Remember these Louis XVI style square back
chairs I snagged from Craigslist for only $125 for all four?
They have slowly but surely been receiving updates on a weekly basis and they are finally complete! They went from this...
To this...
As soon as we got the chairs home, I started looking for inspiration of what I wanted the chairs to look like in the end. I first turned to some blog queens for their input and the amazing
Emily A. Clark suggested a fresh coat of paint and new upholstery. I completely agreed and took to the web for some inspiration. The entire transformation began with this chair from Ballard Designs...
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| Do you see that price?? $429-581= Crazytown |
In an effort to bring the c-list chairs up to par with the a-list Ballard version, I started with sanding and painting the frames white (I used Valspar's Honeymilk.)
Then it was time to buck up and give upholstering the good ole college try. I decided to use canvas drop clothes because they were the perfect color already and I wouldn't feel awful if the upholstering went terribly bad and had to be ripped apart.
To give them a punch of color, I taped two strips to the back panels and painted them a blue color to match our dinnerware.
Once the chairs were painted and upholstered, they looked a little too new for my liking. So, I mixed a homemade glaze (a combo of mustard, gray, and green paints with water did the trick) and ran a sanding block over the edges to give some age to the chairs.
I absolutely love how they turned out and am proud that I was able to fight my impatient-ness (that is so not a word, but I am going with it) to take my time and do them correctly!
So what do you think, did I take the chairs from the original c-list (craigslist) state to the a-list (Ballard Designs) state?
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| Original |
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| Inspiration |
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| Finished (back) |
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So nice--what a great job!
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOSH! What a fabulous transformation! You did an "A-List" painting and upholstering job on these chairs. I think you got quite a bargain getting 4 of those chairs for $125. I saw your post over at "French Country Cottage" blog party.
ReplyDeleteThey are GORGEOUS! You did a fantastic job on transforming these little chairs into beauties!! Sharing this on FB~thanks for linking up at Feathered Nest Friday! :)
ReplyDeleteYa'll know how to make a girl blush! Thank you so very much for your kind words.
ReplyDelete@misskitty - kniw, I couldn't believe the price! A local women was able to buy 12 of them from an old historic inn nearby who was updating their dining room. She reliezed she didn't have the space for all of them and posted the set of four for 45 bucks a piece. We were able to negotiate the price down and I think it may be my most favorite find yet!
Happy Friday to all
Great job on the chairs, never saw a drop look look so elegant! I'm a big fan of taking something old and giving it a new life.Sure you will enjoy for many years.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I have one chair that is quite similar,and wanting to do the same style re-do. I'm thinking about the drop cloth idea now! Great idea. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a transformation! Love them! I love the aged look in the detail of the chairs. I am your newest follower. Hope you can visit me sometime.
ReplyDeletevery cute! I'm you're newest follower! Have a great day! Kara
ReplyDeleteWow, love them! What did you use to cover the staples? Looks like welting, which is what scares me over the whole reupholstery thing! Thanks for sharing! Liz
ReplyDeleteFabulous! I love the touch of the blue stripes on the back, well done!
ReplyDeleteCathy @ Room Rx
Sharing your project on the blog today. Thanks again :)
ReplyDeleteWOW! I love your chair even better than the inspiration chair. So fresh and a great contrast on modern and vintage.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you buy canvas drop cloths?
ReplyDeleteI love the chairs!
Great Job!!:)
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I'm so inspired!
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm over from Emily Clark's blog. These are wonderful...I'm wondering if you made your own double welting? I have read tutorials on how to do it but frankly I just don't get it. If you have any insights I'd be grateful!
ReplyDeleteWow, fantastic. Congrats.
ReplyDelete@ Designing Domesticity and Ann: I actually used unfinished cord fillers from JoAnn's that you would normally use to fill a double welt. Since I'm not a sewer, I didn't even attempt to make my own and went for a trial and error. All I did was take the cord filler and "wrapped" it around the boarders, hot glueing as I went! I think I will have to redo this over time (hopefully then I will be able to sew!) because the filler may fray.
ReplyDeleteI hope that answers your questions, if not, feel free to shoot me over an email!
Wow these look so great! Good job on your first reupholstering project. I'd love to do this, but am sooo scared! I'm sure I'll give it a try eventually, but will be very nervous... the cord part is the part I'm most apprehensive about too since I don't sew & don't have a sewing machine, using them plain looks like it worked out well for you!
ReplyDeleteSo much better! Loving the french country cottage look it has now. Great job on your first reupholstery project it went well! I don't know why I decided on my first project to go with an armchair with a separate cushion for the back seat.
ReplyDeleteYou really did a fabulous job! So smart looking! I would be delighted for you to link one of your porjects or posts to Potpourri Friday, with link up on Thursday afternoon. Actually one with a giveaway is still in progress. Hope you will check it out!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty!
ReplyDeleteThe chairs turned out beautiful! I love the stripe on the back and the distressing. I think these look even better than the Ballard version. Thanks so much for linking up to Roomspiration!
ReplyDeleteYou had a great vision with these! Reuphosltering isn't easy, but you like a pro! They turned out lovely. :)
ReplyDeletePS I have a $50 cash giveaway going on at my blog till Monday. Come by when you have a chance! :)
amazing transformation! I love them!
ReplyDeleteStopping by again to say I'm delighted you linked this post to Potpourri Friday! I appreciate your participation!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, I love it! thanks for linking up to VIF!
ReplyDeleteLove this post. I am currently looking for a nice fixer upper chair for my living room, seeing your before/after makes me even more excited!
ReplyDelete