Monday, September 22, 2008

You Nailed It!

There's a solid trend using nail head trim with white upholstery, and in particular with white leather, or faux leather. White slip covered furniture has been popular for years and years and years. It's no wonder, because it is easy to keep clean by taking off the slip covers and throwing them in the washing machine.
But after years and years and years of doing that, it gets a little tiresome. Wrestling slip covers on and off is a chore. I wanted a white sofa with less work involved, so I opted for recovering a vintage camel back in faux white leather with nail head trim. You must use nail heads when you use leather or faux leather in order to keep the fabric from slipping. I also learned that fabric backed faux leather is better to use. I was lucky and found several yards of faux leather that is used for making baby mattresses. It is very fabric like, and it is flannel backed. My upholster loved working with it.
This is a Pottery Barn sofa, The Spencer model, covered in white twill using nail head trim. It's very good looking, but I think it will be hard to keep clean. I predict PB will get on the band wagon and eventually offer white leather as a fabric choice. I love the stacks of books used as the coffee table.
This is another modern silhouette couch covered in white leather. I love the high arms. It seems tight back sofas and chairs work the best for using leather to get a clean look.
Tufting also works very well on tight backs. This chair comes from Ballard Designs, and it comes in white leather.
This is another Ballard Designs chair, shown in cream leather, but you can get it in white.
And then there are accent pieces, ottomans of every size and shape...


...some with more elaborate nail head trim.And of course, even case goods are getting into the act.

I just had this antique French settee covered in the faux white leather with nail head trim. The crazy fabric you see is this extraordinary chenille, very much like a Colefax and Fowler fabric. I've asked the upholsterer to remove it intact and give it back to me. I'm thinking of mounting it and framing it. The settee is being delivered on a Wednesday, so stay tuned for the reveal!
I'm sending out my dining room chairs next. They're antique Isabelina salon chairs from Spain. They're not grand, but rather Country Spanish, much like Country French. They have (old and stained) yellow raw silk upholstery now, and an original black paint finish. I think they're going to look great in white faux leather with nail head trim!

4 comments:

cotedetexas said...

you have gone white leather mad and I love it! can not wait for the chairs and settee reveal!

pve design said...

A wild story from my designing days was the customer who bought the Indigo dye denim jeans wore them in her white Mercedes with white leather seats and left an
indelible impression on the seat... and the company sent her a new pair and replaced the car. Crazy, non?

pve design said...

White leather, nail heads, sounds de-lish.
I think I would love a rich cognac color too.

Visual Vamp said...

OoooooI will never wear indigo pants on my white leather ha ha!
And yes I've gone mad for white leather. I've simply replaced all the white slip covers that I was also mad for washing all the time ha ha.