Published: September 9, 2011, By Abbe Fenimore

Before & After {Chair Update}

Over the holiday weekend my mom and I tackled a mini re-upholstery update on a few fabulous chairs. The yellow channel back chairs were pieces that I snagged from Dwell With Dignity’s warehouse. I plan to use them in my vignette for the launch of Dwell With Dignity’s latest venture, Thrift Studio.

The day we had our “walk through” in the warehouse I was instantly drawn to these chairs.  The classic lines and channel back make them the perfect candidates for an update.  They had a 12″ skirt on them that was tattered and stained and one of the chairs was missing a leg.  The wood trim was scratched and worn, I had big plans but that didn’t include re-upholstering the entire chair. I knew we could update the pieces easily  by using the extra fabric from the skirt. Here is the before picture, a little tough to see because the warehouse was so tight.

STEP ONE:  We removed the damaged skirt and were surprised to find the missing leg hiding out inside one of the skirt panels, score! The ruching along the top of the skirt would be used to create a more modern looking panel along the bottom of the chair…nothing a little starch and a hot iron couldn’t fix.  Once we removed the skirt and it’s 50 million staples, we were able to see the gorgeous legs.

STEP TWO: Painting the legs. I am in love with Rust-Oleum’s high gloss enamel paint!  Once we cleaned the legs off with a brush cleaner, the enamel paint was ready to apply.  A little TIP, use a foam brush to apply the paint. It does not leave brush strokes and makes it easier to get into the small carvings of the leg.  Let it dry for 10-12 hours and the result is a high gloss black finish that looks like a million bucks!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

LAST STEP:  I purchased a simple black braided upholstery trim to add that little something extra to the chairs. I wanted them to look tailored and more modern and this trim is the most affordable way to do that.

The entire project took about 48 hours to complete with paint and multiple trips to the hardware store. We spent $35 dollars on supplies and were able to update the chairs with a high end look.  I can not wait to put them in the vignette,  keep your fingers crossed that they bring big bucks for Dwell With Dignity.  Here is a peek at the overall design scheme for my vignette. I promise to share more pictures once the space installs in a few weeks.  Glossy black walls with white and yellow accents is the plan, I’m calling it re-furbished chic! For now, I’m still trying to get my vendors to donate a few more pieces and a new upholstery job on the other chair I snagged, it’s going to be fabulous!