Aside from her life of design bliss, I just particularly love being able to take a peek into warm, sunny, fabulously furnished homes. And, I’m always looking for new ways to ‘do up’ the same old, same old pieces of furniture.

So, how about this burlap covered loveseat she discovered at a little Soho home furnishings shop called Michele Varian?
First of all, do you know how much a yard of 60″ wide burlap costs? About $6.99 a yard.
Can you guess what the pricetag is on this loveseat? Just a cool $2800.
ExSqueeze me?
Unless the loveseat frame is worth about $2600, this is a tiny bit overpriced.
I understand that people come to New York and it’s fun to shop in Soho and find unusual little pieces. That’s definitely worth something. However, my point is:
YOU CAN GET THIS LOOK FOR LESS.
Find a little loveseat or even a little settee, find 60″ wide burlap online, purchase only about 4 yards, buy a staple gun, and some little copper nailheads. That’s it. You can do this, unless you find this burlap loveseat hideous and you’d rather see any fabric on it than utility chic burlap.

1. Take old fabric off (take photos)
2. Press each pattern piece
3. Lay out on the new burlap, cut out
4. Attach burlap (see some of my upholstery tutorials here)
5. Construct your seat cushion and lumbar pillow
6. Add itty bitty copper nailheads (Dkei Trim)

Photo Image: Cococozy.com

Photo image: ApartmentTherapy

If unique upholstery details grab your attention while thumbing  through shelter mags, you’ve probably oggled decorative nailheads that knock your socks off.  These aren’t your basic Joann Fabrics nailheads.  These are those impossible to find materials reserved for designers or  “To the Trade Only” . They get all the good stuff.  However, if you’re trying your own hand at a DIY upholstery project that screams for a stunningly chic  nailhead, you can still go through a designer if you’d like, order through tasseltrim.com or more easily, order them right here through my etsy shop (sorry).

Check these out for your viewing pleasure:

 My goal is to make materials and components available to any DIY-er who is tired of generic products and wants to take their DIY design to the next level.