wanted.

Wanted: Recovered Chairs

What did you think of yesterday's fancy redo? I hope you liked it, because I'm back with more. Chelsea found these great modern chairs on Craigslist and worked her way down to the bargain basement price of $25. What a steal! They were such a great deal, in part, because they were covered in an awesomely nasty green vinyl. Eww. Enter my very first upholstery project.



Sure, I've covered a dining chair seat or two, but never anything with arms. Or a back. Yikes! Luckily, the chairs were ideal for a first-timer like me. Each piece (the sides, back, and seat) was covered individually and then assembled after the fact. I spent a little time taking the chairs apart, and then using a seam ripper to salvage the shape of each piece of fabric. Then, I used those pieces as a template for our new fabric.




Speaking of new fabric...we hit the fabric jackpot! We went in looking for something like this with an edgy/bold floral, and expecting to spend between $12 and $15 per yard. Imagine our disappointment when nothing seemed to fit the bill. Then, like a bright star on a stormy night, it called to us. Well, Chelsea really. She found our classic Greek key fabric on the clearance table for $6 a yard! And there was enough to cover both chairs, make a few pillows, add a hem to our closet curtain and leave a little room for error.



I won't give you a play by play of the upholstery process, mostly because I just figured it out as I went. Suffice it to say, it's just about as hard as you'd think it is and is a tricky business with some shocking secrets (it has to be when you are supposed to hide the 700+ staples it takes to get everything taut). I got callouses. It took 14 hours.



But it was worth it, don't you think?

images: Megean

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