http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog Real Canadians decorating Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:34:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/craigslist-deja-vu/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/craigslist-deja-vu/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:49:04 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19193 This morning I saw an ad on Craigslist that really took me back. This Duncan Phyfe is a dead ringer for the table that became my first big refinishing project, my trial by fire. Because of its condition, the table above is selling for just $30, which makes it an ideal candidate for someone like me with more ambition than brains who wants to get his or her hands dirty and learn a helluva lot about refinishing. And while I'm definitely tempted, I don't have the space or inclination to take this on right now. What about you? You might end up with a something you can be proud of, I know I was when my table, below, finally emerged from the fire.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/craigslist-deja-vu/feed/ 4 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/chair-story/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/chair-story/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:59:09 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19133 I hadn't intended to revamp my high back chair at my upholstery class but the pair of mid-century beauties I coveted could not be secured affordably so I turned to this chair, which has languished in my storage locker for a year. My original plan was to do something totally "outside" like the wingbacks below, photo by Eric Roth from Glamour, Making it Modern. But I wasn't sure I'd actually keep the chair so I wanted it to appeal to as wide a group as possible in case I ended up selling it on Craigslist, hence my choice of the neutral, gray poly-blend that looks and feels like linen but is "bullet proof" according to the fabric store clerk.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/chair-story/feed/ 10 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/upholstery-class-wrap-up/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/upholstery-class-wrap-up/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 11:54:43 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=19100 Last Saturday was a happy day, my upholstery class ended giving me back my weekends and I brought my chair home completed and comfortable, not perfect, but what is? And that description neatly sums up the class itself, which was frustrating in lots of ways but ultimately satisfying because instructor Robby, pictured, was able to guide me to a good result. In the end, I felt a lot of empathy for Robby and a bit of resentment toward the Toronto District School Board, which runs the class without nearly enough resources. There was one sewing machine and three staple guns for 11 students. Madness.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/12/upholstery-class-wrap-up/feed/ 7 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/11/valspar-spray-paint-contest/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/11/valspar-spray-paint-contest/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:23:27 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=18890 Now this is a contest I can get behind. Paint and coatings expert Valspar is introducing a new spray paint formula and can design with a contest encouraging DIYers to send them a photo of an item you'd like to make over for your chance to win a spray paint kit. Just visit the company's facebook contest page and upload a photo of an item in your household that could use a new look. Then encourage your friends, fans, followers and family to vote for you. The 10 entrants with the most votes will win a kit that includes five cans of spray.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/11/valspar-spray-paint-contest/feed/ 2 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/10/do-it-yourself-tray-table/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/10/do-it-yourself-tray-table/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:02:22 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=18676 When I'm thrifting, I always keep my eyes open for great table legs, even if they're attached to a piece-of-crap top. The legs above are a case in point: I found them at Value Village a few weeks ago attached to an Arborite top so crummy I balked at the $9.99 price tag. But the legs were awesome and I knew they'd be a great match for my daybed so I plunked down my tenner. I intended to use the legs on another project but they weren't quite tall enough so I decided to turn them into the little side table, above, with the addition of a brass tray I already owned.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/10/do-it-yourself-tray-table/feed/ 5 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/09/a-dangerously-good-product/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/09/a-dangerously-good-product/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:57:40 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=18156 My decorating buddy Kevin happened to score some original Briwax at a yard sale and he was so thrilled with the results he held off on finishing the job so I could see the before and after (below). Briwax is a one-step staining and finishing product that makes easy projects easier. Kevin stained the inside of a cabinet with one coat of dark Briwax (left). The colour and finish are really impressive. A British product with a Royal Warrant, Briwax is hard to find here in North American; a list of distributors can be found on the company's website. In Toronto Briwax is available at Lansing Buildall (258 Sheppard Avenue East) and Primetime Paint & Paper (299 Queen Street East). But that's not where this post ends. Kevin's cabinet holds a very clever secret . . .]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/09/a-dangerously-good-product/feed/ 3 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/lets-roll-up-our-sleeves/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/lets-roll-up-our-sleeves/#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:59:12 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=18009 The Toronto District School Board has opened up its fall course roster and there are six spots left in the 11-week upholstery class running Saturday mornings from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, beginning September 17. The class costs $223 and covers the basics including furniture stripping, frame reinforcing, cutting, sewing, laying fabric and foam. I'm already signed up and I'd love to have some styleNorth cohorts to keep me company. Taught by a master upholsterer, the classes are held at the Burnhamthorpe City Adult Learning Centre (500 The East Mall) in Etobicoke, a pain to get to but what are you going to do?]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/lets-roll-up-our-sleeves/feed/ 7 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/accentuate-the-positive/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/accentuate-the-positive/#comments Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:45:37 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=17855 When it comes to reinventing vintage casegoods, nobody does it better than Toronto's Burnett. What shop owners Cathy and Gordon Runge do with a bit of black, white or gray paint impresses the hell out of me; they don't merely revive shabby tables and cabinets, they reinvent them. I grilled Cathy for tips on how to tackle such a project and here's what she had to say . . . ]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/08/accentuate-the-positive/feed/ 6 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/07/nothing-laz-about-this-makeover/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/07/nothing-laz-about-this-makeover/#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:26:43 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=17825 As I mentioned in my posts about my first upholstery class at RE:Style Studio, my workshop buddy was a rock 'n' roll dad from Hamilton named Jay who hauled his beat-up La-Z-Boy recliner into the city hoping to give it a new lease on life and learn as much as he could in the process. Can you imagine tackling something this complicated for your very first project? Well, Jay was up for the challenge and he was in good hands with instructor Andrea Ford, who helped him wrestle — sometimes rather literally — that chair into submission.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/07/nothing-laz-about-this-makeover/feed/ 5 http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/07/learning-to-refinish-start-with-teak/ http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/07/learning-to-refinish-start-with-teak/#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:31:07 +0000 Chris http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/?p=17729 If you're at all interested in tackling a refinishing project, keep your eyes open for a teak piece in need of some TLC. And never let a little damage stand between you and a piece of teak you might be considering for your home -- it's a snap to remedy if you just follow these simple steps. Just sand and oil, no staining, no worries about streaks in your top coat, never a problem.]]> http://www.stylenorth.ca/blog/2011/07/learning-to-refinish-start-with-teak/feed/ 5