I’ve been going through a yellow phase of late. It wouldn’t be my natural inclination but does help to shift gears from the usual old safe french greys, dusky blues and clean whites. Perhaps it can be blamed on Pinterest. That, and many other decorating ills I dare say. Browsing Pinterest reminds me of many mis-spent hours perusing the Ikea catalogue when its Swedish wares first came to Edinburgh. One would venture out, expectant of a transformed living room via the simple act of a few tea lights plus holders, some cushion covers and a £10 uplighter. Alas, it was never to be, because one eventually learned that unless the entire display room is replicated wholesale, the well intended items looked as cheap as they actually were. Henceforth came the online pin-board, through which bespoke and designer homes seemed tantalisingly near to us colonial commoners. But be warned – one kilim rug is not enough for your ascent to the lofty heights of interior feng shui. Hopefully the same cannot be said of the following mustard chair, which surely will look good regardless of where it is located, right?
Similar to previous projects, i took a short cut at the beginning of this one by using spray-paint primer. It gives a wonderfully even first layer, and takes minutes to dry. I found this set of Ercol chairs in a great little sale room in Coldstream, £30 for the lot. The others are currently populating the red-themed kitchen, and this one lives in the hallway, where it collects various detritus from passers by en route to another room.
One drawback of these mini-projects is the purchase of materials, in particular paints, which I find rarely come in chair-sized pots. Occasionally the bargain section can come good, as on this occasion when ‘dusky yellow’ was demoted to a mere £2 price tag. Generally i prefer an eggshell finish for furniture as it tends to be slightly more practical and hard-wearing than a flat matt, but bargain-hunters can’t be choosers.
After the first coat, it was abundantly clear that the bright yellow colour pop i was aiming for wasn’t to be found within this pot of paint. And perhaps a lesson in false economies – generally, cheap own-brand paint is simply not up to the job. The pigments are often very weak, and this illustrates the point marvellously. This chair currently looks like it’s in liver failure; not the welcome hallway beacon I was aiming for. Even the next attempt in the left-hand corner, a Little Greene colour tester jauntily named ‘Mister David’ wasn’t up to the mark.
Gratefully, my pal Ali had also offered me the leftovers of a tin of ‘Sunshine Yellow’ enamel paint. Not a finish i would normally rate but in this case, i must say it worked a treat. Just what was needed to bring a bit of drama and boldness to equal the strength of the colour.
A couple of weeks and an ebay delivery later, here is the final result. I’ve paired it with a vintage William Morris turquoise ‘Chrysanthemum’ print cushion. I reckon this sunnny chair also finds a friend in the teak sideboard next to it.
The hallway seemed to be moving in a brightly coloured mid-century direction, thus i decided to bring the lamp shades into the equation. Generally, i find lampshades not only expensive, but pretty boring in colour and print. I researched DIY shades and came up trumps with this £10 kit for a drum shade.
Turquoise and mustard are quintessentially mid-century tones, even more so in tweed fabric. And with such thrifty frames, why not some luxurious Harris Tweed to adorn them with?
Attempt one with the turquoise tweed was a success. Fiddly, but ultimately very effective for the price. The mustard tweed patiently awaits…
