
In honor of the re-opening of the outdoor
Brooklyn Flea market in Fort Greene this
Saturday, April 10, may I present the work of my favorite vintage-furniture bring-back-to-liferer...hmm, not quite right. Let's try again: May I present the work of my favorite vintage-furniture
revivalist (much better, no?), Molly Worth of
Chairloom. She enlivens used furniture pieces with good bones—and decent pedigree—by masterfully reupholstering them in delightfully unexpected fabric by the likes of
Hable Construction,
Deadly Squire,
Studio Bon and
John Robshaw (whom I think she may have a crush on, and with good reason).
I sing Molly's praises not just because she'll be selling her upcycled wares at the aforementioned market on Saturday. And not just because she "looks for potential" and "gives second chances" (she may be talking about old furniture here, but that kind of verbiage appeals to delinquents like me). But because a few months ago she magically transformed a shabby vintage Danish daybed into the vision of ikat gorgeousness that now resides in my living room. Behold the Before:

And now, the After, done-up in "Barcelona" by
Lewis & Sheron (drumroll, please):

Needless to say, the craft of reupholstery is inherently eco-friendly since it saves furniture cast-offs from an early grave in a teeming landfill. That means if you're thinking about earning a few bonus points with Mother Earth because, say, you're still buying bottled water, you could, as repentance, enter into a long lease agreement for a potentially recall-worthy hybrid vehicle, or you could save about $40,000 and simply upcycle an old piece of furniture. Just something to chew on as you're browsing the Brooklyn Flea this Saturday, and in the Chairloom booth, an antique Italian bench—spruced up with Studio Bon's whimsical "Ric Rac" (natch)—steals your heart. Or if you spot something with similarly good form in your neighborhood's curbside flotsam and jetsam. Ask yourself this: WWMD (What Would Molly Do)?
[The Brooklyn Flea is open on Saturday, April 10, at 176 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, April 11, at 1 Hanson Place, from 10am to 5pm---and will keep the same schedule every weekend till November. Top and bottom images courtesy of Tommy Sheldon Photography for Chairloom.]
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