Marcel Breuer Cesca Chair Makeover

Here's the story. 

So these Marcel Breuer Cesca chairs caught my eye on Pinterest. 

And I love mixing chairs at a dining table. 

So I began the search online and found four Cesca-style chairs for $20 on Craigslist. Yes, $20 for all four. The framing was brass, rather than silver. The seats were rusty brown velour. Ugly, but they were sturdy and the caning in perfect condition.  

I got a few fabric samples. 

But none were quite right. So I decided to take things into my own hands. 

I loved the painterly look of this Anthropologie chair. 

And I know how to paint. 

And I love Franz Kline and Motherwell.

So this happened.

On some raw canvas.

Then this happened.

I have four total and will show them styled with the whole kitchen soon. 

They were totally easy to reupholster and are gorgeous. 

Love when a DIY project falls into place. 

Usually, something goes wrong, but the hiccups were minor.

$20 chairs

$20 fabric

$20 paints

$12 batting

$72 total for four chairs

SCORE!

Housekeeping the Blogs

In the zeal of buying our house late in 2012 I started a blog called sweetstreetstl to chronicle all the renovations and DIY projects that we would be doing. But I decided to roll all those entries up into this main site, small wonder, where I've been blogging for ten years now. Trying to consolidate and simplify. If you want to know what is going on with the house, check out the labels house, mid-century, pink bathroom, decorate, remodel...you get the idea. We're still working on things.  

Snake Plants for Mid-Century Indoor Planters

Our home was built in 1960 and like many of the mid-century homes in our subdivision, we have an indoor brick planter. I like how it provides a division between the front door entry and the living room, but I've been confused about what to actually do with it. I don't exactly have a green thumb. 

First, I tried succulents. They were gorgeous for a couple of weeks, but ultimately, an abysmal failure. The planter only gets filtered morning light because I keep the grass shades down while we are at work. So my guess is they did not enough of the right kind of light. 

Next up...a magazine holder! This worked beautifully for the magazine hoarder that I am. It held three magazines across, by at least 20+ deep. But after 18 months of constantly hanging up the coats that get thrown on the magazines (even though the coat closet is two steps away,just to the right of poster boy above) I thought I would try plants again. They always look so great in magazines and warm up a space.  

I am not a huge fan of snake plants, a.k.a. mother-in-law tongue but they may be the only plant I can keep alive or will thrive in the planter. They are supposed to be indestructible so this weekend I planted planted three in the mid-century planter. I hope they take. I really love the way the way they turned out and now it looks like poster boy is jumping out of the grass with a full moon glowing. I'm in the market for a replacement for poster boy, but I haven't found the exact right piece. I'd like to find some kind of tapestry. But more to come on that. 

Do you have a mid-century planter? What have you done with it? 

Mid Century Pink Bathroom Renovation

When we bought this 1960 ranch, I was smitten with the pink bathroom. It was retro, quirky, weird. I'm a big fan of Retro Renovation, and our goal has been to keep the vibe of this house mid-century without it feeling like a (granny) time capsule. But after about 18 months, the novelty of the pink bathroom had worn off. I wanted to "Save the Pink Bathroom" and decided on a makeover rather than a complete gut renovation. Removing and replacing the pink tile on the walls and in the shower would be cost prohibitive, plus I just wanted to keep the pink. It felt true to the house and it was in excellent condition. My budget was about $2,500.   

The Starting Scene

Besides being pink, the bathroom has the added challenge of only being about 30 square feet (not counting the tub) and the only natural light it gets is from the upper glass block window which actually has the master bathroom on the other side. (This also explains the difficulty in getting good photos of the bathroom.) More details:

1. The light bar was cheap builder grade and not mid-century.
2. The vanity was just crazy. Pink. Marble. Laminate. It was shorter than average. It always smelled slightly funky. And the sink was flesh colored, rusty, and disgusting. The faucet was leaky and the finish worn. Even if I could have sourced a new pink sink with the rim, I really wanted more counter space and I was really having a hard time keeping that silver rim clean. When we demolished the cabinet, the grossness under that rim almost made me hurl. 
3. The pink toilet had to be replaced with a white toilet the first month we moved in--the original pink one could not be repaired and we didn't have the time to source a pink toilet. 
4. The pink tub was flesh colored as well, and had hardly any finish left on it. Even after I cleaned it, it looked dull and scummy. Plus, it no longer matched the toilet and that was not going to fly with the OCD part of my brain. 
5. The mosaic floor had flesh color tiles in it, which clashed with the laminate and the pink tiles on the wall. Plus, it was the exact tile that was on the bathroom floor of the hospital that my mom was in last summer and being reminded of that on a daily basis was not exactly uplifting.
6. There was a 36" wide mirror with a crack in it.

Ta-da! This is the photo from the real estate listing for our house. 

This is the interim version of the bathroom. The walls were greige and I was able to find a shower curtain at Target that had pink, flesh, brown, and white in it that sort of tied everything together. But there were just too many patterns going on in such a small bathroom.

The first thing I did was have the tub professionally re-glazed. Immediate improvement. Bright and so much easier to clean. About $300. (Update one year later: The finish on this has not held up as well as I had hoped. No chipping, but doesn't look as clean as I'd like even though we are careful and have followed all the suggestions of the vendor. I suspect we may have to reglaze a few years down the road.)

After getting at least two dozen samples, I decided on matte white one inch hex tile with gray grout. Vintage looking, though not exactly period. But I wanted something small because the bathroom is so small and the scale works perfectly for the room. I considered carrera but didn't want the upkeep and also thought I should stick with as much plain white as possible. Because the original floor was so solid, we tiled over it. I used an underlayment product called Durock and it worked fantastic. The tile and underlayment was about $400 and it is a huge improvement.

 Even the built in medicine cabinet was pink laminate. I have primed and painted this white but have bigger plans for it. Stay tuned for a future project post.

Here's another shot of the vanity. When we moved in it had the original handles, but one was being held together with duct tape. I just replaced them all with these cheap handles so they would at least match. The holes for the handles were not a standard size, so my options were limited and since it was laminate, I couldn't drill new holes, because there would be no way to fill the old ones. 

Fleshy and rusty sink and little counter space. 

Here is the new vanity counter. Because I wanted the sink to be offset so that it would center between the original ceramic toothbrush and soap holders, I couldn't really go with anything "off the shelf" from the home centers. And the vanity could only be 36" wide. Quotes on custom built vanities came in at $700-900 and a quartz or carrera marble top was another $700-900. There was no way I was paying $1400-1800 for a vanity in such a tiny bathroom. It just didn't make sense to me. I eventually found the perfect vanity online for only $950 including the carrera marble top and the undermount sink. I was terrified to order it without seeing it in person but the risk paid off. The quality is fantastic, the marble is gorgeous, and I love everything about it, even the single hole faucet. I was really skeptical about that but I really like it. It is easy to clean around and easy for Audrey to use. I had to get that online too ($250) because the selection of single hole faucets was kind of pathetic locally.

So, here is the reveal. The vanity, flooring, and tub make the biggest impact, but I also replaced the giant flat cracked mirror with a very large mirrored medicine chest ($200) and of course, replaced the broadway lights with a light bar that looks more period to the house ($200). Those were a little challenging too, because of the offset sink. But again, it all turned out great.

 I made some artwork to brighten it all up and added a crisp white cotton shower curtain with gray trim. So even after adding in paint (a white shade called "You're The Boss") and a few supplies like a grout paint pen (best invention ever!) and a silver paint pen (to brighten up the shower rod flange), I came in slightly under my $2,500 budget.

 

Tiny paintings. Most fun. 

Ta-da! A beauty! So bright and clean and she looks like she belongs in our house. By keeping the pink tile, installing a retro-style light bar, and having the vanity top match the window sills in our house, the bathroom keeps a vintage vibe that works with the rest of the house. The orange, black, and turquoise in the artwork injects some modern pops against the white, which helps to tone down/balance out all the pink. Storage galore! I'm elated with the finished project.

Now I would not have begun to come in at my $2,500 if I didn't have my dad doing the bulk of the labor. We completed most of this project in just three days. He and my mom are INCREDIBLE in about a thousand different ways and I can never thank them enough for all that they do for us.

Pink Bathroom: The Saga Continues

Bad News. We were hoping it wouldn't come to this, but the hot water faucet went out less than six months after the cold. So it all had to be ripped out. Complicating matters, whoever constructed this originally, used way too much concrete, which oozed through the mesh and fell downward completely encasing all the copper tubing, you see in the photo above. It was was completely inaccessible--buried in concrete. You should have seen the drill they had to use to get to this. But they were able to repair it. So now it works, but we haven't re-tiled yet, so we haven't really used it. The handle is the cheap set the plumber installed. I'm still shopping for a replacement.

Good News. I got 30 100% matching vintage pink tile at our local Re-Store for only $3. Yes, 30 tile for $3. To say I'm elated is an understatement. The hole gets repaired and re-tiled later this week. I can't wait. This bathroom is going to be my summer project. New vanity, lights, etc. Slowly, but surely, I'm going to come to terms with this bathroom.

Mid-Century Door Part 3

Bronze Green won out, which is sort of a baby shit yellow, but I love it. What I don't love:

• All three lock sets were supposed to be keyed the same. They weren't.
• The front door handle is crooked.
• From the inside bar handle, the front door opens up instead of down, which is not only totally counter-intuitive. but incorrect.
• The garage door hardware was installed crooked.
• And finally...what I didn't realize until I already started painting the door...the top window in the door is made from a different trim set/stock than the smaller two windows. It has extra grooves in it. Granted, probably no one would notice this unless I point it out, but the point is, we paid for a custom door and essentially, I feel like what we got is second rate. The seam down the middle front of the door is kind of rough too. I don't want to sweat the small stuff and I'm so happy the damned thing is finally installed. But again, I'm not elated with the quality. But have to let it go.
• This is actually the second set of doors. The measurements for the first set were entered incorrectly at the store and Lowe's ordered the front door with the back door measurements and the back door with the front door measurements. So we waited forever for this, and then when they were finally installed, after repeated trips, well, not the greatest job and again, I'm not super satisfied with the quality of the door. I love the way it looks, but...

 They are returning today to re-key the doors and tweak the handles so they aren't crooked.

Mid-Century Door Part 2

Finally, after multiple issues, the door is in. I was going to use a semi-transparent stain, but there is so much weird graining in the door, I'm not so sure now. Stay tuned.

Bathroom Labels

Green Mid-Century Chairs

I've had the lamp forever. The pillows for a year. The chairs for about two weeks, from MoModerne on Cherokee. Things are shaping up. I have new blinds to hang, but the walls are plaster and so tough, we need a hammer drill. The chocolate accent wall, I'm only semi-sweet on at the moment. I'm thinking I should have gone with orange or green. Easy fix.

Entry Light

After much searching, I opted for something simple, reasonably priced, and fitting of the period. Some cursing was involved. I'm handy but impatient. Not a good combination. I love how the light mirrors the shape of the window, but alas, we are getting a new front door. This one is so beat up. The original moldings have been removed leaving lots of holes and it has about four different kinds of hardware finishes. I will save the window for another application somewhere in this house - for sure. I love the little porthole.

Mid-Century Front Door

As mentioned in a previous post, our front door needs to be replaced. It has too many bumps and bruised to be restored and includes a mix of nickel and brass hardware. I do appreciate the round porthole window. But I've been salivating over the Crestview Doors for months. I know they are well worth their price, but I couldn't really justify it considering all the other things we need to do. The glass kits were certainly doable by my dad, but again, priorities.

So my plan was to get a plain wood slab front door and apply decorative molding to front so it would look like an original 1960s door and like most of the houses in our neighborhood that have not had replacement doors installed. We went to Lowe's to get pricing on a pre-hung wood slab front door and a door for the back of the house as well.

The salesman, Paul, could not believe I wanted a wood front door. He kept asking if I was sure? Did I want anything on it? Any glass? So I said, "Well in my dream world I'd have a door like this..." and I drew a version of door #108 below. "I got a guy that can do those," he says. And he pulls out a binder with all these door options, made by a company that I think is in Columbia, Missouri. I had been looking online for options for months and felt there was no hope for a vintage door.

I danced. Like a fool. So we are getting a new pre-hung front door installed for at least $500 less than the Crestview, made locally. I actually think we are going with model #24. "A wood door is a real labor of love," the salesman said. "You can stain it, or if you paint it, make sure you use the best primer and paint you can, and monitor it over time against the elements."

No problem. I'm ecstatic! Which door do you like best?

Mid-Century Front Storm Door

The front storm door of this 1960 house is wrought iron and looks a lot like this Oak Leaf pattern. I really hate it.

Every time I drive through our new neighborhood, I check out the front doors and windows of the homes. My best guess is that about 25-30% of the homes have retained their original wrought iron door, front door, and windows. All the wrought iron doors have this oak leaf pattern. Most of the remaining homes have aluminum replacement windows and fiberglass doors with lots of etched window panes (arts and crafts, Victorian, etc. ) that in my opinion, don't really go with the style of the house.

I am sure that our storm door is original, but I'm not sure that I can really live with it. I thought about painting it an exceptional color because frankly, I'm having a hard time finding a replacement storm door that looks period. No Pattern Required has a good post about storm doors. This is an item I'm going to have to continue to source, research, ponder.

Next Up...the front door.

Introducing Our Mid-Century Pink Bathroom

This is the main bathroom in the new house. It probably would have caused many buyers heartburn. I'll spare you the Pepto-Bismal references.

I've been a fan of the Retro Renovation blog for years and have followed her crusade to, Save The Pink Bathrooms. I just never thought I'd be saving one.

I'm excited, but frankly this thing is going to be a challenge. It needs special attention. I've only seen it in person twice, and won't know what I'm truly up against until we close on the house at the end of the month. It will be pulling triple duty as the guest bathroom, Audrey's bathroom, and I will likely be getting ready in there, because our master bathroom has a pedestal sink and that doesn't really work for me. (You know. I have "prodcuts" to contend with.)

There seem to be a lot of different pinks and patterns going on. That vanity is kind of atrocious, yet could be made loveable. Right?

I'm thinking...

• New lighting is definitely needed.
• New hardware is needed for the vanity as one of the handles is broken. That should be easy. 
• Behind the door is built in medicine chest made of the same pink marbled Formica. It needs new knobs, as existing are gold.
• I'd like to replace the existing mirror with some kind of vintage medicine cabinet for additional storage. I have one like below (sans towel bar) that I've been using in Audrey's room as a display shelf, but it could easily be re purposed. Just not sure it is the right scale or period. Would like to find something larger, similar to the one below it, in better condition, of course. 
• Shower curtain will probably have to be pretty plain with the competing patterns going on (marbled, tiled, etc.)
• I'll probably keep everything as white or light gray as possible to help make this thing a little easier on the eyes. 

Stay tuned...

Mid Century Lights

 

 

Closer to Our New Home

So the seller agreed to the few fixes we wanted and it seems like this house will actually be ours at the end of the year, barring anything nutso. Still kind of can't believe how quickly it happened once it happened. Lindsey and I sat on the back of our deck so many times over the past six months discouraged by the lack of prospects.

The house we are buying listed the same day I had emailed our agent about the possibility of changing our strategy. We were going to start looking at houses that needed major renovations. I think I said, "...unless we find something that we love that doesn't need any major work, but it doesn't seem like that is going to happen." As he was typing a response, Lindsey was emailing me the link to "our house".

The house is a ranch built in 1960 in Forest Haven, a subdivision in Grantwood Village, nestled south of Webster, east of Crestwood, and west of Affton. Basically, a hop from Grant's Farm. It has just the right amount of mid-century quirks (pink bathroom) and charm (double-sided fireplace). The kitchen has been remodeled so the floor plan has been opened a bit without compromising too much of the original design. I would have selected different finishes, but it is in great shape and better than 85% of what we've seen in other places. I think I'm going to feel like the commander of a spaceship cooking at that 5 burner. For real!

The place is loaded with potential and I wake up two or three times a night thinking about paint chips. The entire house will need to be painted before we move in which is thrilling and terrifying.

So this is where we'll be for the next 20 years. That's kind of the plan anyway. I know. I'm so domestic. Cozy in with me.

Pretzel Chairs

Um, are these gorgeous or what? Pretzel chairs were originally designed by George Nelson.

Set of Four Plycraft Cherner Pretzel Chairs