Kitchen Progress: Side Shell Stools from Modernica

June 9, 2014

Kitchen Progress: Side Shell Stools from Modernica

I have good news and bad news. The good news: the turquoise kitchen is done, and it looks amazing. It exceeded my expectations and I've been spending my days staring at it wistfully. Every now and then I sigh, in a decidedly contented way. The bad news: I spent some time last week trying to photograph it, with little success. I'm not sure if my six year old camera is slowly dying or if I've forgotten how to use it, but it's taking really grainy shots - plus it's really fighting me when it comes to capturing aqua true to life. By Friday I gave up, and Hubs and I spent the day in Duluth, MN. He will be working on my 30th birthday next week, so that was our celebration: a full day of thrifting and antiquing across the border (all I found was this turquoise pyrex piece and a blue McCoy planter, but the mini road trip was so much fun). I'm going to try to photograph the kitchen again today, but in the meantime I wanted to gab about a key piece of kitchen furniture, and provide a review of Modernica's customer service.

Surprise! The hard and uncomfortable wood stools left with the lakehouse were the first thing to sell at a family yard sale recently. I'm so happy to have replaced them with something that looks, and feels, much better. When Modernica had their 15% off sale I bought the triple bubble lamp fixture you already saw, as well as two fiberglass shell counter stools. These were also part of my original plan, but I ended up ditching the gray. I really liked the diamond blue shell colour that was a limited edition with different legs, so I emailed Modernica and asked if I could combine the diamond blue colour with the dowel counter stool swivel base. Surprisingly, yes!! They promptly added my preferred colour choice to the website and ... voila:

Fiberglass shell chair, solid walnut dowel base, and the perfect aqua hue (I found their standard turquoise - Ocean - to be far to blue for me). And here is the pair at our smashing DIY solid maple kitchen counter:

Sadly, my experience with Modernica was not completely awesome. The moment we opened the box, we noticed that one of the shock mounts had slipped during the gluing process and did not align with the base so it could not be assembled.

I contacted Modernica right away and received a cool request for photos to ascertain the problem and determine if they could/would help me. After I emailed the photos, the process picked up speed a little bit. They sent me a shipping label via email and instructed me to return the shell in the same box I received it. Sadly, the replacement fibreglass shell that came was very different from the one I sent back - the colour is a bit lighter and the edges are very white. I understand that irregularity is part of the process, but the first pair were perfect for each other because they were similarly irregular (if that makes any sense). I just didn't want to go through the hassle of returning it again. I don't notice it as much anymore.

Hubby asked me if I would order from Modernica again. Hmmmm. Good question! I LOVE our lights and I would probably want them again if we ever moved. I was thrilled that they agreed to a custom combo on the stools for me, but they were a little nonchalant about my defective shell and did the bare minimum there. The stools look good, but now that I've seen the real deal I think the construction is a tiny bit sloppier on the repro, especially concerning the adhesive used on even the properly installed shock mounts. But, other than that, they do seem well built. The bases are incredibly substantial and heavy enough to prevent any tipping, even after enthusiastic spinning. The solid walnut legs are beautiful and the chrome accents gleam. There are these little plastic caps that refuse to stay put, but I think a little sticky tack can solve that. They suit the look I'm trying to achieve in the lakehouse and even though they aren't licensed reproductions, I'm convinced of the authenticity of the production (there is some debate).

Ultimately, I can excuse the flaw because they are handmade, in America, and that's a beautiful thing. I like supporting companies that keep jobs in North America, and I can forgive an assembly flaw. Plus, they made something just for me, and that's pretty special.

Source

Comfort-wise, these stools are pretty phenomenal. The seats are shaped so that you slide and sink into them. Even without padding, they don't uncomfortable because they follow the shape of a body. Happily, they are generous enough for wider bums. Szuka has even taken to them, licking them, using the foot rest as a head rest, and doing whatever this is:

The Velvet Chair is Done

Oh my. Hubby picked up the velvet chair and it looks incredible. We've been referring to it as "the garbage chair" but that name no longer seems fitting (even if I did pluck it out of a trash heap).

I have tried my best, but I just cannot capture the richness and intensity - or even the accurate colour - of the velvet in photos. It's a very luxurious turquoise/teal in real life, and it beckons you to sink into it. In the photos it's paler, duller, and bluer. Hopefully when it's in the lakehouse, I can snap a better photo. Right now it's chilling in the townhouse, but at the lakehouse I think it will fancy up the living room, popping against the crisp white walls and the soon-to-be charcoal grey fireplace (we successfully convinced Hubby to paint it!).

I can't even believe this is the same chair:

Kessels Upholstering did a beautiful job. Every seam is perfectly placed and the removable seat cushion has velvet on both sides and a zipper as well, just in case someone gestures a little too wildly with a glass of red wine. This chair needed a professional makeover to look right - it required some repairs to the springs and, of course, all new foam. We paid just over $600 for the labour, and I think it was worth it. We saved some money refinishing the arms and legs ourselves (and the chair was free). More importantly, it was the style-savvy gals at Kessels who convinced me to consider velvet in the first place. The fabric I chose for this project is Elite Textile Renaissance, the colour is 760.

P.S. Kessels is offering 10% off fabric to Dans le Townhouse readers - just let them know you and I are buds. This is the same discount I was offered. I was not perked to work with Kessels, they have just been my go-to for DIY upholstery projects (the houndstooth fabric for the vintage teak kitchen chairs was from there) and professional makeovers (like the minty chair).

A Note about the Finicky Paint

When I showed you my recent turquoise chair makeover and makeunder, I mentioned I had splurged on a more expensive brand of spray paint (Liquitex Professional Spray Paint, in Viridian Hue Permanent 7) - the kind always behind lock and key at Michael's. Although I really liked it, it was a tad trickier to use than my usual hardware store brands.

Photo Via

In case you're going to take the plunge (about $10.00 per can, after a 40% off coupon) here are some tips.

1. Hold the can upright the entire time!

I'm so used to newfangled spray cans that let me spray this way and that (sometimes accidentally toward my face, but that's another story), that I sprayed this fancy stuff with wild abandon and it totally gummed up the nozzle. It's designed more for art applications (although it's supposedly weather-proof and really durable), so keep the can upright at all times! Flip the chair over to get the underside instead of crouching and awkwardly spraying up (c'mon, I'm not the only one, right?)

2. Be cool.

I was so freaking excited by the colour I chose (only the perfect shade of turquoise) that I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed and sprayed. I was totally crazy-eyed and guess what happened? Drips. Big drips. Worse that any drip I've dripped before (see below). So, be cool. Ambivalent, really. Apply thin, thin coats - thinner even than with other brands - like you're not madly in love with the colour.

3. If you're not cool, it's cool.

This creamy gorgeous paint must know you'll go crazy for it because drips were fixed super easily. A light sand removed them (like the big one pictured above) another (thin!!) coat covered them perfectly (see below).

4. Prime first!!

I am lazy and don't always prime. But to get the promised intensity and richness of colour (it has artist's grade pigments), a white base is a must. So use a white primer, let is cure completely, then apply this paint. (I used Rust-oleum Painter's Touch primer in white).

5. Clean the nozzle.

This nozzle is finicky. There are few instructions on the can, but the main one is to hold the can upside down and spray for a few seconds to clean the nozzle. It's the only time it will let you up hold it upside down. Do it.

Liquitex Professional Spray Paint Viridian Hue Permanent 7

As a bonus:

Although Hubby disagrees, I think it smells nice. It also does not have the same risks of skin or eye irritation but still avoid getting this stuff on you.

Other than these few things, the paint went on really nicely. It has a great depth and richness that spray paint doesn't always have. A creaminess, if that makes any sense. I would, with a coupon, buy this paint happily again. I should mention, after this gushing, that this review is totally unsolicited and un-sponsored. Although, if they tossed a few cans my way, I wouldn't say no . . . .

Speaking of paint, Buzz Feed featured my DIY black & white abstract in a round-up of 39 fun DIY art ideas!

And Then a Turquoise Chair Makeunder

Yesterday I showed you how I finally painted a piece of furniture turquoise (what a weird life ambition), but I admitted it got a makeunder soon after. What happened? I loved the strips of exposed wood at first, but a day later I realized that in the basement, where it will live, things are already mismatched and my goal has been to pull together a cohesive look (I got halfway there before I left for Hungary). A crazy chair needs a stark space. The crazy basement, on the other hand, needed a bright, but paired back chair. So away went the ziggy zags.

I sanded the edges of the stripes until I couldn't feel them (and then primed and sprayed) but that was the lazy gal's way. You can still see the pattern ever so slightly. Le sigh. I shouldn't have rushed. I should have sanded right down to the wood. Ah well, the basement is dim and I can barely tell in the brightest light. But here's the chair, looking simple but good. The paint still shows the wood grain's texture and the little dints and dings look sweet, like there's a story hiding under the cheery, modern hue. I am perfectly content now. I love this chair.

For a bit of variety, I snapped this set of after photos outside (how avante garde, lol):

For some reason, I really love dints and dings covered in a creamy coat of paint. Old mixed with new.

Our neighbourhood cat, who will sit on the exterior ledge of the dining room window, staring at us eating dinner and meowing for us to come out and play, approved. (Seriously, he meows until we go out onto the patio and then proceeds to try to bite us. Weirdo. Maybe his opinion doesn't count? Wonder if he misses me)

P.S. We think the cat might really be a human in cat clothes. He stands on his hind legs and stares at us, as if trying to tell us something. Or maybe I watched too much Sabrina the Teenage Witch . . .

Finally . . . a Turquoise Chair Makeover

UPDATE: see here for the turquoise chair makeunder!

After pining for turquoise, especially turquoise chairs (and even putting "paint a piece of furniture turquoise" on my 30 before 30 list), I finally did it! I painted a chair turquoise. But this is a transforming chair that underwent a makeover and makeunder in rapid succession. Here's the first reveal (because who likes to wait until the end of a post?):

I feel like a ta-da is in order. Although I try to be pretty DIY productive, some projects sit on the back burner forever and when they are finally completed it feels like a huge deal, although to the rest of the world it might not seem so important.

Here's What I Did:

I started with this basement-dweller, a Value Village find from 2007. I like the patina but grew tired of it after a few years. Despite a few missing hunks, it's a good solid chair that is surprisingly comfy (I think because of its curvy back and grooved seat), so instead of setting it free, I banished it to the basement where, unsurprisingly, I covered it in paint by accident. I ruined the lovely patina, built up over 60 years.

I gave the whole piece a light hand sand, then we used a belt sander to remove the paint from the seat. We did a rough job so it didn't make one section look brand new while the rest kept its 60 year old patina. I also left a bit of the paint that had soaked into the grain. Then I applied strips of painter's tape in a controlled-chaos random pattern. I wrapped the tape right under the seat, too.

To avoid any unsightly paint bleeding (like with the painted tray), I pressed down the edges of the tape with the handle of a pair of scissors, to make sure it was fully stuck everywhere.

Like we did with the last chair makeover, we hammered in small nails to the legs so the chair would "float" and not get glued to the cardboard with paint.

I applied a couple of thin coats of primer. I used Rust-oleum Painter's Touch primer in white and loved it! It has great coverage and went on smoothly and evenly. I used the whole can, but I was pretty obsessive about painting the underside and getting into all of the little grooves.

Then I started spraying. I splurged on the paint: Liquitex Professional Spray Paint Viridian Hue Permanent 7. It's the fancy-pants stuff normally behind a locked cage at Michael's (I'm going to do a follow-up post because the paint was nicer, but trickier, than the hardware store brands). With a coupon, it was only a few cents over $10 bucks and the coverage was phenomenally rich and dreamy.

I sprayed the underside first, then flipped it over onto the nails and kept spraying.

I carefully removed the tape while the paint was still tacky, so no scoring was required and no paint was peeled off during the process. And, sweetness, no leakage!