I bought this pair of French chairs at an auction almost a year ago. I had fallen in love with them and they had to be mine. I was willing to pay about $100 for the pair, but ended up walking away with them for $20.
Of course, they were orange. I guess other people just couldn't see beyond that.
I originally made slipcovers for them, but they looked so sloppy after someone sat on them. After slipcovering my sofa in the living room this week, I had a "bee in my bonnet" to do something with these chairs. So, I browsed through my upholstery books, took a deep breath, and started ripping away the orange fabric. I didn't want to take this chair totally down to the frame, so I worked section by section to make sure I didn't get overwhelmed.
I bet most of you can guess what the chair is covered in - a painter's drop cloth that was bleached. I can't believe how much it looks like an old grain sack. It has this wonderful nubby texture that plays nicely against the warm wood. It keeps these chairs from looking too stiff and formal.
I am really proud of my double welting cord, which was also a first for me.
I painted stripes down the center of the chair to further hint at an old grain sack.
I even made a pillow to match my curtains. Did I mention I was up until midnight?
It looks so much better and "cleaner" now that it's been reupholstered. It's not perfect, but I knew these would be my "learning chairs" and I learned a lot on the first one already. For my first time, I think I did a pretty darn good job (if I don't say so myself.)
Come back Thursday night through Friday night to share your most recent furniture finds and makeovers at my Furniture Feature Friday link party.
Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the crochet camera bag. It runs through Saturday.
I'm sharing this at JAG's Show & Share Party and CSI's Fabric Week.
