Before and After
There’s no rhyme or reason as to what comes next in the living room transformation. Once I chose and then painted the walls, I had a plan to transform some furnishings in the room. One of these was this side chair. Initially I was going to create a slipcover then I decided to recover this side chair with this fabric instead.
Before
We found this side chair at an Estate sale of a former, local doctor’s home. It actually went along with the desk that is in the living room. There’s nothing spectacular about the chair – just lovely lines and it is sturdy. It is typical of chairs you may see at a doctor’s office.
Before Detail
There were a lot of nail heads trimming the arms and front of the chair; over 150. I initially thought I’d reuse them, but whoever put them there intended for them to stay. This part took the longest and was hard – hard on my hands. I may be able to use some of the nail heads for another project. Once these were removed, I began by laying out the fabric.
Painting the Chair
I wanted the arms and the legs of the chair to compliment the fabric. I chose to use the sample paint I’d had for the walls – the base color of the arms and legs was Valspar’s Mushroom; I applied two coats. I then dry-brushed Amy Howard’s At Home One Step Paint in Chelsea Square. I decided to give it a light patina by adding only the clear antiquing wax. I really liked the outcome and will use this method on the ottoman.
I began by recovering the seat of the chair lining the fabric with the pattern. What became a challenge was the curves of the chair’s padding and getting the fabric smooth. I did pretty well in the front and in the sides there’s a little gather in the back.
The Piping
I removed the piping along the chair’s legs and hand-sewed the fabric. I then replaced the piping and created more for along the front and back of the arms of the chair to give it a more finished look.
The Refinished Chair
I really like this fabric, the paint and the whole new look to this chair. It is now special and unique – now it is one of those basic chairs that can be made to stand out in a room’s decor.
