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rgps

Elephant stampede in the whorehouse

rgps
9 years ago

Time to stop the squabbling over rent vs buy. WE have some REAL issue of earth shattering proportions to mull over.

The samples have arrived as has my brother, my co-owner of this fine establishment. He says the elephants MUST be used. Yea! I like a decisive partner. However he has turned over to me and this group the rest of the choices. So here we go.

Below are the dining chairs with elephants on front and back of seats and either this red rust velvet on the seats OR should I use the blue green velvet from my couch which is similar to the cover already on the chair seat but slightly more intense and minus 30 years of grunge. In the next post I will show you the dining room rug with the samples on them. Or should I go with a totally different color velvet. Just to make things complicated. Using the elephants on the seat as well is not an option as they will get sat on in dirty jeans and such.

Comments (65)

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    I think the red is too bright for the elephant fabric and is a very different red than is in the elephant fabric. The seat of dining chairs tends to be under the table or being sat on. With the elephant fabric, for the seat, I'd go with a warm chocolate brown.

    The paisley fabric is gorgeous, but IMO, it is just way too busy, and the colors clash, for the rug.

  • tuesday_2008
    9 years ago

    Here's my two cents:

    Love, love the elephant fabric.
    Like the red with it, if, as you say, it looks like the rusty red on the old pull-out chair.
    Love the paisley but NOT with the elephant fabric.

    Suggestion - would love to see the elephant fabric paired with the blue-green velvet of the sofa. The blue's may not be exact, but would still "go".

    Maybe my3dogs will see this - she is awesome at coordinating rich colors and patterns.

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm not hearing a whole lot of love for my peacock swivel chairs guys. Are you just too busy writing up my commitment to the looney bin papers to comment. If it's awful I can take it. I have my big girl panties on.

    Tibbrix, I fear you are correct on the paisley. It is even more beautiful in person but it just fights with the rug. I must think of somewhere to use it, maybe in the bedroom which we will be working on next summer.

    I am going to the upholstery guy tomarrow and see how chocolate brown looks. Might be just the ticket.

    And suero, thanks for the reminder about centering the elephants. Must order extra fabric for that.

    In the meantime looks what I found in our storage zircon down the hill. I'm going to use it for my pantry. It is the perfect size. It is 6' tall, the picture cuts it off about midway. Can't remember which great granny had this beauty.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    I don't care for the "peacock" fabric. On my monitor, the yellow-green is too neon.

    I like the elephants. I like the elephants best with the blue-green velvet.

    Is the velvet the best choice for dirty jeans? When I first did our vacation house and thought we were going to rent it out from time to time (never did - didn't want other people in our house), I used a microfiber fabric that could take more abuse than I could dish out. To test before I made a final decision, I rubbed butter on it and maybe a little olive oil. Wiped right off with a damp cloth! I love the velvet but I'm questioning whether or not it is going to give you heartburn to have someone leave behind things-best-left-unmentioned from the barnyard.

    Have you considered slipcovers that can be washed for everyday use while farm chores are being tended to? Has this ground already been plowed? Sorry if it has and I'm re-hashing something already rejected.

  • robo (z6a)
    9 years ago

    I'm COMPLETELY IN LOVE with that pantry.

    I think the rust fabric as shown is too bright for the elephants.

    Some day I'm going to recover my furniture in Crypton microfiber.
    After all my cats go to the litterbox in the sky.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    Now THAT'S a pantry! Perfect!

    I do think you can use the paisley on the seats of the chairs with the elephant fabric. It'd hide every stain from spilt food as well!

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    Cool armoire! What about the rug on top of it? Does it have a place in the house yet?

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here is what tibbrix just gave me permission to do. It had been my first idea several threads ago so I'm going to go with it.

    The rug on top of the pantry is going in the dining room. It's the one I posted at 12:35 but is folded inside out in the pantry photo.

    Bbstx, I don't have the sample of the peacock fabric yet but believe it or not there is some of that almost neon green in the carpet so I'll wait to see the fabric in person to see if it goes okay.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    I love it! I think those chairs will be so great. Post a pic of them when they're done.

  • peony4
    9 years ago

    Rich hippies would say go for it. They'd feel right at home. :-)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Rich hippies

  • joaniepoanie
    9 years ago

    I say blue/green....it really will be whorehouse with the red chairs and rug....haha! How about the paisley for the other chairs?

  • Jules
    9 years ago

    Are you kidding me with that armoire? Get outta here. So gorgeous!

    I want someone to come over and rich hippify my place. What a great phrase and look. Soon I'll post photos bc I didn't do a thing with decor all summer and need help.

    This post was edited by jujubean71 on Thu, Sep 18, 14 at 17:49

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Peony,
    Yup, that is about right. We're not all that rich but DH did retire at 55 and the older we get the hipper we look. I think it's all about not having to look presentable at work. Well, maybe not hip. More like Granny and Jed Clampett.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    I would use the blue velvet from your sofa for the seats of the dining chairs and I would use the spectacular paisley for the swivel chairs and be damned if the paisley fights with the rug because that fabric is glorious! I just am head over heels for your beautiful elephant fabric and I am so glad you are using it. I think the paisley is so gorgeous that it will fight with the elephants for attention and your chairs will be tucked under the table so the paisley would not be given the presence that it needs. USE THE PAISLEY FOR YOUR SWIVELS!!!! PLEASE.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    I got so carried away with your paisley and elephants that I plum forgot to tell you how much I love the pantry cabinet!

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Okay how about this plan.

    Elephants on the backs of the chairs and the chocolatish brown sunbrella velvet pictured below on the seats. Then put the paisley on the swivel rockers but put the swivel rockers by the fireplace where it will be away from the rug. Did I mention we did away with the window seats and are just going to use chairs there and the pantry? My carpenter convinced me that window seats look wonderful but nobody actually sits there. Chairs will be more functional and flexible and God knows we own enough of them.

    Then we will just leave the wingback chairs as they are for now since they don't clash with the rug and see where I am when the couch, the swivels and dining chairs are all redone.

    All I can say is thank god my husband loves the pantry and could care less what I do with the rest of the decorating.

  • GreenDesigns
    9 years ago

    Two words: Sapphire velvet. For something. Anything. But I think it would be great for the seats of either of the chairs.

  • busybee3
    9 years ago

    I definitely would put a solid on the seats--- I would probably choose the blue with those fancy elephants!!
    love the paisley!! will look fantastic on the two chairs!!!
    no to the peacock fabric--not in that room!
    cabinet much better than the other cabinet you showed!! will be a great pantry!

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    Ah RGPS, that velvet is really pretty. I would still use the sofa velvet instead but that is a wonderful second choice and I am so happy that you will use the paisley for your swivels! Yippee!!! Doesn't take much to make me happy does it?

  • tomatofreak
    9 years ago

    Rich Hippies??!! Bring 'em over; my LR could be titled "Bored-to-death-Brown".

    robotropolis, I think the time to use Crypton microfiber is *while* you have the cats! There's no way I could use any of those gorgeous fabrics that rgps is using. And I can't decorate with crystal, glass or anything else breakable. This is the cats house and they rule.

  • lizbeth-gardener
    9 years ago

    Love watching the fun you are having with this project! Yes to velvet on the seats; a good quality wears like iron and stains are easily removed. I like the red velvet for the chair seats, but would also like to see a picture of the elephants and the blue green velvet together. I don't care for the brown with the print--seems pretty dull. Love the paisley, but imagine it is too much with the rug. Your cupboard is a great piece; is it a step-back or straight front? Can't wait to see the finished rooms!

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    " Are you just too busy writing up my commitment to the looney bin papers to comment"

    rough draft is printed. if no errors, will reprint and take to notary.

    I love elephants. I did my baby boy's nursery with them. (he's 45 now) I still have one of those curtains...

    I also have 2 fully dimensional elephants on my FP - tho not full size.

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Elizabeth, it's a straight front luckily. Otherwise it would stick out too far.

    Desertsteph, that is too funny.

    DH actually had an opinion, he says the brown is too boring so I'll probably go with the sofa blue green velvet. Since both rugs have so much red I think the red rust velvet will be too much. But the paisley stays on the swivels since they will not be on the rugs.

    Here is a pic of the blue green velvet with the elephants. I hesitate to post it because the photo makes the fabric much too blue. It's really a deep teal in real life. Ignore the striped fabric in the photo. It got the axe. And the elephant fabric is not so glaring as in this photo. The other photo earlier in the post of the elephants is accurate.

  • edeevee
    9 years ago

    I can't ignore that striped fabric. I am in luuurve with it. If I understand right, the only reason it got the axe was that it looked muddy from far away. On a dining room chair seat it wouldn't be far away. Just sayin'.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    For your DR chairs: velvet seats, velvet chair back (the part that touches you), elephants on the back of the chair back (the part that faces the room). I vote for teal, sapphire, or something like that. I'm not a fan of the brown or the red/rust. Has this been suggested before?

  • Kippy
    9 years ago

    Hey, if you are having an elephant stampede in your whorehouse, I say run with them.....

    I would pick the red paisley with the elephant fabric in a heart beat. If you think it is too much, do the inserts in the back of the chairs a "boring" velvet that looks good with the paisley.

  • suero
    9 years ago

    If you get a blue velvet, the blue dye had better be top quality. Blue is a fugitive color. I'm a huge fan of red or rust for dining rooms. As for velvet vs. microfiber, good cotton velvet wears like iron.

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Suero, thank you for addressing the durability issue. Can I pick your brain? The teal velvet I picked out is polyester and rated for 100,000 rubs and is really beautiful in person. I am usually an all natural fibers kind of gal but this seemed much sturdier and richer looking than the all cotton velvets I've seen. It seems crush resistant too. Am I fooling myself and should I use only 100% cotton. Can you recommend good brands to use. $50/yard is my limit so mohair and wool are out.

    Also, would green be less fugitive? It seems like in my antique quilts the greens don't break down as fast as the reds do. Maybe quilt cotton is different than velvet. I know the dyes are different these days than my nineteenth century textiles so maybe that's why the reds fall apart so easily.

    I'm so confused.

  • tomatofreak
    9 years ago

    "I also have 2 fully dimensional elephants on my FP - tho not full size." Oh, lordy, I hope not!

    rgps, so glad your hubby nixed that brown. It would just suck the life out of that amazing elephant print. I vote for the blue/teal velvet. Beautiful combo.

  • outsideplaying_gw
    9 years ago

    Love your elephants! I would go with a teal blue or blue-green that is in the elephant fabric for the chair seats. Given the tone of the wood on the chairs, I think it will make the elephant fabric just sing.

    Then use that beautiful paisley for your swivel chairs. I think I just read that you are using the swivel chairs now in place of the window seats. I've forgotten where the rug will be but it's large, right? The cabinet for your pantry will be gorgeous!

  • suero
    9 years ago

    I would have recommended Schumacher cotton velvet. I have a sofa upholstered in Schumacher's blue cotton velvet that has held up beautifully for more years than I want to say. But I checked the price on the equivalent fabric today, and it's waaaay over your limit. So go with the fabric you've seen.

  • kitschykitch
    9 years ago

    How fun it is to see a colorful room! Restoration Hardware is so played out.

    I like the idea of the elephants just on the chairbacks, and it would be so easy to change out if you wanted to.

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Suero, yeah I looked at the Schumacher velvet. Beautiful stuff, ridiculous price. It really makes me wonder about pricing and hype and marketing and snobbery.. I hate the game. All I want is a good product at a fair price with the people actually producing the products able to earn a decent living. I don't want to support Ralph Lauren's 7 houses around the world or whatever. I could go on and on but I'll spare you my rant about the tyrants of the ......blah blah blah.

    Outsideplaying, I'm doing exactly as you recommend. When Jezbo and Jethro dropped off the furniture at the upholsterers they finally got a good picture of the teal velvet and elephant fabric together and it is clearly a winner if you ask me. Loved the rust but with all the red rugs it was just too much.

    Thank you all who have helped with this phase of my adventure. Your advise has been invaluable and I am grateful for the the time you spend playing with me and my goofy ideas. Next summer we will tackle the MBR so beware.

  • ravencajun Zone 8b TX
    9 years ago

    I am crazy in love with that Paisley! I am just drawn to Paisley.
    Also like the elephants and I agree I would love to see the seats in the stripes you nixed, look at how well it matches the colors in the elephant print. Plus it would be smaller size and up close or under the table.
    Can't wait to see it all. And if I knew where that antique armoire was I would be tempted to try to sneak away with it. Gorgeous! The color is perfect.
    I do like the blue over the red velvet.

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    By popular demand I am going to buy 2 yards of the striped fabric so if the seats call for it and the elephants demand it I will be prepared. Besides, there is always a call for pillows and a whole TV room yet to be tackled.
    But I don't watch TV so I say let the the men rot in their 80's peach man cave.

    Raven, keep your mitts off my pantry. But I have 2, count em,2 zircons full of generations of stuff my DH would be thrilled to see mysteriously disappear. Men, I swear, so lacking in forethought and imagination.

    Oohhh, I seem to be a bit testy this morning. Need more coffee.

    Or better yet they can move their man cave into the zircon. It seems to already house the satellite dish. Who knew.

  • gsciencechick
    9 years ago

    Can't wait to see the finished chairs! Love the elephant fabric.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    I am glad you showed us a picture of a zircon. I Googled for a definition of the word and came up with some sort of mineral, although I could tell from the context that you meant a storage unit of some stripe. I've just never heard of a zircon before. Garden Web is so enlightening!

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Zircon = Railroad car for freight. Not a phony diamond. Sorry for the confusion.

  • kitchendetective
    9 years ago

    You need a Coromandel screen and a gigantic Flemish tapestry, and all will be right with the world.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    No confusion, just learned something new. And Google warned me that a zircon wasn't the same as a cubic zirconia. :-)

  • ravencajun Zone 8b TX
    9 years ago

    I am laughing at the satellite dish on the zircon! I too am glad to have a definition and picture of the zircon. I wish I had a zircon now. I am sure a man could make a fabulous man cave from one. My husband would love a big one to make his wood working shop, it would make me happy too as long as he is making me beautiful wood furniture pieces. First on the list is a big reclaimed wood farmhouse table, he can definitely make it he just needs that darn shop.

    So glad that stripped fabric is out of the nixed bin.

  • peony4
    9 years ago

    Pssst! Rgps...

    Posting this under the radar of the moderator. I've reached the end of my journey here at GW.

    However, wanted to note that your recent posts have been enlightening and refreshing. I admire your fearless approach to decor, and your wicked sense of humor, which is needed here (really, really needed). Too many members here are hesitant to break a rule, at the expense of your approach of embracing inspiration just because it feels right.

    I've been at this for a while, and I've still learned a thing or two from you. Best wishes.

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Peony, sad to hear, I've enjoyed your posts and been grateful for your encouragement. This recent ugliness may have done me in too. It was painful watching from the sidelines. I hope it's over.

    Again, thank you for your contributions.

  • smalloldhouse
    9 years ago

    Don't go, any of you! I'm a lurker who is late to this party (and clueless about anything else) but I just wanted to chime in because I have a similar look & fabric in my dining room. Wish I had your awesome sense of humor and writing skills! I found chair cushions in what seems to be the same elephant fabric at a Pier 1 that was going out of business. They only had 4, but since I hope to replace the chairs (and the table for that matter) I scooped them up anyway.

    I've tried to work the teal blue via some curtains, but I'm not thrilled with it my room. I think maybe I need to switch them out to something purplish blue??

    OTOH I am very tempted to pick up 2 of these teal dining chairs in the link while they're on sale.... What do you think, as the queen of the elephant/whorehouse style?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Teal dining chair

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    That is amazing that you have the same fabric on your chairs.

    I don't think the problem is necessarily the color of your drapes, although personally I think they're a whole other genre than the rest of the room, and that's why they maybe don't work there too well. they look like something that might be in a teen's bedroom, maybe? Your DR is pretty sophisticated, but those drapes are pretty casual.

    I think you've got so many patterns and colors of intense depth, that the result is the opposite of what you probably want, i.e.: everything gets lost in each other. I'd probably paint the walls a more neutral color and put more conservative drapes up, and hang them as panels. I think the swoop thing is passé.

    Sorry to hijack rgps's thread.

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Smalloldhouse, we sure seem to be of like minds. Love the room and the teal chairs would work great, BUT, I think I agreed with Tibbrix about the paint color. I used to think all dining rooms should be red but after having looked at a boatload of them I just don't think they work with red rugs. I'd paint the walls a neutral and get the teal chairs and see where you are with that before worrying about drapes.

    Nice to see your elephant love flying. Great minds thin...........

  • rgps
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Looky here what the zircon yielded this morning. Mom is now officially forgiven for the baby blue swivels. Wait till you see the treasures inside.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    Good to know your mom can call off her attorneys.

  • 1929Spanish
    9 years ago

    Been out on business travel every week so im catching up now.....I'm so jealous of your zircons full of treasure. I would put the men in one of them - cuz you already have a dish up there - and do the peach room next! The second pantry would fit in great with my vintage home. Just sayin'

  • kitchendetective
    9 years ago

    Wow, that zircon continues to amaze. I want to see a stripe thrown into the mix. A two-color stripe with distinct stripes, not stripes that moooosh together from a distance. Any suggestions?