upholstery makeovers Archives | Page 4 of 4

upholstery makeovers

Before and Afters

barrel-back chairs

I bought these chairs back in January from an estate furniture shop. I loved the shape and, while the upholstery was done well, the fabric was not my thing. I intended to upholster them myself, but once Ruthie came into my life all of that changed. I turned over every upholstered piece I had in my queue, including this pair of barrel-back French chairs. I painted the frames in ASCP Old White (unwaxed) and distressed it with a sanding sponge before putting them in Ruthie’s capable hands. She found a super heavy duty fabric that looks like burlap, but feels nice and will wear much better. It was also a nicer fabric for her to work with and it doesn’t stink or shed like burlap. These chairs look classy, now. I got so used to doing everything myself, that it’s still feels funny to turn a piece over

November 2, 2011 68 Comments

resourceful or ridiculous?

Today, the glittering continued. I received my box of 10 pounds of glitter over the weekend, so the glittering isn’t going to stop any time soon. Even my basement sparkles…and not because it’s clean, unfortunately. I also began working on my feature furniture pieces for the Lucketts holiday open house today. I started pulling apart this sofa, but as soon as I got the back partly off, I realized I was in over my head. I have found a lot of strange things in furniture before, but this took the cake. Upholstery done with a rice sack. Not a grain sack, but a tarp-like plastic rice sack. OK…strange… Then I started to examine the filling. I figured it was horse hair. It had a wiry, crunchy texture. No, not horse hair. Something about it was off…is this? …could it be? …grass? Yes…the entire settee is stuffed with grass. I did

October 17, 2011 88 Comments

grain sack chair – before & almost after

I’m stingy with a few of my finds…ironstone, grain sacks and French chairs mainly. I do part with them, but it’s always tough. If you ever buy a piece of ironstone or a French chair or something made out of a European grain sack from me, you can know I really, really loved it and it was very tough for me to put a tag on it. Today, I took two of my favorite things and made something for myself. Two European grain sacks… …one French chair… …and voila! (Well, almost. I ran out of trim and I need to touch up the paint in some places, but I was too excited to save this reveal.) I painted the frame of the chair in one sloppy coat of Annie Sloan’s Old White and distressed it. I wanted a soft, worn look, so I didn’t wax it. I then upholstered the chair

June 7, 2011 110 Comments

French Chair Reveal, Glaze Mix, & Simple Upholstery

There’s a lot of good information and inspiration in this post, so get ready! First of all, the beauty shot. Now, the before shot. I’m so happy with how these turned out. I’m taking the pair of arm chairs (only one is pictured in the before shot) to the Ground Hog Day Sale at Lucketts (Feb 4-6). If you’d like to read about the paint technique I used on these chair frames, click here. And, as promised, here is my “secret” glaze formula. It’s Ralph Lauren’s Faux Effects Glaze tinted in Espresso Beans by Behr. It gives a soft, aged finish that’s perfectly brown. I have found most “mocha” or “antique” glazes look really orange. Orange like a bad bronzer or self-tanning spray, so I have one custom mixed. Click on the picture to enlarge. I use a lot of different antiquing techniques, but this one is good for a worn look. It’s also easy to

January 21, 2011 77 Comments

A Happy Marriage?

Can a chair from the 1900’s and a quilt from the 1800’s come together in a happy union? This chair was almost naked when it was purchased for almost nothing from an auction. No finish and stripped down to it’s springs. This quilt fit under an unfortunate label…a cutter quilt. Although they were from different centuries, they seemed to want to be together. So, I did what only seemed right. I married them. Happily ever after? I also made two more Gasthaus signs and sent them off to new homes. I sold the one right off my wall, so I need to make a third for myself! Anyone else “need” one? I found some awesome things for Lucketts while I was out at yard sales today, but I have not had the chance to have a photo session with them. I’ll share them soon.

August 7, 2010 23 Comments

More on Drop Cloths

First of all, can you believe how cheap the contestants made drop cloths look on HGTV Design Star! I kid of course. Well, sort of. Drop cloths are cheap, but they don’t have to look like it. If you slap a drop cloth from the package directly to the window (especially with some pieces of a taxi cab bag tied to it, a la Design Star), it’s going to look cheap. If you reuse them in creative ways, they can look fantastic! This French chair was upholstered in a bleached drop cloth. Slipcovers were made out of drop cloths for all of my dining room chairs… …the pair of wing chairs in my family room and the sofa in my living room (yet to be revealed.) I used a little leftover fabric to make a slipcover for an ottoman in my guest roomas well.I wrote a post about working with

July 28, 2010 45 Comments

My Reupholstery Crash Course

I bought this pair of French chairs at an auction almost a year ago. I had fallen in love with them and they had to be mine. I was willing to pay about $100 for the pair, but ended up walking away with them for $20. Of course, they were orange. I guess other people just couldn’t see beyond that. I originally made slipcovers for them, but they looked so sloppy after someone sat on them. After slipcovering my sofa in the living room this week, I had a “bee in my bonnet” to do something with these chairs. So, I browsed through my upholstery books, took a deep breath, and started ripping away the orange fabric. I didn’t want to take this chair totally down to the frame, so I worked section by section to make sure I didn’t get overwhelmed. I bet most of you can guess what

July 27, 2010 56 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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