Restoring Casalino chairs

Over the past month, my roving eye has been searching for two vintage Casalino chairs to use on our deck.

Casalino chairs were designed in 1971 by Alexander Begge for Casala and are made from moulded plastic. It was the outdoor chair to have in the 70s. And for me, it is the outdoor chair to have in the 2010s.

They have a great cantilever shape, are stackable up to four chairs and weatherproof.

As part of my search, I've been harassing Katherine from theoldboathouse and doing random drive-bys in suburbs with hard rubbish collections. Look, I even dabbled with....(Gasp! Was that thunder I just heard?)...buying replicas!!

Before: these Casala chairs are a pale blue and green

Well, the search is over. I bought two vintage Casala chairs on ebay (which was very silly, since I paid too much for them). But then there were another five for sale in Saturday's paper. I bought those too (because they were a good price). So now I have seven chairs.

Not sure what came over me - I must have Casala fever!

I'm now restoring them. Apparently the done thing is to take them to a panel beater and have them re-sprayed with 2 pack paint. It makes them glossy and more durable; even better than brand new.

The chairs are in reasonable condition, so I felt I didn't have to do this step. The chairs were just extremely scuffed and grimy, but they hadn't achieved that super-chalky texture which occurs on these chairs.

Check out the filth!

The first step was to give them a thorough wash with warm soapy water (I used dish washing detergent and a green scourer). With a bit of elbow grease, this lifted off most of the marks. For the really ingrained dirt, I used a spray on mold remover, left if for a few minutes and rinsed it off. Make sure to wear gloves and long sleeves to avoid fibre-glass itch when you're scrubbing.

With the power of Google, I discovered that a cut and polish suitable for fibre-glass would help restore and protect the finish. We used Autosol but there are a couple of other products which do the same thing. Just rub  it on and polish off.

Image from here

The stubborn marks came off easily and with a clean towel I was able to buff the chairs, creating a nice low sheen.

The chairs don't look like they are over 30 years old and equally important, they don't look brand spanking new.

So far, I'm really happy with the result. They've certainly come up a treat, but I'll keep you posted about how the finish lasts.

After: the finished pale green and blue Casala chairs. They look fantastic now!

Two of the five white Casala chairs. These have been cleaned but not yet cut and polished.

Shout out

This is a shout out and thank you to Shiloe from Tar Paper Crane who has kindly mentioned Fun and VJs on her blog. We're featured on Tar Paper Stars. Yay!

Shiloe is a project manager for a construction company in Oakland, California and she also writes a blog about renovating older homes.  I was avidly following the progress of an English Tudor style home and a Little Blue Cottage, which Shiloe was managing.

Amazing transformations and very interesting for those living through renovation work. Check out Shiloe's site here.

Thanks again Shiloe!!

Planting Lilly Pillies

Bright and early on Saturday morning (6am), I went to the Rocklea Saturday Fresh Markets. My mission was to pick up lilly pilly plants for our side yard to make a hedge and to pick up a bag of croissants for breakfast.

Mission successfully completed!

I bought 15 Syzygium Aussie Southern lilly pilly plants which are a glossy leaf native. They grow to about three to four metres high and produce fluffy flowers which attract nectar eating birds. They also produce little berries which are apparently edible for those who have 'bush tucker' tendencies.

We already had lilly pillies growing on our back fence line when we moved here last year, so we thought it best to stick with the native theme. They are quite attractive too.

Young Aussie Southern Lilly pilly plants

Jason and sons working hard

Lilly pilly hedge...one day...

We have to make sure that they get a good drink everyday while they are establishing in their new home. Thankfully, we have a full rainwater tank to assist with this task. 

I applied a soil wetting agent to the soil because I had a bottle of the stuff lying around in the shed. This week, I'll be laying down sugar cane mulch to stop the weeds and improve water retention in the soil. 

I'm very conscious of their need for water in our drought-prone climate. Grow my little pretties, grow! Cross your fingers and toes that they do well for us.

Home advice for Bob

Australian politics is in limbo after last weekend's election. The fate of the nation rests on the decision of four independents and a Green and whether they will support either a Labor or Coalition minority government.

It has been said a thousand times before, but let me repeat it here, there have never been more interesting times in federal politics!

Dear old Bob Katter, the federal member for the Queensland seat of Kennedy, Australia's third largest electorate, is one of those independents. This seat represents most of rural Queensland in the north.

Bob is a potential king or queen maker and any other adjective, depending on your personal assessment of him. A very subjective description, I would add.

Anyway, what kind of home does Bob live in? I saw a photograph of Bob's Charters Towers home in Tuesday's Courier Mail and I was utterly fascinated with his decorating style.

Bob Katter at home image from here 

It is by no means a grand home as the walls and ceilings are fibro, but it is still very elegant at first glance.

Look at the lovely silvery grey formal sofa. It has a superior shape and the colour is so now. I would probably suggest some Orla Kiely cushions with a hint of pink and blue. A bright pop of colour against a neutral palette. They'll look stunning.

(Bob, if you're reading this, you should not throw your legs over the arms like that, if you want the chair to remain in tip top condition.)

Bob also has an eye for classic Queen Anne style furniture. Very tasteful. And I'm glad he was not tempted to spray paint them white, as is so fashionable now. The timber seems to be very good quality.

I would mix up the items in the crystal cabinet. Mid-century modern glassware from Iittala would look fabulous with the silverware in this traditional cabinet. My advice is that less is more - a few accent pieces only.

Portraits of one's political heroes (Red Ted), in the home, seem a bit stuffy. Bob, again if you're reading this, you  need to email me and I'll send you the name of a few indigenous artists. Their modern aboriginal paintings are highly sought after. It will totally transform the tone of this space and you'll be seen to support a chunk of your electorate too. Win, Win.

The chandy above the dining table gets the big thumbs up. Perfect, Bob. I do need to warn you though, my thrifty shabby chic readers will be harassing you about where you found that delicious piece of bling!

There are two words you need to absorb. Feature wall. That back wall is screaming for colour. A four litre tin of dulux warm grey. You won't regret it.

Sadly Bob, it appears your wife, Susie, lost the argument about how to display your weapons...

Yes, yes, I know you must decorate and surround yourself with the things you love. That's what the decor lifestyle blogs have us believe...However, I suggest you rethink this particular look - a different paradigm is needed. The bayonets and Enfield rifles should really go in your study. Preferably, in a locked cabinet.

Your next lot of dinner guests, Tony and Julia, will thank me for this advice.

p.s Bob, I could do with a few more followers. Julia let me down after all my good advice a few months ago. The subscribe button is on the right. xx

Designer wastepaper bin

We have unattractive wastepaper bins - cheap and nasty looking. Our lives would be better if we upgraded.

Our rubbish deserves better.

And here are two bins which tickled my fancy:

image from here

The above image is the Bin Bin made by Essey and manufactured in Germany. Designed by John Brauer, this bin is meant to look like its contents, crushed paper. It retails from about $40 to $70 in Australia. Snazzy!

Image from here

The above bin just delighted me. It is from the Classique Collection line which won an Australian International Design Award in 2003 (it's even in the Powerhouse Museum Collection). 

The bin is designed by Design+Industry Pty Ltd and manufactured by Snaith Industries - Australian made and designed. It was made to successfully compete in the mass consumer market against cheap imported household products. The collection also produces a storage container, laundry hamper and laundry basket. You can read all about the virtues of these products here.

The wastepaper bin costs around $10 or less and is available at Target, BigW and Woolworths. You may well own a designer bin and not even know about it.  

That's truly good design within reach.