UPDATE! I think Bronnie must be reading because a new photo was added to
his web site/blog of the library for his art reference books. Thank you Sharon in Chicago for sending it to me! I also found another photo of a little valence in his kitchen that is made from the same fabric he used for the panels for the windows in the library (and for the sofa pictured below). I think he said the fabric comes from some old bed hangings. He seems to be using it all through the house.
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| The art reference library of Bronson Pinchot- You can see the book shelves designed to show the front of the book instead of the spines, and the back of that yummy camelback chair |
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| This is the fabric Bronnie used for the curtain panels in the library, shown here used as a valence over the kitchen window |
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| This is Bronson Pinchot's kitchen - You can see the antique blue check fabric that he seems to have a ton of |
What I posted previously:
Any chair or sofa or couch with a curved back with a center "hump" might be considered a camelback.
But like anything else, there are distinctions between some awful contemporary pieces from the big box chain stores, and the excellent antique or vintage pieces.
My favorite is camelback chair is one with a full upholstered arm, more of the 18th century kind. It's like a mini camelback sofa.
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| Bronson Pinchot's gorgeous 18th century camelback chair reupholstered in fabric from 1830 - He said the chair was skanky before it was redone and is worth $10K - I found this photo from the web site his upholsterer Kinetic Comfort Upholstery who did an amazing job on this fabulous old chair - |
My newest heartthrob Bronson Pinchot has such a chair that he featured in Episode 8 Last But Not Least on the DIY Network show
The Bronson Pinchot Project. He was doing a room that he called a library for his art collection and his collection of books.
Sadly DIY Network doesn't do much in web support of their shows. No way to watch an episode, and certainly no photos. And Bronnie is a naughty boy because
he started a blog and doesn't do a thing with it. He should be posting photos and back stories.
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| Look at this gorgeous couch somewhere in Bronson Pinchot's spectacular Greek Revival home - The same fabric is used that the curtains for the library are made from - I got this photo from the blog Good & Pretty written by his excellent seamstress Nicole, and have asked her to send more photos of the work she is doing for Bronson along with a some tech tips |
So I had to dig deep to find a picture of Bronnie's chair. He had it upholstered in fabric from 1830. Of course he loves the old rips that have old repairs in the way of a spot hit with the darning needle. He likes to show these in a prominent space.
Old fabric can be tricky to work with. Sometimes it is just too rotted away, even when it looks stable. I would love to hear about how Bronson chooses the antique fabric he uses. He also used a beautiful blue and white check woven textile from the 1800's to make curtain panels, and yet another fabric that he fashioned into a valance. Alas I have no photos of the window treatments.
Bronnie likes the fabric not to be pulled too tight on the reupholstered pieces. I believe he said to the upholsterer: "Don't make it look like a Hollywood face lift". He likes there to be some give to the fabric, as if the chair had been sat in for a long time.
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| The whole room by Melissa Rufty as seen in Be Your Own Decorator - If you see a camelback chair like this one or Bronnie's, snap it up - If you can't use it let me know and I'll take it off your hands |
I love how the library came out. The bookshelves are awesome. You'll have to catch a rerun, or find Episode 8 online somewhere.
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