My New Kitchen Slipcovers!!!

Back to school and back to projects that needed to get to done! I am so excited to share with you my new kitchen slipcovers!

Let’s start at the beginning, with two teenagers, a big, hairy dog and an Italian family who loves Marinara sauce; my kitchen was not a perfect environment for my linen, upholstered chairs! We’ve been living with dish towels draped over the seats to catch any spills– not very pretty. I needed some washable slipcovers and I needed them pronto!

As always I had an inspiration photo to show my wonderful seamstress (Photo: Things That Inspire). These were close to what I envisioned. I liked the straight lines and the overall length. I wanted something to cover the chair but not be too fussy.

I also needed the slips to be washable. I found these wonderful oversized napkins from French Laundry Home. I like their “grainsack” look and feel. They were big enough to cover just the seat, so we needed something extra for the skirting piece.

You might remember my wonderful linen blend curtains I found on sale last year at Country Curtains.

I bought extra fabric for $6 a yard and had these wonderful slipcovers made for my club chairs. Read all about my Family Room redo HERE. Fortunately I had enough fabric left to use for the skirting.

Here is the chair before…(not pasta friendly!)

And here is the slipcover after! Large enough to handle any spill and simple to throw in the wash!!

I love the back – I didn’t want any ties.

The hidden Velcro does the trick of keeping it neat and in place.

The bench also needed a bit of covering up. As much as I loved the Antique printed grainsack I bought from Kym Fraser of 3 Fine Grains, it was much too valuable to be stained with hot fudge!

A quick call to my dear friend, Wendy Lewis of Textile Trunk, and a more reasonably priced antique grainsack was on its way. We took out the stitching on both sides, sewed in the corners and added the ties. Look closely and you can see the fold (that was the bottom of the sack) still in the cover.

An indestructible and beautiful slipcover!! You can also see the chairs with their new, pretty dresses peeking through!

The lighting was not the best when I took the picture this afternoon, but I wanted to show you how wonderful the new slips look in the Breakfast Room!

Sometimes it seems daunting to live with linen or all white furniture. Slipcovers are the secret! Your kids can eat hot fudge and still live in a beautiful room without worry.

Do click HERE to see the wonderful new stock of antique fabrics available from Wendy at Textile Trunk. She just got back from Europe and you will go crazy!! And get ready to see some kitchens I have been working on, some reader’s renovations I am thrilled to share and some more personal and professional projects I am starting for the Fall!!

So happy to be back!!

(all photos and content copyrighted by Willow Décor and not to be copied with out written permission)

English Country Cotswold Home

I have always been enamored with stone homes, especially those wonderful properties that are nestled in the gorgeous English countryside.

When the owners wanted to expand the kitchen, but ensure that the charm of the historic stone house was incorporated, they called on the talented, Yiangou Architects.

A closer look shows you their keen attention to detail. They used large timbers of green oak to frame out the new addition in an effort to seamlessly tie it back into the original home.

Above is the main entry of the existing home. You can see the beautiful millwork, bannister and wonderful ceiling beams. Notice the gorgeous flooring. The new addition needed to look as if it evolved over time as the house has evolved.

Above is the new kitchen and family room space. You can see the wonderful post and beam design really compliments the entry of the home. The entry beams are repeated, and the flooring is similar in color and scale.

Windows on three sides capture the light through out the day and into the early evening. The gardens are visible at every turn. Also notice the wonderful fireplace.

French doors give you a closer glimpse into the spectacular English gardens.

The gardens from another view!

We said goodbye to the beach this weekend. Another summer come and gone. Thank you so much, Readers, for being so patient while I disconnected from the internet during the month of August and re-connected with my family and friends. I am refreshed and re-inspired! It is great to be back! Looking forward to sharing some of my exciting, new projects with you through out the Fall!

xox Gina

(All all content copyrighted by Willow Décor and not be copied with out permission. Photos: Yiangou Architects)