I have always loved the shape of balloon back chairs. Very Frenchy. My parents had a pair in our foyer when I was in high school and they were always some of my favorite pieces of furniture in our house.
During one of my many treasure hunts in my grandparent's attic, I was thrilled to find the two chairs that matched the ones my parents had in our foyer. It was pretty clear why these two had been left to the heat and bugs. The backs were broken, they were a little rickety, and the fabric...
...well, let's just say this old girl had seen better days.
So, I glued the backs together and really didn't mind the fact that chunks were missing. These chairs are well over a hundred years old and still maintain their original horse hair stuffing, so imperfections are expected and okay. I pulled off the old trim and shredded fabric, leaving the muslin cover.
I started out using my staple gun to attach new fabric, but I ran out of staples. I am not a girl who likes to start a project and leave it unfinished. So, I did what any impatient decorator would do...I dug the old upholstery tacks out of the trash and used a hammer to pound them in. They were at the bottom of my kitchen trash, so this was true determination.
I then hot glued a coordinating trim around the edges to hide the staples and tacks.
These chairs are going to flank my husband's highboy dresser in our bedroom, so they won't be sat in regularly. They'll act as a spot for cast-off clothes and a place to put on shoes.
Once I finished, I realized the diamond pattern is ever so slightly askew. Darn it. Oh well. I still need to refurbish the wood a little bit, but I am really happy with how it turned out, despite my imperfect upholstery job. I need to buy more trim before I can do the other chair.
This is the new home for the chair, next to hubby's dresser.
You can see how well it works with our bedding and canopy. I started my master bedroom makeover several months ago and it stalled. I still have bare nails, a door leaning up against a wall and stacks of pictures and plates. I am now ready to get to work on it again to get it as finished as I can until I find some pieces I need.
As a reminder, Furniture Feature Friday is open until midnight EST tonight and don't forget to enter my Frog Tape Giveaway.
