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Florals on Vintage Furniture

Our bookshelves are almost doing being built! I’m so excited to get those installed in about a week! It’s got me thinking a lot about furniture in the library. I think I want to float a daybed in front of the bookshelves. Something in a really modern shape would be pretty, I think. I love…

Our bookshelves are almost doing being built! I’m so excited to get those installed in about a week! It’s got me thinking a lot about furniture in the library. I think I want to float a daybed in front of the bookshelves. Something in a really modern shape would be pretty, I think. I love the simple shape of this one, and that slow curve on the headrest area is pretty much perfection. The legs are sort of weird though, right? A little too utilitarian?

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These legs are closer to what I’d want to do. This shot was from an eBay listing and above is from 1st Dibs.

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I’d love to do a button detail on the cushion, but I think there would need to be at least one bolster to make it not feel like an army cot.
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I’ve been looking online for something vintage, but I might try making one if nothing great pops up. It would be nice to get to choose the dimensions of the daybed too so it can fit in the library nicely. All the other pieces in the room are upholstered in solid color fabric and the drapes are probably going to be solid too, so I’m thinking the pillows and the daybed cushion would be a great place to have fun with pattern.
I can’t stop thinking about how GORGEOUS this chintz looks on this Le Corbusier chair I saw on Sara Kate’s instagram. The contrast is so cool and fresh to me! Plus, that fabric is unreal. So, so pretty.
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Reminds me of this office chair. Unexpected fabrics on classic furniture shapes are really fun.

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This little chair makes my heart sing. I would love something like this in one of the girls rooms. :) 
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It would be easy to do just the bolster(s) of the daybed in a floral instead, if the whole cushion would be floral overload. So much of the battle though is finding the right pattern! I have some options in my fabric stash, but I kind of want something new and different. What’s your favorite floral pattern right now?

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33 thoughts on “Florals on Vintage Furniture

  1. I wonder if the trick to not having your daybed look like an army cot is a thicker mattress. Luxurious vibe, fuller proportions.

  2. I'm totally in love with the fabric by House Of Hackney based here in the UK. Jenny I think you will love it, everything they do is seriously TDF. They put a twist on florals, and their palm tree range is gorg. Not cheap but worth a peek. x

  3. Ikat! Love that strong simple print. They've been weaving in that technique for hundreds of years so it's a classic.
    Of course since you're upholstering this yourself, you can go a little crazy in print …

  4. I don't have a favorite floral to suggest, but I have bought cylindrical foam bolsters from IKEA more than once to do exactly what you are considering. I used a twin bed, and it did double duty as a bed when the kids had sleepover parties.

    That type of sofa will be great in front of bookshelves.

  5. I know that brazilliance is crazy popular right now but I still can't get enough of it. Anything in an oversized foliage print is a win in my book.

  6. I bought some cotton floral fabric at Hobby Lobby to make a tailored maxi dress for a wedding and I'm so excited about it! The background is black and the large garden roses are peach and pink/red.

  7. Oh I really dig that first daybed. And it's industrialness is precisely why I think. But it needs that same rougher linen fabric to remain on it. Reupholstered with a floral would make the frame look cheap. As is, it reminds me of a daybed that would've been set up in a British army general's tent in the middle of the Indian jungle. Or in a French army general's tent in the South Pacific. Military/campaigny/tropical/industrial. And at home in such a grand yet utilitarian setting as a library.

  8. For real, I'm crushing on a Waverly print in Siren Song Majestic. I just ordered a million yards to sew drapes for our master, after staring at the half yard swatch over our headboard for the better part of five months.

  9. love this post, whatever you decide I can't wait to see it … florals are a little hard for me right now because I have these two chairs in my living room that are slip covered in what I thought at the time was a beautifule linen floral – made when my infant son was first born… he turned 15 this past February… Clearly change is an issue here… Want them white and cotton now ! But since you change your stuff in a much more timely way, enjoy the return to florals!

  10. So much going on at once in your home and I can't wait to see it all!! The bookshelves, the kitchen…love the farm sink and cabinet doors and anxious to see what you chose for counter tops! Your energy and pace of work blow me away:-)

  11. I actually found a pretty water-colour floral at Joann's the other day. It was the HGTV line, so I was doubly-shocked for some reason. Purple, corally-pinky-reds, olive green, hints of grey and yellow. Lovely with my newly recovered baker sofa!

  12. I've been obsessed with Schumacher's Chiang Mai for a few years now. It always feels so fresh to me! And it goes with everything, so that's a bonus. Their new black colorway is my current fave…if only I could find 5 yards for 80% off!

  13. LOVE THIS LOOK!!! Try searching "vintage barkcloth" on etsy/ebay, there are some really cool mod florals and the barkcloth is INDESTRUCTIBLE. Super durable and CHEAP!!!

  14. The floral patterns and the bright color of spring décor and fashion certainly lifts up the mood. Love them.I found some interesting collections at vintagemaya.com.

  15. You might want to look under "indian day bed" for another really nice option that a little less stark in the leg area.

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