Sunday 6 February 2011

Chair Makeover :)

Hi everyone!

A while ago, I was walking my dog Lucy, and I noticed two quite beat-up Lloyd Loom-esque chairs seemingly put out for rubbish in a garden.

(the seats came with them!)

Now, being me, I thought 'well, you never know unless you ask'  so I went up and knocked on the door, and politely asked the lady who answered if the chairs were for rubbish, and if she minded if I took them.
The lady said they had been there for awhile, and seemed delighted to be rid of them and she actually thanked me for taking them away!
Although the chairs looked a little beat up and scuffed, I realised that with a little TLC, they could be made to look fabulous again.
So this weekend, my little sister Kaila and I, decided to paint and re-upholster one of the chairs, for her pink-themed bedroom. This is the chair we picked:


We cleaned the chair down using warm soapy water (and a drop of disinfectant as it had been outside), and sanded it down getting rid of the all the rough edges.


We had already picked a pretty pink fabric, which was quite thick and hardwaring, similar to a corderoy type material (Lucy seemed to approve of our choice!) which was £1.50 a metre from Leeds Market, and we chose a matte white spray paint (as its really easy to get into the grooves)


First I spray-painted the chair (ensuring that this is done outside, and a mask is worn at all times) making sure that the paint was sprayed evenly. I then left it to dry overnight. (spray paint around £4.50 a can from DIY/hardware shops)


As the seat was sound, we decided to recover directly over the existing fabric, (which was actually quite pretty, so we could always remove the new covering if we decided to have a change and show off the original fabric at some point)
We layed the seat down over the pink fabric and used it as a template for size. I then cut it out and stapled the fabric to the seat using a staple gun (£4.99 from Poundstretchers) ensuring the fabric is the right way (if patterned) and is pulled taut with each staple put in.



Before putting the seat on, ensure that the chair is dry, and there are no sharp bits poking out anywhere that can snag the fabric. We added a envelope cushion in matching material as there was loads left (tutorial on the cushion to follow if anyone is interested?) and a teddy, then it was done! Here is the finished chair:


As I already had the staple gun, and the chair was free, this project only cost around £6, (and there is still lots of fabric left!) which I think is very cheap for a pretty piece of bedroom furniture for my lil' sis!

What do you think I should do with the second chair? Any idea's?

P.S - check out secretsofawannabediva.blogspot.com/ for an amazing MAC and Soap & Glory giveaway!

16 comments:

  1. That looks so beautiful!
    I'm so un-creative :( I wish I was more creative!
    Your dog is so cute :)xx

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  2. That looks so pretty! Your very talented :)

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  3. Wow . . . you did such a great job! That chair is super cute :D

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  4. This is completely a project after my own heart! It really does show that a little bit of thought can go into completely transforming an otherwise old and unloved piece of furniture. I love the fabric choice and the cushion is just lovely too.
    My I am so inspired :) xx

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  5. Thanks guys :)

    Alice, it was actually YOUR chair project that opened my eyes to see how pretty much everything could be transformed!

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  6. Amazing, well done. It looks like a totally new chair. x

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  7. It looks lovely! I'd fail at doing that... :)

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  8. Really enjoyed looking through your blog, think the homemade beauty preparations are a brilliant idea Linda:)

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  9. The chair looks fab Sam - we have a couple of these type of chairs, I think they are stored under the house and I won't let my mum get rid of them as if I ever move out I will want them!!!!

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  10. What a fabulous transformation Samatha. The chair looks so fab and that's a lovely cushion. I'm sure you'll do just as great a job with the other one. x

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  11. I am seriously impressed, fantastic job!! A mint green patterned materials would be great for the other chair - although I guess you could paint it to go with any colour scheme right?

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  12. The chair looks fab, just shows if you take the plunge it can be done :) x

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  13. A stunning makeover, Samantha. Loving the cushion as well. A tutorial would be great.

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  14. A striking addition that will definitely spark discussion is a lamp like the Chinese Vase earthenware Lamp. A white ceramic lamp hand painted in black offers a striking contrast. This stylish, contemporary piece could easily serve on a night stand, on a coffee table in the living room or on a side table in the foyer.so the in this occion
    bird cage lights is the best light.

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  15. Just building up my nerve to try and fix up my lloyd loom which I have been putting off for ages out of fear! Your blog has inspired me to give it a go no panic!

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comments make me happy :)