Archive for Furniture Design

Captured by Swarm

Remember when I told you, that I fell in love with something other than a dress?

I literally noticed Swarm last week when I bumped into one of these chairs at Anthropologie. I became instantly enamored by this inventive furniture, which for me is like a dream come true! I felt like shouting in store, look everybody there’s a cloud on this chair!

Then, I did some digging around online. As it turns out, Swarmhome conceived by Leslie Oschmann is a home furnishings and accessories studio based in the Netherlands. Just look as this charming applique dresser she has created. I think I’m actually blushing.

Not only does Leslie update furniture, but she retouches vintage paintings by adding patterned papers and fabric.

I just love this next picture of the whole collection of chairs made by laminating paintings onto the surfaces. I wouldn’t mind taking home the dog as well.

Bow wow! Seriously.

Posted in Art, Furniture Design | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Violet Crush: Before and After

Well, I’ve been working on this Little Red dresser all week! While, I liked her charm and character, I wanted to create a more feminine piece. Plus, she was really banged up!

I opted for a dusty violet paint color that I mixed by hand. I also taped of all of the iron detailing and buffed it gold using Rub n’ Buff. I prefer the antique gold because it is less shiny!

The piece already had great curves. Wanna peak inside the drawer?

I found these knobs at Anthropologie and chose them for the shape, color and texture. There are tiny bumps on each one, which kind of reminds me of a sea urchin! This picture shows how plum-y she can look depending on the light.

I’m still workin’ on her. What do you think of the new shade, is it a keeper?

Posted in Facelift, Furniture Design | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Secretary Desk: Facelift (Surprise!)

So, I bet you would’ve never guessed that I’ve been hiding out in my studio all week, since I’ve been back, working on this vintage, soon to be antique, Secretary’s Desk. When I got it, it was a sight for sore eyes! My neighbor thought that I would enjoy restoring it and fixing it up more than he would, so…I got to work!

I loved the shape of this piece especially. I thought of a dark wood Jacobean desk with shiny gold knobs, I had seen a while back.

Inside there is plenty of built-in storage, aplace to hold papers, letters, books, a envelopes. For a stationery lover or a writer, this would be a dream!

I almost put shiny gold knobs here, but when I came across these brass pulls, I changed my mind. I had to include this photo because of the blue light in the background. I buffed and shined the surface of the wood with Howards Feed in Wax. It is a natural way of sealing wood and does not emit any harsh fumes. The wax simply penetrates the grain of the wood and hardens. Then, the surface can be polished to a high shine! I prefer this method of finishing wood these days.

Overall, the color of the desk is dark, rich, and stately; but in direct sunlight the stain becomes warm allowing the wood grain to stand out.

Why don’t they make more beautiful carved wooden furniture these days?

I would buy it;)

Posted in Facelift, Furniture Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Pink Pianos Etsy, peacocks, and vintage

It is rare that I find the time to promote my PinkPianos shop on Etsy. Perhaps, now that I am on vacation in Kentucky, I can really get to work!

It has taken me some time to launch, but keeping the doors open I have had lots of lovely visitors trickle on in which makes me happy.

My shop is a bridge to all the furniture and design work that I do. Here I offer home accessories, vintage finds, hand painted knobs, along with original artworks. As always, custom pieces are available simply email me at hilary.hahn@pinkpianos.com to talk about what you envision.

Just look at what the creative people on  The Wedding Channel did with peacock feathers.

Isn’t that sweet?! Then, there’s also hair clips, bookmarks, and I’d love to see a peacock feather garland!

Well, I’m going back to relaxing and catching up on all the blogs that I love to read. I promise to share inspiration from my visit to Kentucky before I leave and to post the final pics of the Girls’ Room Metamorphosis for those of you that have been following.

What could you make with feathers?

Posted in Art, Furniture Design, Inspiration | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Moroccan Mirror DIY

I’d so love to give you a peak at my latest inspiration and current DIY stencil fab project.

I came across these amazing graphics via DesignAmour.

There are so many talented designers out there, I love to discover someone new each week. They have so much going on over there, check out round two of the moroccan graphics, I found there.

What really grabs me are the colors along with symmetry and composition of the designs.

I’d love to find tiles along a similar vein for a bathroom that I’ll be working on soon!

Now for a peak at my current DIY project…

Here is the large square mirror that I inherited from a friend. As much as I liked it’s original finish I wanted to enhance it.

I know it looked cool in it’s orignal form, but I just can’t wait to layer in some more colors and details. I promise to show you when I do

Friday, I will post a finished product along with pictures of a huge art hang that I just did at a Melrose residence. Stay tuned :)

Posted in Furniture Design, Surface Design | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Facelift: Pink Pianos chair

If you stop by often then you know how I love found objects and a good facelift.

I dug this black and white fabric that I am storing in my garage for a client. I decided to use a pinch of it to recover this sturdy wooden frame. It was missing a seat, so I simply traced the shape onto plywood then cut a new one. Luckily, I had some extra foam and batting to pad it and make it plenty comfy. I chose the glossy black paint to add a modern feel to the retro plaid. For now, she’s sitting pretty in my shop.

Make sure to stop by Wednesday, when I’ll announce the 1-year blogaversary giveaway.

It’s already June, 1 year, and time to celebrate!

Posted in Facelift, Furniture Design | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Friday…I’m in love: Vanity

I don’t care if Monday’s blue…

This week has been such a beautiful one. It started with the misty rain and ended with a sweet redo!

This table used to be yellow with rustic country charm. We had been using it much like a garden table filling it up with plants, watching as it quickly became dusty with soil. This little table is an antique, but was in no condition to be restored. I still liked the grace of it’s lines and the keyholes. A collector once told me it was probably a 1920′s wash table with a mirror attached. I always saw it’s original potential.

I think I like the pale pistachio paper and pink birds even more against the white.

I’ve been building a replacement for the garden, inspired by this tiny photo.

Now, I wouldn’t dare to set a dirty potted plant on this lovely white!

For custom pieces, please inquire hilary.hahn@pinkpianos.com.

Happy Friday, folks!

Posted in Facelift, Furniture Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments
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