Tuesday Customer Inspiration - Kim's skirt-less - and fabulous - club chairs!

Wow - two weeks in a row I have something to share with and inspire you!

Here's Kim's email:

Hi, So excited that I had to share what we did with the little club chairs that you and I knew would be too costly to reupholster!  ($450 for labor alone, no skirt and would need 6 yards of fabric each.)  The following are photos of how we modernized these cute little chairs.  Our son is a professional carpet and upholstery cleaner and he cleaned them up very nicely!  He persuaded me that I didn't need to reupholster them...he likes the retro look!  My hubby finally bought into it too.  See captions below the photos for what we did.  Our 15 year old daughter was the one who said right at Jubilee, can't you take the skirt off?  They have nice black legs.  I hope you can use these photos to inspire some of your other customers!  See you soon!  

God Bless,

Kim

 carefully removing the staples from the skirt without tearing the fabric

 using a seam ripper to remove the welting from the skirt (my poor hubby doesn't really know how to use a seam ripper...I just said pose for this photo!

 stapling the welting back onto the underside of the chair

 Nicely finished edge.  You can barely see where the original skirt was. :)

Now aren't these a cute pair of chairs?  Thanks Jubilee Furniture!

Yep, Kim - they are extremely cute chairs! 

Have you purchased something from the furniture store that you've transformed (a lot or a little)?  Take a couple of photos of what you've done and email me at sgalbraith@outreachcommin.org so that you - like Kim - might inspire others!

Thanks so much, Kim!

Tuesday Customer Inspiration - Michelle's creative and sweet baby shower book nook!

Welcome!  If you're newer to the blog, let me explain what happens on Tuesdays - IF - a wonderful customer has emailed me photos. 

Starting with the certain knowledge that all Jubilee Furniture customers are amazing, creative, environmentally careful and smart with their money - I decided I wanted to harness these things in order to inspire others.  So, I began encouraging customers to send me photos - and a brief description of whatever they did to whatever they purchased from the furniture store - in order to post said photos/descriptions for a wider audience to view and possibly imitate.

If you click on the Customer Inspirations tab above - you'll see thumbnail photos of previous posts that will truly encourage and inspire you!  Some of the posts show seriously transformed pieces and some simply how nice used furniture can look inside a lovely home.  Either way - it's fun to see what people have done with things purchased from a dimly lit warehouse in Carol Stream, Illinois.

Here's the email I received last week:

Hi Susan,  

I came into Jubilee back in the beginning of June and bought a book shelf for a baby shower. Thought I would share how it turned out!  The theme for the baby shower was Baby Book Club and everyone brought a book instead of a card.  Instead of playing a game during the shower, I had all the shower guests put their hand prints on the piece as a tribute to the baby!  I really love how it came out!

Michelle

If I can read the price tag showing in the before photo - it looks like Michelle paid $18 for this storage piece.  Just by painting this fairly generic piece white - Michelle instantly improved it 100%!   Add in the colorful and meaningful hand prints and this piece - perfect for large flat picture books - is off the charts fabulous!  How sweet and what a special piece of furniture for this new baby!

This is such a great idea that would work in so many different ways!  Maybe instead of hand prints, have each guest write a note with permanent marker and sign their name or do the hand prints on a toy chest or...

What fun and many thanks to Michelle for her splendid idea!

I'll see you on Friday for my weekly update post, dear reader!  Until then - take care!

Tuesday Customer Inspiration - David's creative and beautiful dining rooms!

Hello!  Remember Tuesday Customer Inspiration?  It's where one of my amazing customers sends me an email at sgalbraith@outreachcommin.org with a photo or two of whatever they've purchased from Jubilee Furniture and a short (or long) explanation of what they've done (or not done) to the furniture.  The idea behind TCI is to help inspire others to see beyond the deary warehouse, bad lighting and humid interior to what so much of our inventory can become with a little imagination and sweat equity.

David has a gorgeous apartment in Chicago and has been featured on TCI before (check it out here).   As a professional designer he's trained to know what to look for when shopping for furniture - but his secret is something anyone can learn - keep an open mind!

Here's David's email:

Hi Susan,


You posted some pictures of my flat around a year ago.  I wanted to send you a snap of my newest Jubilee find/project.


I decided to redo my "formal" living room and turn it into a sort of dining area.  Mostly, I really wanted a space that could be used as a home office but also serve as flexible space for entertaining..and I decided that the sunniest room in my flat should be the room that I use the most, not the least.  I already had a table and some great chairs hiding in storage, but needed a very large functional piece of furniture to hide away all of my mess...and I wanted something that would be an unexpected piece to find in a dining room.


It also had to be tall enough to fill the wall and cover over the horrible plaster work that "someone" did who thought it would be an easy DIY project!


What I ended up with was a pair of metal office lockers that were painted office beige and looked nothing short of sad in the back of Jubilee.  The price was right, some considerate soul had taped the keys to them inside the cabinet, and the dimensions were just about perfect.


The big trend in the city is stripped metal furniture, where people remove layers of paint to expose the steel underneath.  One palm sander, a couple of hours of sanding, and a coat of clear coat left me with two cabinets that proudly show the steel and look far removed from their officey brethren.


I also decided to hang up the "wonky" chandelier that I used to use as a table lamp.  I would anticipate the person who gave it to Jubilee disliked it for the very same reasons that I love it!


I love coming to Jubilee, and always try to approach every piece in there with an open mind!  My style might not appeal to everyone (or even to myself at times) but a little creativity can really make a piece come alive.


Hope that all is well!

Wow - when I think those two metal storage pieces where probably in someone's garage or basement - and how unbelievable they look in David's dining area - it's wild!

In a follow up email David shared another photo of another dining space in his home (his flat is two apartments combined) used for things like when he opens his home for church potlucks or a formal dinner for 24!  It's in his English basement which is below the main living space.

David writes:

Quite a few chairs down there came from Jubilee and I reupholstered all of the seats in a matching murky green silk mohair to formulate them into a set.


A huge THANK YOU to David for taking the time to send fabulous photos of his gorgeous home and for resurrecting Tuesday Customer Inspiration.  Continue the trend by sending me YOUR photos!  Please?

Tuesday's Customer Inspiration - Melissa's comfy, lovely, up-scale, CLEAN chair and sofa!

Melissa's email is so fun, so wonderfully captures our "attitude" at Jubilee Furniture - I think I'll just shush up.

I came in to Jubilee the beginning of December, after seeing a picture of what I hoped was the couch of my dreams on your blog.  I wasn't able to get there until Saturday morning and was sure the couch would be gone (all the good stuff usually is) by the time I got there.  Imagine my surprise seeing it there front and center as I walked in the door.  I debated long and hard between it and another retro couch that was there. I sat, I lounged, I chatted with the ladies as they sorted through some toys they were packaging.  I even lied down on both of them (the couches, not the ladies!) for a while.  You see, I had made the mistake of purchasing a set from craigslist last spring and had only briefly sat in one of the chairs before deciding.  After getting the set home and trying to sit on the sofa through an entire movie, I discovered it was not comfortable at all!  Not only that, but the material was seriously sun-faded in several spots.  And I paid $500 for the set!


After nearly an hour of testing - with the ladies being not only patient, but encouraging - I decided to purchase not only the couch (a steal for $115) but also the chair I found lurking in a dark corner.  I wish I had a true "before" pic of the chair.  The one I've sent is after I took it apart, cleaned the frame and washed the cover.  It was D.I.R.T.Y!  It washed up wonderfully and with a fresh coat of black paint and a stylish pillow, looks brand new.  The couch was great "as is," but I do think it looks decidedly up-scale with the addition of my french script pillows, don't you?


And, I'm happy to report, the couch has hosted many a movie marathon and various comfortable lounging positions for the entire family since December.  Thanks Jubilee!

 top photo is of the sofa Melissa ended up buying while still in the store

bottom photo same sofa in Melissa's lovely home boasting some cool french script pillows 

(love! Yes, very up-scale, Melissa!)

Melissa wasn't kidding when she said this chair was dirty!  It was!  I think it had a $15 price tag on it (do you remember what you paid for the chair, Melissa?) because I didn't know if it would clean up or not - obviously it did!  Add a coat of black paint and another french script pillow and can you say, "Ooh la la"?  (French script pillow, ooh la la - I crack myself up sometimes!)

It also makes me laugh that Melissa said she found it "lurking in a dark corner"!  Truly you never know what you might find at Jubilee Furniture (partly because our inventory changes so quickly, partly because you can't see some of our stuff!).

Remember the purpose of my Tuesday post is to inspire you to view used furniture in a new and creative way!   A huge - THANK YOU - to Melissa for doing just that! 

We have another big week of donation pickups so plan on spending some of your Easter weekend with us at the furniture store!  We WILL be OPEN Friday from 1 to 8 and Saturday from 9 to 4!  Remember to hop back here on Friday for my weekly update post!

Tuesday's Customer Inspiration - Sarah's beautiful desk!

Hello and welcome to Tuesday customer inspiration where I showcase something a customer has purchased from Jubilee Furniture and either how fabulous it looks in their home exactly as it looked leaving the store - or - how it's been transformed into something even more fabulous (which truly boggles the mind if you think about it).  Either way the point is to inspire you to think about used furniture in a new and creative way which in turn might motive you to walk into a local resale store (preferable Jubilee Furniture) where often the proceeds of what's sold is helping to support programs and services through some great organization (like Outreach Community Ministries) which in turn is often helping those most in need in your community.  Got it?  Good!  Let's begin!

Here's Sarah's email:

Hi.  My husband and I picked up this desk last December.  I never really liked the stain and the knobs didn't match, but it was a great price ($35) and a solid piece of furniture.  With the nice weather I finally got around to painting it and putting new knobs on (from Anthropologie).  I love it now and it works perfectly for my computer and to sew on.

 
Wow!  I love the crisp white paint and the orange flower knobs Sarah used!  What a lovely place to work!

Thanks so much for sending the photos, Sarah!

Have you purchased something from Jubilee Furniture that you'd be willing to take photos of and email me at sgalbraith@outreachcommin.org with the thought of inspiring others?  If so, that would be super!

You might have noticed I didn't have a post last Tuesday.  I didn't have anything to share and I've decided to only write a Tuesday post if I have customer photos to share.  Doesn't mean I don't love you, dear reader!

I hope to see you back here Friday morning for my weekly update!

Tuesday's customer inspiration - Caroline's rocking rocker!

Caroline's no stranger to either Jubilee Furniture or Tuesday customer inspiration (see for yourself here) so I wasn't surprised when her most recent purchase from the store was tweaked in such a way that made it seriously fun.  Here's her email:

Hi Susan!  Had to send you pictures of my recent acquisition.  I fell in love with this beautiful double wide rocker the moment I saw it on your blog online and when I came in the next day it was still there!  I only changed the cushion fabric to make it more "me."  

It's such a blessing to have a place to buy furniture at reasonable prices and it's a bonus knowing the proceeds go to such a great cause.

Thanks for all your hard work and for your blog that makes shopping fun for the rest of us!

Blessings - Caroline

I LOVE the zebra print with the classic mission style rocker which makes for such an unexpected and fresh pairing!  I got a chuckle out of seeing the Jubilee Furniture pink sold tag in the before photo!  Oh, Caroline - you do know how much I want to live in your home, right?

In case you aren't familiar with the "great cause" Caroline mentioned in her email let me fill you in.  Jubilee Furniture's proceeds are helping to support the programs and services offered through Outreach Community Ministries.  Outreach's mission is to restore hope and provide opportunities to those most in need in DuPage County.

Thank you so much for letting us see how you dialed up the "WOW" on your double rocker, Caroline!

With tons of donation pickups this week - you'll want to head back here Friday morning to get a glimpse of some of the new-to-us stuff the guys are picking up.  My goal is to have my Friday posts ready for your viewing pleasure by 9:00 a.m.!  I've been told by a number of people that if you're a "follower" you aren't getting notification of my posts until much later in the day.  I don't know why and if I need to do something on my end - I can't figure out what (and if you know what I should do, please tell me!).

Take care, dear reader!

Tuesday's customer inspiration - Luke and Emily's award winning night of the spinning table!

Actually the spinning table was a new character and had only a bit part in the annual Oscar party Luke and Emily have hosted for years.  This year's party was the largest yet with 64 adults and 46 kids (yep, you read that correctly 65 adults and 46 kids PLUS Luke, Emily and their three kids!) in attendance.  The small pine table has a great solid base and the top - for some unknown reason - was designed to spin, like a lazy Susan (on behalf of Susans everywhere I do want to start some type of formal protest again naming something that is highly functional, efficient and sorta cute a lazy Susan) and purchased it from Jubilee just a couple of days before the party when they realized they were short on places to set things.

When one of the kids realized that spinning the top when it held cups full of liquid resulted in flying cups and spraying juice - Luke and Emily might have wished that wasn't one of the table's features but from the photos below - it apparently didn't dampen the party (new character, bit part, flying liquid, dampen the party - am I on a pun roll or what?!).

Luke and Emily and both sets of parents are all regular Jubilee Furniture customers and Luke's dad, Gordon, is a key volunteer without whom we couldn't do what we do (Gordon does everything from help move furniture for the Thursday design team to load merchandise for customers to recycle our broken TVs, empty water bottles and pop cans).

Thanks for a fun peek into the night's festivities, Luke and Emily!

Before I sign off, I also got an email from Monique - another regular Jubilee Furniture customer - with the following plea:

Susan - I bought this chair a while ago at Jubilee Furniture and STILL haven not re-upholstery it.  Aside from the funkadelic print, it's covered in what can only be described as Muppet fur.  No, really, you can run a comb through it.


Perhaps your viewers have suggestions on where I can take my little monster to get some new skin?

Not sure why Monique wants to mess with perfection - but to each his own!  If you have any great ideas for Monique - please leave a comment.  She lives in DuPage County.

Have you purchased something from the store and are willing to take photos and email me (sgalbraith@outreachcommin.org) with the hope of inspiring others to see used furniture in new ways?  If so, that would be peachy!

The guys have fabulous pickups all week and I'll be back on Friday with photos of some of the funkadelic (what a great word!) furniture that's been donated!

Peace out, dear reader!