Wednesday, January 19, 2011

From :"Not So Pretty" to "Really Pretty"

What is that mess on the floor?


Well, you might remember these bargain chairs
(two of them) we bought for $11 each.


This is a pic before it was completely
ripped apart to begin the transformation.
He has recovered simple chairs before
but this was a bit more difficult.
We are a Do-It-Yourself" couple.
Saves $$$ and we must admit -
we just like a project.


But, as we tore each part of the upholstery
off the wooden frame, we made a picture
so we could remember how to put it back together.


Pink and Green
I still like this color combination - but
for a little girl's room - and not on these chairs.


Excuse me, I forgot to rotate this one,
but you can see the back of the chair in its
pinky state.


Although the wood wasn't too bad, it did
have several scratches and areas
where the finish was worn.


At one time in this chair's life,
it had been covered with burgandy.
(Had that at color in my house once, too.)


Details of the pretty leg after
hubby got hold of it with the sander.


It took lots of sanding. 
His paint stripper doesn't work when it's cold. 
And, cold it is and getting colder.
B-r-r-r


A trip in search of just the right fabric
and I found these options. 
I really like the wide stripe fabric with
the print,
but the small stripe was heavier and
doesn't wrinkle.
Sweet friends helped me decide.
Yeah for friends and advice!!!


Our "upholstery shop" sewing room.
What a mess!


My sweet husband did all the refinishing,
fitting, stapling and gluing to get
to this state.


I did the cutting out -
using the old pieces as patterns,
which we marked as we took them off the chair.


And, I made the cushion -
which was a bit more challenging than I anticipated.
I wanted the contrast and fell in love
 with this chenille-feeling floral to go with the stripe.


Here she is all spiffy and sittin' pretty.
(My sweet daughter told me to redo the chairs in a
natural linen.  I looked and couldn't find the right neutral, and you know what - that just
seemed boring to me.)  She's got a wonderful eye for decorating and I might be sorry I didn't follow her advise.  (Sorry sweet daughter.) 
Her reasoning was that I
could use these chairs anywhere in my house.
TRUE, but
I have reds and golds throughout and I
don't see myself changing my color theme
anytime soon - unless we win the lottery or
the Reader's Digest guy shows up at my door
with a big check for me.  And, if that happens,
I will just be like some of you fellow bloggers
and give these chairs away.

Now, I've cleaned the "upholstery shop"
sewing room and we've (he has)
stripped the other chair - it sits
naked in the garage waiting for
the sanding,
staining
and finishing coats.

Then, they will both have a new home in
my home somewhere - now, I've just gotta
decide exactly where that is going to be.

I'm linking to A La Carte:  Junkin Finds

Southern in My Heart Inspiration Friday

My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

22 comments:

  1. BEAUTIFUL chair I found you from Elements and Interiors come visit me if you get a chance Im your newest follower.


    http://noplacelikehomecraftsdecorbyallyson.blogspot.com/


    ~Allyson~

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  2. Beautiful chair redo. We have a couple I'd like to makeover. Thanks so much for showing the start to finish before and after.

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  3. It's beautiful~ I love how it came out! Red floral and stripes together are just fantastic- you did a great job! Stopping by from Kim's party today :)

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  4. These chairs are gorgeous and I love the new upholstery! Great job! Thanks for joining JFF!!

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  5. So pretty and I love the contrasting fabrics. What a great upholstery job too!!

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

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  6. Gorgeous redo of that chair! I know where it would go perfectly...in my house! :-) I would love it if you would share this at the Inspiration Friday party I host!
    Vanessa

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  7. You two did a great job!! I think you shoud use what you love *winks* Maybe on your next set you can use the linen your DD suggested? Now I'm your newest follower *winks* Vanna

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  8. Beautiful transformation! What a great idea to take pics along the way.

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  9. You did a great job and are very skilled! I wish I had your know-how!

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  10. Great job! I would love to be brave enough to try this. Maybe one day...

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  11. Sooo pretty! Y'all did a great job!

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  12. I love what you guys did. I wish I had the guts to try this. I would love to use contrasting fabric like you did. You really did a wonderful job. Have a great weekend.
    Careyann

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  13. What a major improvement! You did a fabulous job!

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  14. Hi Martha! Just coming back over to say thanks so much for linking this up to Inspiration Friday!
    Vanessa

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  15. Martha, I found your blog from Savy Southern Style. When I got here, I was pleasantly surprised--I have some of the same dishes pictured in your header! I bought some (6 luncheon plates and one platter) at Home Sense (Cdn. version of Home Goods) a year ago and haven't been able to find any since. Where did you get yours? Also, when I looked closer at your chair posting and the fabric close-ups, I see that the striped fabric you used is the exact same fabric I used to cover two antique chairs! That caused me to read all your postings to date to see what else we have in common! Lol! I don't have my own blog but I will follow yours! -Bonny

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  16. Bonnie, I found the dishes at Dillards when they had their New Year's Day Sale. They were marked down and an additional 50% off. Now how is that for a bargain?

    Thanks for following along - especially since it seems we have some of the same tastes.

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  17. Thanks Vanessa,

    I'm learning - making mistakes along the way. I tried to change my picture today and totally messed up my blog. I'll eventually get it fixed, I hope.

    Anyway, thanks for stopping by and for hosting Inspiration Friday!

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  18. Thanks for the sweet comments on our bargain chair redo. It was quite a project we tackled, but we are pleased with the results. Hubby sanded and has stained the matching chair. It will get the poly tomorrow and recovering will begin next week. I can't wait until they are both complete and I can figure out where and how I want to use them. I'll post the twin when it is "born".

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  19. Wow-what a great job you and your hubby did on this chair-love the coordinating fabrics-found you on a blog hop-come visit sometime!!-Claire

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  20. Hi there~ Just stopping back by to say thank you for sharing this at Feathered Nest Friday!! :)

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  21. Hi there
    Great job. That is a great colour and I love stripes. That would go beautifully in my place too. Great project
    Judi

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