention to detail... Amazing!

If you have links to any other cool maps, then please PLEASE post them. We love maps and want to find more! Thanks!

Hardware is Everywhere

2010-03-08T11:37:00.008-05:00

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive on our furniture is, "where do you get your hardware from?" That question is never answered clearly enough by us because we don't have an exclusive hardware store that we shop. In fact, we search EVERYWHERE, from online stores to local vintage shops, for hardware to fit each of our pieces perfectly.

With that being said, Lauren and I will periodically give some shout outs up on our blog to good hardware shops we work with.

Today, I want to mention the hardware company, Horton Brasses Inc. They specialize in authentic reproduction furniture and cabinet hardware. We recently bought some knobs from Horton Brasses and, I must say, we were very pleased! The hardware is beautiful (we customized them a bit for this particular piece we're working on) and the customer service was top-notch. We ordered the hardware on a Monday with regular shipping speed, and it was at my door on Tuesday! One day!! Totally unreal. I emailed Horton to thank them them for their great product and service. Orion Henderson, owner of Horton, replied back within the hour! Super-friendly guy.

We highly recommend Horton Brasses! Check them out!

Is it Spring Yet?

2010-03-05T14:15:00.000-05:00

It's Friday and it's supposed to be 50° and sunny this weekend!!! After spending too many hours staring at a computer over the course of this rainy/snowy week, wouldn't it be kind of nice to be sitting on front of one of these instead?

This post is officially dedicated to our friend Nicole (check out her blog!) -- I know she loves a good typewriter, so I thought I'd share the one I did manage to snag for my very own (above), as well as some other springy colorful gems that are out there on Etsy for sale.

Vintage 1950s Quiet de Luxe Teal and Red Typewriter

Remington Orange Starfire Manual Typewriter

Remington Turquoise Manual Typewriter

70s Meteor Vintage Electrical Typewriter

Have a good weekend!

The Eliot School

2010-03-04T00:15:00.005-05:00

As most of you know, Nick and I have been hard at work on reupholstering chairs at our weekly class at the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain.

In fact, look for our silly mugs up on their website ;)

We love the Eliot School. They offer a ton of great classes, and I kind of wish I could take them all (just to name a few: sewing, soap-making, woodworking, inlaying and veneer, furniture-finishing, drawing, painting, writing, and photography).

Aside from that, the school has so much history.... eh hem, Lauren, if I may... (this is now Nick writing)

Sorry to interrupt Lauren's prose, but I have to speak to all my history lovers out there. Lauren sometimes gets tired when I talk about this stuff, but she's coming around to lovin' it.

The Eliot School is located in Jamaica Plain, Boston, which is an incredibly historic American town. Jamaica Plain was founded in the mid-seventeenth century by some English dudes. In 1689, one of those English dudes, by the name of John Eliot, donated some of his farm land to a little-known school in Jamaica Plain. In return, the school was eventually named...well...Eliot School, obviously. The school's mission was to provide education for Puritan and Indian children. There's a whole bunch of history to this school, so I'll give you the link to catch up on it yourself.

But let's just think about the history of this area, and its relation to the Eliot School:

Boston was the city where the Revolutionary War began. The Eliot School was right in the thick of it, and had already been established for 100 years!

And when the war got really heated up, Joshua Loring, a British Naval Officer, was forced to flee his Jamaica Plain home and sail to England because of his Crown loyalties. Well, too bad for him, but his abandoned house still stands, and it is a stone's throw away from the Eliot School. (check it out here)

When the cities of America were becoming congested and polluted by the rise of the Industrial Age, Fredrick Law Olmstead, creator of NYC's Central Park, designed the Emerald Necklace to give the city of Boston a fresh and natural space. Olmstead was never satisfied with his Central Park creation; he was, however, satisfied with Boston's Emerald Necklace. Oh yes, and of course, the greenest part of this preserve runs right past the Eliot School.

The Eliot School is impressive in both its classes and its history. I strongly suggest you look into this school. Take some classes, check it out if you're an out-of-towner, or if you're feeling generous, donate to this national treasure. Trust me, it's worth it.

Until Dawn Curtains

2010-03-02T14:47:00.007-05:00

Check out these crazy curtains from Unica Home. Better yet, check out the shadows these crazy curtains make.

Only trouble is, I think my cat would turn them into confetti in minutes :(

Nick's Upholstery Update

2010-03-02T10:29:00.004-05:00

Upholstery updates have the potential of being very boring. So I am going to try to use a twitter amount of characters in this post to avoid that....starting.....now

Sew muslin onto burlap with curvy upholstery sewing needle.

Stuff cotton and 1-inch foam padding between burlap and muslin.

Wrap Muslin.

Voila.

Phew! Stayed tuned next week for more pics of our chairs' progress.

I Want To Go To There

2010-03-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

Why oh why don't they sell these in the states?!

Lauren's Upholstery Update

2010-03-01T11:04:00.001-05:00

The progress continues on the chairs. Last week, I put in an "edge roll" along the front rim of the seat. I did this by rolling cotton padding in burlap and attaching it to the front of the chair. The idea is to soften the frame and the area where the springs are. It helps reestablish the structure of the chair so I can continue building up the seat.

The next step would have been to start building up the back of my chair. It's a little different from the seat in that fabric is actually the first step, instead of the last. Sort of the reverse process of what I've been doing. As you know, I haven't picked fabric yet. It's crunch-time so the decision will be made soon. Will keep you posted on what I pick!

With the extra class time, I started to build up the arms of the chairs. First I put on a few layers of cotton padding, then foam, and finally muslin.

Cotton padding and then foam on the arms.

More to come + Nick's update soon...

The Fabric Hunt

2010-02-26T12:09:00.008-05:00

Been doing a lot of fabric-searching online...

photo by SwankySwell

This Etsy shop caught my eye big time. Swanky Swell makes hand-printed and earth-friendly designs in San Francisco, and they're gorgeous! At first I was having trouble finding any fabrics I liked, and now... I'm overwhelmed. Love them all. I'll leave it to you guys. What's the vote? What should I do my chair in?

Check out their blog for more pics and an amazing upholstery job as well!

Decisions, decisions...

Zimman's, Land of Endless Fabric

2010-02-25T07:13:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, Nick and I ventured to Zimman's in Lynn, hoping to find the fabric for our chairs. We searched high and low through hundreds of rolls of fabrics, until we decided to call it a day. Zimman's has a lot to choose from (as in, fabric as far as the eye can see) but we weren't quite sold on anything we saw. I think it's a great place if you know what you're looking for, and if you're willing to spend a good amount to get a high-end product. In our case, we were looking for something new and different to jump off the shelf at us and it just didn't quite happen.

Photo courtesy of very cool fish-eye lens camera from my sister!

But, I should say the trip wasn't even close to being a bust -- it's an incredible store. It's worth going just to explore the building. It's ancient and enormous, and full of treasures. It took a while for my eyes to leave the never-ending linens/velvets/silks long enough to look up at the painted tin ceiling and chandeliers on the upper floors. The store is just over 100 years old and it shows, in the best way. Really, really amazing.

We also stumbled upon this little guy. Clean, simple, and perfect for apartment-dwelling. So lovely. I've filed it under "When I win the lottery..."

Nick's Weekly Upholstery Update

2010-02-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

My chair is very different in structure from Lauren's. For instance, Lauren's chair has the individual coiled springs, while mine has what are called "S-coils" or "Zig Zag springs." They're curvy wires that are held in place by clips. Fortunately, my chair's zig-zag springs were in great shape to start and didn't need replacing.

Compared to the complicated and time-consuming process of tying coiled springs (which Lauren did so well), zig-zag springs only have to be tied horizontally (with ruby twine). This is to ensure that the springs move together, for an even feeling when sitting in the chair.

photo by www.dedering-vns.de/en/prodinfo.html

Once I finished the horizontal tying, I covered the chair's seat, back, and arms with burlap over top of the webbing I put in last week. Next up, we'll be putting in cotton padding and muslin. Stayed tuned!

Lauren's Weekly Upholstery Update

2010-02-21T11:24:00.015-05:00

Each week our chairs start to look a little more like real chairs again. The first few weeks of class were about stripping them down to the bare bones and making sure they were sturdy, but now we're in the midst of the rebuilding process. After putting in the webbing last week, the next step was to make sure the springs were all tied into place.

The tying process is...tough. It involves knowing/feeling the right amount of tension in the springs and in the strings, and really having confidence in what you're doing. For my chair, the springs needed to be tied horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Ruby tying twine (below) is the best for the job -- it's made of tough hemp fibers that aren't so nice on the hands.

photo by seaboardpaperandtwine.thomasnet.com

Once the springs were all tied in, I put some cotton padding underneath to soften things and prevent it from squeaking when someone sits. Then I covered the entire seat with burlap.

Rented Spaces

2010-02-20T23:46:00.026-05:00

If you haven't heard, AoL. has changed its logo by lowering the case of the "O" and placing a period at the end. Interesting, right? Remember dial-up service? Of course we do.

Well, we would like to thank AoL. for interviewing Second Coat! They featured us in their "Rented Spaces" blog!

Lustro-Ware

2010-02-18T17:03:00.005-05:00

I stumbled upon this old advertisement for those vintage Lustro-Ware canisters today. Love it! Now I'll be on the lookout for the rest of the set...

Lane Tables For Sale!

2010-02-17T16:49:00.006-05:00

A few months ago, Nick posted about his vintage Lane coffee table that he restored to perfection.

Thanks to our reader, Lynda, for sharing this Craigslist link today! There are two gorgeous Lane end tables and a coffee table just like Nick's, available for very reasonable prices in Hanover, MA. I bet they'll go quickly!

Thanks Lynda :)

Upholstery Update

2010-02-17T14:00:00.013-05:00

We are moving along on our upholstery projects. We will be picking out fabrics really soon!

Lauren reattached the springs to her chair using a very scary tool otherwise known as a "clinching" tool. It punches little staples into the webbing, holding the springs in place. Very helpful tool!

I secured the webbing to the back and sides of my chair.

Amaryllis Are Red... (Sometimes)

2010-02-14T15:25:00.018-05:00

This bookshelf was another stray left behind after a roommate moved. When I took it in, it had orange-y stain that clashed with every other piece of wood furniture I had, as well as the hardwood floors in my apartment. But with a little help, it's become the perfect home for cookbooks.

This shelf also holds a lot of my favorite things, which happen to be red. Fitting for February 14th huh?

Amaryllis from my aunt, from Jackson Perkins (great gift idea!) Also, the plural of amaryllis is... amaryllis. I checked.

Vintage Lustro-Ware salt & pepper shakers.

Glass decanter and shot glasses, from the Shenandoah Valley Flea Market in VA.

Design*Sponge!

2010-02-12T08:51:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone, and happy Friday!

We connected with Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge a few months ago & our very first yellow dresser was featured on her blog. We've come a long way since, and we have to give Grace credit for the inspiration she's always providing on her site. If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend you do. She's got an incredible eye for beautiful things, and we're so pleased to say we've been featured once again :)

Snow Storm?

2010-02-11T09:36:00.001-05:00

In anticipation for the great snow storm of 2010, Boston shut down schools, closed stores, and ramped up our city's snow plowers. Well, we were all disappointed, to say the least. Maybe 2 inches, max. Lauren's father took some pics of the real storm in the D.C. / Virginia area...

Little cabin in the background

Lincoln Memorial

We're excited for tomorrow. Check in to see why!

The Myrin

2010-02-09T10:24:00.001-05:00

This bureau is called The Myrin. It was a dilapidated piece that my good friend and old roommate left behind before he left Boston to teach English in Brazil. The piece has good bones, but we did have to reconstruct a few of the drawers and replace the back side before making it look pretty. The Myrin now functions perfectly and looks incredible!

Upholstery Progress

2010-02-06T23:12:00.002-05:00

Slowly but surely, we're making progress on reupholstering our chairs. I'm starting to see why it costs so much to get it done professionally -- it's hard work! We're coming home each week with calloused, band-aid covered hands and not a lot of visible progress on our chairs. But we're getting there, and we're learning a lot (like having the right tools will save you hours of time and energy). Sounds obvious, but there are some wacky tools out there that make all the difference in the world. Here's an update: I've just finished the webbing (what keeps someone from falling through the chair), and I'm getting ready to tie the springs back in. More to come soon.

Crocodile Tears

2010-02-05T09:30:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone for all the support and kind words yesterday...

...including those from Keyse of Crocodile Tears. I wanted to mention that Keyse's blog is a great one to have bookmarked if you're on the lookout for great used furniture in and around Boston. Keyse cuts out all the hard work for you. She filters through the hundreds of craigslist postings every day to highlight only the best. How great is that!

The Boston Globe on Second Coat

2010-02-04T10:59:00.002-05:00

This morning, I went to buy two Boston Globe papers at $1 each. I gave the gentleman my money and started to walk away, but he stopped me; I had given him an extra dollar. He didn't have to do that, but he did. Made me so happy. Also, another thing made me happy -- the fabulous Boston Globe article on Second Coat written by style writer, Nicole Cammorata. Check it out!

Yellow Love

2010-02-03T09:04:00.001-05:00

This is the first restoration Lauren and I ever did together. The piece was featured on the Design*Sponge blog, and will be added to the upcoming hardcover book (along with Julia [see below]) which should be coming out sometime this year!

Nancy

2010-02-01T13:10:00.001-05:00

Nancy is an Entryway Bureau that belongs in anyone's home. Do you want Nancy? The Boston Globe will be featuring an article on Second Coat's process of restoring Nancy from the not-so-perfect (hideous) state we found it in. The article will come out this Thursday. We'll post the link to the article then, but for now, enjoy a before and after pic!

before
after

We've Been Reupholstering!

2010-01-26T22:15:00.002-05:00

We're back from day one of upholstery class at the Eliot school in JP and here's what we have to show for it! Lauren's chair is on the left, and Nick's is on the right.

We're workin hard. It's almost time to pick out fabrics... dun dun dunnn. Stay tuned!

Captain's Bed

2009-12-31T14:50:00.001-05:00

If you have a small place, the number one thing I recommend is investing in a storage bed. I bought this from a local store that sells unfinished pieces of pine furniture. I was able to bargain with the guy to get the floor model with 4 drawers on each side, and it ended up being pretty inexpensive and totally worth it. I patched up the rough parts, painted it, and now it's the most functional and practical piece I have in my home.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T18:44:00.001-05:00

Julia

2009-12-23T16:32:00.001-05:00

Julia is my favorite Beatles song, and quite possibly my favorite song in general. This dresser, also named Julia, is probably the most favorite piece Lauren and I have worked on to date. It's still available, so if anyone is interested in buying it for someone special this holiday season, click here!

Vintage Lane Table

2009-12-23T09:12:00.001-05:00

I restored this table awhile back. It is made of Walnut with a decorative dovetailed Teak edging. I recently found out that it was made in the 1960's by Lane Furniture. This table and the series that it belonged to were, apparently, the most popular furniture in its day.

Small Apartment calls for a Small Table

2009-12-22T12:30:00.001-05:00

I restored this table and these chairs a couple months back. Going for green.

The Encyclopedia of Furniture

2009-12-21T17:16:00.001-05:00

Look at what Lauren got me for Christmas! Lauren, it's amazing! I'm very grateful. Thank you thank you thank you.

The Pod Bookshelf

2009-12-21T11:53:00.002-05:00

This is my wide bookshelf I created to fit in my new JP apartment. I love it! I decided to go with a darker, neutral color to accent the colors of the books and to add depth to the color range of the entire living area. I call this bookshelf, Grey Matter. Just made that up. Brilliant.

Indoor Composting

2009-12-20T17:42:00.001-05:00

this is a great idea!

Snow Day

2009-12-20T15:27:00.002-05:00

Sad Chair

2009-12-19T17:03:00.002-05:00

Ugly chair before, ugly chair after. Found this little guy next to the dumpster. After a good scrub and some paint, he now lives at my house. I guess it's always good to have extra seating?

Snowflakes

2009-12-19T15:17:00.002-05:00

Something to do while snowed in? Not as difficult as it looks! Promise.

Inspiring!

2009-12-18T12:44:00.002-05:00

This is so great! Definitely worth a read.

Hooray

2009-11-16T12:49:00.003-05:00

Hello -- big news from Second Coat! We're signed up for Upholstery class at the Eliot School in JP starting in January. Hopefully in a few weeks we'll have shiny new (old) chairs to show for it. Can't wait! Stay tuned for updates along the way. We'll take good notes!