Our last weekend in our Malden store and the new shop reveal!!

 Our newest location~! Isn't it a beauty?! 

No, ha ha, we are not going into the liquor business, this is the 

place we are taking over on July 1st. By Saturday the place should be empty

of all of these bottles and shelves and carpeting etc.

I have to say I haven't really been fantasizing about the new shop

because it looks like this. Its hard to see the walls and the windows are covered 

with beer posters. The ceiling is pretty ugly as is the floor. Thats what I know.

I also know that I have a good imagination and serious determination

to try and transform this space into a happening place of business.

Hoping it all comes together, but there will be plenty of 

decision making on the fly about what is going to work 

and what we will put where etc.  

 The exterior is a brick building, on the newer side. I love the old buildings and so this will be a challenge

as its not quite my style.  With any new store there is a start up cost of spending on stuff like the signs and 

painting and new inventory etc.  So it will be an expensive July for us as we close Malden to the public and 

get started on the Reading store location. Boston will continue to operate its regular schedule of Friday through Sunday 11-5.  When Justin is not in Boston he will be

 pulling together our Reading store with Colin and me.

I will get rid of the 15 minute parking sign for sure! 

We have a private parking lot for 30 cars

so that is going to be a huge bonus for our shoppers.

 Just to get my brain wrapped around how I could get this 

storefront looking more to my liking I drew a sketch.  

Drawing helps me put my ideas onto paper and then 

communicate my ideas to the boys and others who might be interested.

 In addition to the Reading store we are taking an indoor spot at the SoWa Vintage Market in Boston. It is a well traveled shopping spot open on Sundays and there is a collection of vintage dealers in this building.  Our Boston shop is two blocks away and we get lots of the overflow from this popular Sunday only event.  

Colin will be running the Maison Decor SoWa space.  

We are thrilled to be asked to join in~and this gives a chance 

to showcase more of our vintage painted furniture that 

showcases the wonder of Chalk Paint®!  To get ready for this

 space starting in July I asked Justin to work his magic on a chalkart board 

that we will use as our sign in the space at SoWa.  SoWa stands for 

South of Washington (Street) in case you were wondering. 

 I will have a link to their website at the end of this post. 

 There is a $5 parking lot right next to our shop, so there is 

no reason not to indulge in a little city vintage shopping trip!

 Sylvia, Justin's schnoodle is just the most darling dog. 

 She is going to continue to be at our stores, and I actually 

had it written into our lease for her to be able to hang out in the Reading shop.

 We will continue to take orders for our popular reproduction Mora clocks

 and get them shipped out during this transition period. 

Because we will keep Malden for working on things, 

we hope production will increase so the waiting time

 should be shorter on the clocks!

 Cream and Old White mora wall clock

We will be doing a giveaway for the Mora clock when we open the new 

store in Reading!! So stay tuned!

 Our last workshop in Malden was held last Sunday~

the next workshops are listed in the online shop and you can

 read the descriptions and see the dates they will be held. 

We do offer private workshops to groups of 6 or more so 

you can schedule one with me if that might be something of interest. 

However, most ladies come alone and quickly settle in to a 

fun class where you will leave knowing everything you need to know 

about painting furniture with Chalk Paint and how to properly apply the waxes.

 We create sample boards using the 

various techniques that you will apply to furniture.

From rustic to elegant, we have you covered!

One of our newest classes is the Ugly Dining Room chair workshop.

Bring your chair and we will get it painted, upholstery included!

 In the meantime, if you are local please don't forget to 

stop by our Maison Decor space and say hi to Colin~

check out the official SoWa link by clicking here.

Of course we will be open Friday through Sunday in Boston at 524 Harrison.

Look what the boys just brought into the shop for this weekend~

 Hint: Its very heavy and has big wheels and is normally used in a factory.

Fairbanks Factory Cart

Super popular for coffee tables, we think this will do well in Boston.

So over and out for now, we have plenty to keep us busy and of course

I will be blogging with the new shop progress and the latest on that end.

We will sell paint by appointment in Malden until then so give a call and leave a

message on the phone and we will get back to you 781-324-0701.

Hope to see you in Boston and in a couple of weeks 

we will be creating a splash at 150 Main Street Reading!

Workshop classes Information and Online shopping

Painting Chairs~frame and fabric! and a lot more...

Ugly Dining Room Chairs Be Gone!

Before and After!

 Dining room sets cost a lot of money...
and they aren't something that usually get replaced because they don't wear out. 
They sit there in your house year after year and finally even decades later you realize that they just don't go with your style anymore.  But hey~you don't feel justified in replacing them as you only eat in the dining room on Christmas and Easter...maybe Thanksgiving if your sister isn't hosting.  How about taking matters into your own hands and creating lemonade out of lemons?  With paint and wax you can do just that! And it really works and stands up to the test of time.  I have done my own set, and am here to tell you that it makes all the difference painting out ugly fabric and updating a dated wood frame using Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan of courses!  Annie's paint needs no primer and it can transform fabrics as well as wood~

 Here is the chair in two coats of Duck Egg and the seat 

with two coats of Old White. However I am not finished yet. 

 I wanted a softer look so I dry brushed Old White over the Duck Egg.  

 Here is a side by side before and after with the original chair fabric 

and frame and with the straight up application of paint 

on both seat cushion and frame. The only difference in painting the 
fabric vs the wood frame is that for the fabric I dip my brush into 
a bit of water so the paint is a lighter coating. Do two light coats on the 
fabric, drying between coats.  
If the pattern is still there do another light coat and let dry.

 Next I applied soft dry brushed stroked over the base of Duck Egg.

 I find using a chip brush works best for the dry brushing.

 After the chair fabric has been painted and dried you can lightly

 sand it to achieve a soft hand. Then we will wax it the next day 

and the seat will feel like leather. Soft and supple and plenty of protection.

 See you later ugly 1970s orange and gold stripes!

I decided to add a ticking style stripe by taping the cushion off 
and painting with Duck Egg.
You can lightly sand the dried painted stripes to get a softer look.
You can also sand off any paint mistakes of little blobs or leaks 
through the painter tape!

LOVE!

Soft and dreamy, very french/gustavian in style! 

 I did a pair of these that were in traditional old gold upholstery

 with a cream and gold frame.

They are now off white and slightly antiqued.
Find a link below to more on how to paint fabric on chairs!

I got a set of these chairs at auction last year and

painted them inspired by a Tiffany blue box.

I loved them so much I brought them home and 

mixed them in with this set of french chairs. 

Before and After~these chairs were upholstered in a faux vinyl. 

 We have been sitting on them for about a year now and 

they show no signs of wear!! And if they did, I would simply add another coat of paint!

We are offering an Ugly Dining Room Chair workshop at the

 new store in August if you want to sign up.

Look for it online as I am taking a limited amount of students.  

You will get help in painting your chair in a rustic french, gustavian, 

shabby chic or traditional style.  Then you can go home and paint 

the rest of your chairs to match!! And you will have

 a brand new look in your home. Problem solved!

 Another interesting thing we are working on in the workshop 

right now is this gleaming gold cylinder table. It came out of an

 office lobby after they decided to update their space.

  Its metal and has a high sheen.

 See my pink workout pants?? Thats a very high shine!

 I took some sandpaper to it and gave it a ten minute sanding~

 Work both ways, cross graining as you sand.

 You can see the sanded marks...I used 120 grit.

 Now what makes this an interesting project is that this table 

came out of Boston Sand and Gravel company. They manufacture

 cement and concrete and that kind of stuff.  One of my first 

shoppers who came into Maison Decor works there and she 

suggested that the company hire me to paint them to look like concrete!

 Colin started painting the cylinder with French Linen. 

Goes on like a dream~

 We did two coats of French Linen.

 Then brushed on some Fine Stone (we sell this online)

 Then we used our artistic brains and dry brushed lighter shades of grey
over the darker French Linen base.

 The left side is done, the right side is waiting for paint~

 Voila! Finished product looks pretty much like concrete!!

A little side by side comparison.
Not our average custom job but we loved stepping outside the box
and seeing if we could give our customer what she wanted.

In other news~
 I brought Dillon to work with me today. 
I love this dog!!! 

He is such a great dog, but I usually don't bring him as

 I think people might get afraid of such a big handsome dog. 

We have some crazy times ahead....look for wacky posts to ensue.

I still do not have the keys to the shop and plan to be open on July 15th!

So that means lots of work ahead of us.

The other thing that is happening is that Justin and Madison 

are moving into our home

this week~we have an apartment in the basement that 

Colin graciously vacated so they 

can live with us and save money for their future.

 We will be living and working together~no escaping each other from tomorrow on in.....

and Sylvia will be coming too of course.

 They stopped by the shop to pick up some boxes today.

And off they went~moving day!  

We have another exciting announcement as far as the stores go, and 

as soon as I ink the deal I will spill it all here.

I have added more workshops online~

check in over there to see what is new!

www.shopmaisondecor.com

More on painting chairs and upholstery here.

Summer Furniture Finds

 When you are always on the hunt for decent pre-owned furniture,

like we are at Maison Decor, 

 there is never a guarantee you will be able to find the quality pieces

 you want to refinish or sell straight up~ au natural!

But lately we have been lucky in this department and our stores have a decent

selection of dressers and tables and the like. 

So here is a photo gallery of what we have photographed

 and is in stock at the moment~

 John Adams mahogany dresser

 Abigail Adams mahogany dresser and mirror

 French ormulu occasional table

 Metallic claw and ball table

 Shabby chic white and grey french style coffee table

 Gilt settee in pale aqua with gold wash and linen cushion

 Moroccan end table

 Spindle leg round occasional table

 Small console

 Early hard pine farmers table 

Quatrofoil dresser by Thomasville furniture company

 Early country desk

King James dresser with fabulous lions head hardware

 Heywood Wakefield conservatory table

 Midsized cottage china cabinet

 Pair of grey end tables

Antiqued green block front chest

 Of course we have fresh old finds coming in all the time in the mirror department~

So if you are looking for anything in particular give us a call or check out our web page,

we are trying to update it as things come in.  There is more as we haven't had a chance

 to photograph it all either.  A French provincial dining room set with 

cane back chairs will be headed into the shop this weekend as well 

and I cannot wait to get my hands on that one!

We also offer custom painting for those pieces you may 

have at home that need an update. So call for a quote,

we might be more reasonable than you think!!

Look for our current furniture in stock and pricing at

www.shopmaisondecor.com