I’ve been working a lot on the pieces of furniture that I recently brought home, and it seems that everything is taking so much longer than anticipated. The weather is not helping either, but I will not complain for the rain that is much needed in California! I can’t wait to be done with sanding and painting as this home of ours needs to get ready for Christmas. So, when something as easy as the remake of this little armchair comes along, I get a wide, satisfied smile!
I was so sure that I had taken some “before” photos, but I can find only a couple from the day I brought this armchair home from the thrift store, so there is not much to share from the before stage.
Its overall condition was good. The chair was very sturdy, very well made and only a few scratches on the legs and the arms testimony to the fact that it was loved in the past, but not anymore. That was the only part that had to be taken care of, along with reupholstering, of course. Because I had paid only $10 to buy the chair, I had big plans for the fabric. I was ready to splurge into something I would love, something that would transform it into a very special chair for the formal living room.
But I got lucky again. I found a $10 remnant at Calico Corners that I liked a lot, it’s the Ophelia Iris Blue, not particularly suitable for upholstery as it’s linen, but for the price, I thought it could work, at least for a while. It actually looks like a woven fabric, but it is printed.
It reminded me one of my favorite fabrics, the oversized joyous floral pattern on the settees in Carrie Bradshaw’s – the movie – apartment that I still love after so many years. The most obvious difference is in the color, mine has more blue and green hues, and no red and purple.
photo found here
To reupholster this cushion correctly, I had to remove the existing embroidered fabric, inspect the cushion’s condition and replace the old fabric with the new one. But I decided to to go the short route and I just stapled my new fabric on top of the old one. The one thing I thought was worth doing was to add a layer of batting under the new fabric to make the sitting softer since the original tapestry fabric and the embroidery was a little rough.
The cushion went back in place easily.
There were a few scratches and some wood discoloration along the legs, the arms and the face of the chair.
I applied a coat or two of stain directly on the scratches and that covered everything.
There are so many details that I like about this chair. First, its wide seat – considerably wider than a typical chair. I also like the curved arms, the cane back, the Louis XVI detail on the legs and now the fabric.
It literally took a few minutes to staple the fabric and a few more to apply the stain, which I let dry overnight.
The floral pattern adds just a little color into the living room, where neutrals are dominating.
p.s. I promised to give updates regularly on the rug: after one year, it is still beautiful! Check out how I made it, here.
What a beautiful fabric you picked Angelica! I love the easy blue that looks like the Greek sea. You really reknewed the wood with the stain as well. A very sophisticated chair!