reader request - leather arm chairs

i like reader requests. i like a task. 

so when i was asked to do a post on leather arm chairs and where to find good ones i set out to find them. 

i also like leather arm chairs and think 2 things about them in general.

they are:

1. most of them are hideous. even the vintage ones. but especially contemporary ones. 

2. if you want ones that will last and last and last you're going to pay at least 1000 per chair. probably more. 

 

now reader alex was specifically into these from my friday post mentioning the glen wilde...

 

i'm not 100% sure these chairs are vintage but based on the mustache style (that's the top part that looks like the shape of a mustache) i'm going to assume that they are. and they were probably scored somewhere locally. like tucked away in someone's basement. because vintage leather mustache chairs are expensive. and what kind of crazy person puts 20k leather armchairs in a vacation rental? the other option is there is a really great source for reasonably priced leather armchairs that look vintage french.

and if you know about this source...please tell us all. 

 

so i took a peek around and found some affordable options. well, i suppose affordable is relative. but given my own personal opinion on leather armchairs - if you want something that's going to last you're probably going to spend a few thousand dollars on 2 chairs. they are leather after all. and no one wants to sit on hard leather. so i say splurge. you'll have them forever and the soft leather will just get softer. if you can't afford a few thousand dollars on chairs you need to buy something vintage, built like a tank, in the shape of the leather armchair of your dreams and save up to reupholster it in a soft buttery leather. there are plenty of sources for leather upholstery out there. anyway...here's what i came up with:

 

1. french vintage mustache style leather club chairs - these are my favorite of the bunch. they look comfy as all get out and i like the velvet seat. also the price seems right. though i'd offer less. 

2. moustache style vintage chairs - these are pretty spectacular but priced around 10k. bye me. 

3. leather club chairs c. 1980's - i could get behind these in the right space. price is great. 

4. vintage brown leather club chairs - these seem to blur the line between vintage and contemporary. like you could tell me they were old or new and i'd nod. either way, nice looking soft leather. 

5. saddle brown leather club chairs - these are new-ish i think. but they do have a strong art deco vibe which i like. good size. best price of the bunch. 

 

now i did manage to find some big box store options...west elm, crate and barrel and restoration hardware...

the thing of it is these chairs are not cheaper by any stretch. but if you prefer new to old these are my favorites. 

1. crate and barrel eiffel french leather club chair - this is kind of a terrible picture, the color of the leather looks turd-ish. but there are options. i'm thinking it looks better in person. 

2. restoration hardware parisian leather chair - on sale! 

3. west elm sedgwick leather recliner - also on sale. many leather options. including a sexy green. but for our purposes here i'd go with the molasses. (cognac is pictured)

 

there you have it.

if you have a request email me. i'd love to do this on the reg. if i can. 

 

eat happy giveaway!

do you have a friend that wrote a cookbook?

HA! i do!

her name is anna vocino and the book is called eat happy.

it's a cookbook that is full of A+ recipes. recipes that you make over and over, that are easy and completely fool proof. but that are also gluten free, grain free and low carb, but don't taste like air or cardboard. the reason is is because she isn't trying to replace the grain with another grain. get woke!

i have been mostly gluten free for years. this is because i am sensitive to gluten. some days i eat it and you better batten down the toilet. other days not so much as a rumbling. maybe it's the way it's processed maybe it's the way it's heated maybe it's maybelline. i don't know. 

but i try to avoid it. anna on the other hand is celiac. should she eat gluten it's far more serious. a few years ago i came across a video of charlize theron talking smack about how "gluten free is bullshit". 

i was so mad because it was such an ignorant uninformed statement that i wrote a blog post about it and anna added her own open letter to charlize in the post. you can read it here and i advise you to because you will really get a MASSIVE education. 

 

so back to the book...

 

the book in a nutshell:

"Eat Happy has 154 delicious grain-free, gluten-free recipes that are also free of any processed sugars. There are meats, fish, sides, soups, starters, casseroles, slow cooker recipes, breakfast dishes, and even desserts to satisfy any sweets craving you might have, all with virtually no sugar.

If you are low carb, paleo, are wanting to keep autoimmune issues at bay, or just want to lose extra weight, Eat Happy gives you comfort food where you won’t miss the sugars or grains so your body and brain can feel happy from eating real foods."

 

here are a few of our favorites..

 

torri's "fried" chicken legs

these are made with almond meal and are delicious. i sprinkle on hot sauce at the end. you should too. also...i had no idea non stick aluminum foil existed but you will need it. 

 

paleo pumpkin pie

this pie is the only pumpkin pie i make. you will never use a grain based crust again. and you won't miss it either. 

 

beef and portobello stew

cauliflower tots

surprisingly regular tot-like. 

 

slow cooker short ribs

there are quite a few slow cooker recipes or slow cooker option recipes. i know how much bitches love their slow cookers. anna says this is the only slow cooker you'll ever need. (which is actually a pressure cooker that you can use as a slow cooker.)

 

pittsburgh turkey chili

i make this all the time. it's so good. and the leftovers even better. 

 

roasted lentil and cauliflower soup

i can't wait for it to turn a bit colder and to make this. doesn't it look yummy?

 

quesadilla casserole

anna says she makes this once a week in her house and has done so for over a decade. 

it's loaded with veggies and ground turkey. 

 

just about every single recipe in the book looks like it shouldn't be good for you. but they are. 

you need this cookbook if a. you like to cook healthy food for you and your family. b. need a cookbook where the recipes are mostly short on ingredients. (almost all of the recipes can be executed on weekdays or there are some recipes that anna calls "weekend recipes" bc they take a little extra effort.)  c. if you are autoimmune and need to avoid gluten or just want to lose weight and/or eat healthier. d. you want to try a book with classic recipes made without sugars and grains and processed ingredients. e. all of the above. 

anna has graciously offered up 2 copies of eat happy for you readers of mfamb!

so here's what you need to do to win:

leave a comment here. 

follow me on instagram. 

follow the eat happy cookbook on instagram. 

and follow anna on instagram.

i will be announcing the 2 winners on friday! 

if you're ready to buy it, you can do that too. here you go. 

 

zooey deschanel is also a fan...

just sayin. 

 

i'm super proud of you anna! 

 

ok then friends. win dis book. 

 

**contest is currently closed. 

 

mini kitchen makeover

the other day i decided i wanted to clean out the lower half of my kitchen cabinets. 

the whole deal. ya know? take everything out, assess what you use or haven't ever used or haven't used in years and then process that item accordingly. but then also get out the dawn dish soap/vinegar combo and scrub the everything? this was such a satisfying endeavor that i continued to do the drawers as well. next will be the upper cabinets which are, arguably, the worst. and no, i am not doing this all in one day. or even 2. more like a cabinet a day. 2 drawers a day. that kind of thing. it's working for me. i find that if i do 2 drawers or a few cabinets a day that i clean them more thoroughly than if i had tried to get it all done in one day. i mean i scrub till the old paint comes off.

but all this purging and cleaning has me wanting a little kitchen re-fresh. 

look this is not my dream kitchen because i can't rip it out and start over. which, if i bought this house i would do. so instead i have to find little pick me ups, like a shiny new faucet, toaster, paint and towels, etc. 

it got me looking into budget/mini kitchen makeovers. 

you know the ones...the owner or renter worked with the existing cabinets and layout and maybe replaced the countertops or backsplash...or maybe painted over them? yeah those.

those are my favorite anyway. 

 

like from this....

to this...

 

or this...

to this...

 

so i've been thinking about painting my cabinets which are a hideous yellow cream. the walls are an awesome green i had mixed at benjamin moore to copy ben pentreath's london kitchen. and the dining room just off the kitchen is farrow and ball's teresa's green. so i kind of want to stay in that green/blue family for the cabinets. just brighter. because why not? 

 a few simple fixes like a new pendant, faucet and accessories and i'd be pretty happy.