LINEN CHAIR MAKEOVER

Last year I found this chair at a local thrift shop. I could tell it had classic lines and it could turn into something special. I remembered a chair that I saw in a New York showroom, and after doing a little digging I found the image below. I used this chair as my inspiration.

This was my inspiration chair

Before

The original condition of the chair wasn't bad- excuse the bad phone snapshot, I almost always forget to take a before photo- its springs and joints were all okay. I lightly sanded the wooden parts and painted those first with a primer, then once coat of white latex paint was all I needed to update the wood.

Now the hard part- - re-upholstery. I didn't remove the original fabric because I didn't want to have to deal with the insulation-like padding that can be put into old chairs. Instead, I carefully measured and cut each piece and started on the back of the chair.

Using a combination of strategic folding and staples I secured the back piece, then the two side pieces. I used nail heads to secure the fabric wherever it met the wood. Then I secured the front of the chair the same way, stapling along the roll that is at the back of the chair I was able to hide all staples. Finally I tucked the fabric for the seat in and stapled it underneath the chair. (The piece of wood along the front of the seat unscrewed so I removed it until the fabric was stapled around the bottom).

After

Breakdown of supplies: I used linen to reupholster the body of the chair $2.14 a yard, I also used a staple gun, some nickel nail heads, and leftover paint from another home project.