Chairs: Before and After

Today I have a blitz of chair makeovers...to remind us all that a dingy old piece can have a fantastic new life if you give reupholstery a chance.

The first one comes from reader Rae. She found a bergere chair in the dumpster - legit the dumpster - and knew that it would look awesome with some new fabric. Way to have a vision, Rae. The before:

Yep, that's a dumpster chair. But Rae went on a hunt for a black and white buffalo check fabric and once she found it, she sent it off to a nice upholstery man and voila:

Just lovely...and especially so, paired with the golden stool and layered rugs.

Our next two contestants come from reader Jaime. She too found a sad chair, this time a wingback, in the vicinity of a dumpster. The before:

Jaime thought to herself, "This would be PERFECT for my baby's nursery!" I applaud looking past the trash bin and realizing that with a little work, this chair could become a special nursery piece. Jaime selected a hot pink coral fabric and after some professional reupholstery, here is the after:

Nicely done. Jaime also scored some awesome cane-backed tub chairs for $10/each (!) on Craigslist and decided that reupholstery would make them feel like new. The before:

And the after:

So fresh! So clean! I love that textured fabric and the hot pink piping makes a very traditional chair feel quite modern. A standing ovation...

Take note that neither Rae nor Jaime tackled the upholstery jobs themselves. Don't forget that there is a whole workforce of skilled upholsterers out there just waiting to do these jobs for you. I think we get overwhelmed thinking that these kind of re-dos are DIY jobs...you'll find that although reupholstery is not cheap, it often yields a much better, custom result than buying furniture new.  And (usually) still at a fraction of the price. Not to mention that most vintage pieces are very well-built and thus will stand the test of time in your home. Do a little research and get some price quotes in your area. I bet you will find someone whose pricing is reasonable and whose work is fantastic.

{{Climbs down from her soapbox}}

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