review: Missoni for Target

Tags

clothing, shoes

The dust has settled, and everyone is in agreement that Target made a huge mess of its Missoni launch. I consider it sheer luck that I even got my hands on any items at all. Truth be told, most of my items were backordered, and when they did start to ship, each item arrived separately about a day apart. The UPS guy would chuckle every time he handed over a box with a red bullseye on it.

In any case, I received enough Missoni for Target items to be able to give a review…not to add insult to injury for those who missed out, but because there is a boatload of items being sold on ebay and for not-so-outrageous prices.  The irony is that most of the stuff on ebay is either going unsold, or for not that much more than retail.  Those crazy b*tches who blindly grabbed at the racks and bought the lot of Missoni items out from the respectable Target-shopping folks are getting their karma. Anyway…

The Clothes

I bought a chiffon v-neck top, a button-down v-neck sweater, a hat/gloves set, and pumps. I’d say the quality is fine…better than some past collaborations, but not much better than that from H&M. I can spend $50 and buy a decent cardigan from JCrew, so the fact that the Missoni pieces were $49.99 is laughable. I do like the pumps..they would look great with a pair of opaque black tights in the winter, and the chunky heel renders them super comfortable for a cheap shoe. The verdict? Pass on the clothing, grab the shoes if you can.

The Home Goods

I bought a serving tray and a decorative plate. The serving tray is melamine and appears to be of decent quality. I wouldn’t display it on my coffee table, but it would be great for when guests come over. The decorative plate is nice enough…I’m having a bit of an orange moment in the apartment, so it’s displayed on top of the bookshelf. The top is a lovely multi-color design, but the back is totally white. If I could easily shlep this thing back to Target, I would return it, but alas, no car and no Target next door, so the plate stays. I have heard that the barware and glassware are great quality, so if you can find those, snag them!

Picture Source

The Linens

These are the star of  the Missoni for Target show, in my opinion. I bought a duvet set, a set of hand towels, a shower curtain, and a throw. The quality is far better than I expected. I have a set of real Missoni hand towels that I purchased years ago from Neiman Marcus, and these Missoni for Target ones are VERY similar. You would have to be a real connoisseur of Missoni to be able to tell the difference, meaning that if you aren’t Rachel Zoe, these are a great stand-in for the real thing. The duvet is nice and thick, with a slight sheen to it. The shower curtain is reversible, and is a wonderful black-and-white pattern that I want to decorate my entire bathroom around. And the throw. The throw! It is thick, and plush (but not overly fleece-like or chenille-like), and gorgeous. If you can get your hands on this for even $75, I think it would be worth every penny.

Folding Corners When Re-Upholstering a Chair

Tags

how-to

When I was looking through re-upholstery guides before working on my dining chairs, I didn’t find many helpful bits on folding corners. When it came time to do them, after stapling the sides of my fabric down, I was at a loss. Luckily, I had two chances to get it right, since I hated my first chosen fabric and stapled a new fabric over it.

A few bits of info before getting started. I used 2-inch foam on my plywood slipseat, with 1-inch dacron batting on top. This made for a pretty thick, cushy seat, and corners that were exceptionally difficult to fold. Here is what I did (the second time around).

1) Staple the side of the fabric down. Start in the center of one side, then staple the opposite center, then the remaining centers, then staple out from those (smoothing and tugging the fabric along the edges as you go). Stop a few inches from each corner.

2) Make a small pleat and fold one corner over so it’s parallel to the opposite edge. I made my fold with the pleat facing the side of the seat, not the corner. Staple it down once you have a satisfactory pleat, making sure to tuck excess fabric inside the fold to ensure a smooth edge. This is really difficult to explain, so hopefully the picture will be be helpful:

3) Your next fold will be from the other side of the corner, tucking the fabric in the same way you did the first fold. That is, both folds will go the same direction. The second fold will be stapled perpendicular to the first one. See how in the first picture I’m able to pull the fabric taut from the right side? That’s how you get a clean corner and clean, tight edge.

      

4) Staple like a madwoman (madperson?) to ensure the fabric stays nice and tight and neatly folded away. You can always trim the excess fabric, and no one will ever see the mass of staples. You should end up with something like this:

     

Not too bad! Not perfect, but considering how much padding I was dealing with, it was the best I could do. Just tuck and pleat until you’re happy with the fold, and then staple! Worse comes to worse, you can always pry the staple out and try again. Happy cornering!

How to Re-upholster Dining Chairs

Tags

how-to

There is something really fulfilling and comforting about having old furniture around. Take our ‘new’ dining chairs, which my family used for years before my parents upgraded their dining set and relegated these to the basement. They were the first dining chairs that my parents bought together in this country. Over 40 years later, Husband and I needed a proper set of chairs for our newly refinished street table, and we happily snagged these just before my parents were going to toss them.

Now, wicker/rattan isn’t necessarily my favorite material, but it does add an interesting detail to the chair (and I feel like it’s making a comeback…I’ve been seeing wicker furniture pop up in places like Restoration Hardware and ABC Home). Yes the vinyl (vinyl!!!) was all tore up. Yes the foam was nasty and flattened. But a dark espresso paint job, fresh foam and batting for the seats, and a modern, graphic fabric brought them out of the 70s and gave them new life! This project was a comedy of errors, but actually pretty simple if you learn from my mistakes.

MATERIALS:

* Spray primer (I used a brown primer from Rustoleum)

* Spray paint (Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover in Satin Espresso)

* Minwax wipe-on poly in Semi-Gloss

* Comfort spray grip for paint cans (an absolute MUST…best $7 spent)

* 2” foam for seats

* Dacron batting for seats

* Fabric (both fabrics were ordered from Etsy)

* Staple gun & lots of staples

* Spray adhesive

SPRAY PAINTING:

The painting itself was really simple. The coverage was superb…I did get a few drips here and there from spraying too much paint in one area, but it’s hardly noticeable because of the dark paint color. I primed each chair with 1 coat of a brown primer. Next, I did 3-4 thin coats of paint on each chair (I flipped the chairs upside-down at first, and then sprayed the rest standing up). The trick is to start spraying just outside of the piece, use long even strokes, and hold the can about 6” away. Several thin coats are better then less thick coats.

Blunder #1 – We were on a bit of a time crunch with these because my in-laws were visiting and we had a limited number on non-rainy, non-windy days. We attempted to do one of the chairs indoors. BIG mistake. Do. Not. Attempt. Despite covering as much as possible with dropcloths, the paint just traveled and settled everywhere. The apartment smelled like paint for days and days…even after airing things out with the windows open. Lesson learned, do this outdoors. Best type of day is between 60-70 degrees, sunny, and with little wind. Cover your workspace with a dropcloth and cardboard (because the area just underneath the chair will get coated in paint).

Blunder #2 - I bought several cans of Rustoleum clear coat, to use as a top coat on the chairs. I did 3 thin coats on top of the paint. Not more then a week later, and the paint was chipping off! It could be because I only did one coat of primer (the original chair had some sort of light finish). I went back and touched up the chips, then did 3 medium coats of my trusty Minwax Wipe-On Poly (previously discussed here). So far, so good, and the semi-gloss finish looks much better then the original Matte Clear coat.

RE-UPHOLSTERING:

The previous foam was glued onto the wood slip seat, so we first had to pry it off. I ordered new custom-cut foam from DIY Upholstery (great customer service and they have a bunch of really helpful videos on youtube). I used spray adhesive to glue the foam to the wood, then covered each seat with dacron (see this video for a helpful demonstration), leaving the dacron unstapled about 2” from each corner. Next, I stapled the fabric to each seat. You’ll see with the first fabric, I chose to center part of the design down each seat, so I had to do a little measuring. With the second fabric, I just had to make sure it was somewhat straight before stapling. The corners were super tricky for me (see this video for helpful tips, and also a separate post on the issue). Finally, we screwed each newly upholstered seat back onto the chair.

Blunder #3 – I searched high and low for a fabric that I liked. I had originally ordered fabric from West Elm, but they have a 3-4 week ship time after you order (no clue why…they don’t tell you that on the order page). I also came to my senses and decided that $30 per yard for fabric was a wee bit high. So I cancelled that order and found the second fabric (Valori Wells Del Hi Tapestry fabric in Earth) on Etsy, liking the graphic floral print and muted colors. On my chairs, however, it just looked drab and kind of old-fashioned. Oops! I then found a simple gray lattice print (Premier Prints Gotcha fabric in Storm), for a fresh goes-with-everything modern look. It was also thicker then The Valori Wells (which is really more of a lightweight, crafting fabric, imo). Yes, I am an idiot for not just choosing it in the first place, and spending almost $20/yd in total. Live and learn, my friends.

Final #1

Final #2

COST BREAKDOWN (including mistakes):

* Chairs = Free!

* Primer = $3.97 (2 cans) = $7.94

* Spray paint = $3.97 (4 cans) = $15.88

* Clear coat (x cans) = $3.97 (3 cans) = $11.91

* Minwax clear poly = $7

* Comfort spray grip = $6.77

* Custom-cut 2” foam (2.4 super density foam) = $23.00

* Dacron = $2.75/yd (4 yards) = $11.00

* Spray adhesive = Free (leftover from past projects)

* Fabric #1 = $8.00/yd (4 yards) = $32.00

* Fabric #2 = ($10.99/yd) (4 yards plus shipping) = $47.00

Total cost (with mistakes) = $162.50, Cost per chair = $40.63

Total cost (assuming no mistakes) = $118.59, Cost per chair = $29.65

I’m sure I could have done this all cheaper…used coupons for the spray paint, ordered the right fabric from the beginning, only purchased the wipe-on poly…but the cost/chair is still very very reasonable! And I think the final (final #2) results are fab!

Cheating…In Bed

I’m a bit of a lovestruck, flighty teenager when it comes to bedding. My taste runs the gamut and I fall in love quickly…stalking and hankering until it’s finally mine…only to get bored and set my sights on something new. That is all to say, I’m a total duvet whore! There couldn’t be an easier way to change the entire look of a bedroom! And compared to purchasing new furniture, refurbishing old furniture, or even painting…it’s quick, easy, and can be relatively cheap. I know duvets aren’t generally cheap, but I’m always on the lookout for a great sale, or fab designs from cheap standbys like Target. Here are a few in my main rotation:

*Quick tip – always keep the plastic zip bag that the duvet/shams originally came in. They are usually pretty durable and make it a lot easier to store bedding.

Hotel Collection at Macys ‘Frame’ Bedding

This was the set we received off our wedding registry. Understated and classic. It’s been relegated to winter-only use since the duvet is heavy and doesn’t breathe very well. The great thing about receiving the whole set is that we can mix and match pieces with other sets, since the color is so neutral. The bedskirt is a perfect neutral backdrop (and also impossible to switch out…who really changes bedskirts on a regular basis anyway)!

 

West Elm Organic Cotton Pintuck Bedding

I had seen more expensive versions of this look, but found the price much sweeter at West Elm. I think we even got them at a discount. I would have loved the white, but with a new puppy (at the time of purchase), that was out of the question. The super-subtle Sea Spray color has proven just perfect…it never looks dirty! One annoying thing is that the tucks do come undone if pulled (so basically anytime you sit on the bed)…despite this, ours has mostly retained the original look.

Anthropologie Roaming Wild Bedding

Ok, this one is a walk on the wild side (har-dee-har-har), but works if I am craving color in the bedroom. The tiger print is actually fairly subtle, and the print is so fun! I snagged this on super sale!

Anthropologie Ring of Asters Bedding

I’m still on the fence about this. I had a white/black phase, and decided that this print was perfect…I love the pops of yellow and the grey would tie in nicely with our bedskirt. I think Husband is still undecided about this one.

Others (not currently owned) that I just love!

DwellStudio for Target Celery Baroque Set

(So perfectly simple and chic against dark wood.)

DwellStudio for Target Birds Damask Set

(Love that pop of black/white.)

Style&Co at Macys ‘Blossom’ Set

(Have you been able to tell that I love all things green?)

Calvin Klein Bamboo Flower Set at Macys

(Is there a modern woman alive who still isn’t in love with Carrie’s bedding?)

Pottery Barn Woodland Organic Set

(So fun and springy…very girly!)

Pottery Barn Serafina Floral Set

(Bright colors in a bold print – would please men and women! I’ve had to force myself not to bid on this several times on ebay. It WILL be mine!)