Thursday, March 3, 2011

At Home Thursday: The Chair, Part 1

I would like to introduce you to my next really scary project. The occasional chair. This is a chair that I bought second hand in a thrift store in Carthage MO for less than 40 dollars and let me tell you, it looked better then than it does now after 5 years in this house.

I originally bought the chair for the master bedroom, but because we needed more seating in the living room, out it came...soon after the discovery of it's comfort, Keegan took it over and it became "his chair" Now, between food stains, candy wrappers, drink spills, dog hair, just plain and disgusting boy things, I am going to have to step in and try to reupholster this poor thing.


The fabric on the arms are thread bare and stained, I just have to try, it 's my duty!

Does this look scary challenging or what! Tufting? Really? I have been watching DIY vids on you tube, I am definitely going to have to get some supplies.


What I know so far is that I want to paint the wood white and then there is the question of fabric choices. I haven't found the perfect candidate yet, but I've been ordering fabric swatches online, I'm waiting for a few more, but these are the choices so far...just remember that the wood is going white.
So far, I've only chosen solids, I'm not sure why, I guess in keeping with the style of the chair. After all you can't really tuft just any fabric. I thought that the chocolate chenille (top right) was going to be the winner, but then I thought of green...as you can see, it's going to be a bit of a process selecting fabric, but it's a fun process! I am waiting on a couple more fabrics and doing some shopping, so here's hoping to a timely decision!
Close ups of the contenders:
Chocolate, Avocado
Both have beautiful texture and the chenille is so soft



Estrella Basil and Portsmouth Basil
I love the woven texture, but look at that velvety softness.....


...decisions, decisions.






10 comments:

  1. Looks like you have a fun project ahead!

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  2. I can't wait to see the reveal !! I love the woven textured sample, too. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be beautiful. Good luck!

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  3. I guess my ?? would be, is your son still going to be using the chair? LOL!
    That would definitely impact MY decision, but it's a great looking chair and I can't wait to see what you do with it...:)
    P.S. You're a braver woman than I, I can't imagine reupholstering anything.

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  4. Hi Michelle

    Can't wait to see the end result! Do you plan on spraypainting or hand-painting the wood to white?

    Beatriz

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  5. Gail,
    Keegan and I have come to an understanding...;)The beagle will be a different story.

    Beatriz, I plan on spray priming and spray painting all the way! It's warming up nicely around here, spray painting season!

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  6. I reupholstered a chair that had a tufted back once and believe it or not, I used a glue gun for the back
    I would squeeze some glue on the existing button, lay my new fabric on and mash it on and kind of tuck it under the button a little with my fingernail.
    It turned out soooo great! It looked like I had placed new fabric covered buttons on it. Wish I had a pic for you...good luck!

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  7. Hi Michelle

    You are one brave lady and can't wait to see how you do it and how it looks when you are done. The fabrics are beautiful too, love the green. Have a great Friday!

    Andrea

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  8. I give you full credit for taking this one on :) Upholstering is not that hard (you know what you are in for if you have been watching people do it on TV)... My only advice is to go slowly and don't try to rush through the end when you hit that part where you just want it done. You will be so proud of yourself :)

    I like the twill type fabric, but you might want to consider a microfibre. It is BRILLIANT for upholstery because they stand up to anything (pet hair included) and they are super easy to clean. I actually have seen batches of it on ebay crazy cheap, but then you have to wait for the shipping. And it is really soft, like the velvety one... not as plush as chenille, but similar. I love that you are choosing a kazillion button chair instead of one with one or two for your first :)... it will be GORGEOUS when it's done! Can't wait to see :)

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  9. Ooohhh LALA! I can't wait to see the reveal!

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  10. Well that chair was well used is all I can say! At least you thought of not using a pattern because of the tufting BEFORE you bought it. I always seem to miss that step. Good luck with it, I can't wait to see how it turns out.

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Thank You for taking the time to comment! Because of the insane amount of spam comments, I had to stop anonymous comments-sorry for the inconvenience.
Michelle