Comments on: before and after: chair love

By: jennifer

jennifer — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:18:01 +0000

wow! thank you all for your wonderful comments about my chair. it was such a pleasure to work on :D you can view its transformation here.

By: K T G

K T G — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:07:02 +0000

I am so glad I saw this. I have a similar chair to j. caroline’s, thank you so much for posting directions about it and what materials to use. Mine is not orange, or gold, it is black, a sagging old piece that I’ve had a long time, and will probably recover similar to how it is now. I accept when people see these things in person, they may just look a lot more worn and due for a new cover. Things I see in thrift stores and yard sales… and don’t know what’s in the padding? I always want to change that.

By: melissa lewis

melissa lewis — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:05:42 +0000

Before and After pics are the best b/c we get to see how valuable other people’s junk might still be. I love the black and white chair by Jennifer, it’s so pretty:)

By: Steamed Artichoke Studio

Steamed Artichoke Studio — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:23:22 +0000

WOW!!! Jennifer’s transformation from an old-crazy-person-chair to viceroy style is super impressive! I’m looking at my next project (yep, it’s a chair) and these are ALL great examples. Way to re-use existing pieces. awesome. -N

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:12:45 +0000

Regarding the orange chair: I love the After. It’s much better than the Before. She also has some great instructions on her website.

By: kelly greene

kelly greene — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:05:57 +0000

per summer’s comment, don’t be nervous: jump right into upholstery. that’s part of the fun of DIY. i think the best pieces of advice i can offer (and some tidbits of advice i received when first starting out) is: there’s a lot to learn from trial and error, a good staple gun will get you far and follow what the person before you did (using their upholstery as a pattern). armed with a nice, hardy, thick fabric, start stapling, rotating opposite corners (so the fabric sets properly). welting can also be stapled on the edge of a chair bottom and you would be amazed what a glue gun can do. now these aren’t “professional” methods but they will get you started on some great DIY projects and you will gain confidence to move onto some tougher pieces (like wingback chairs). hope this helps! feel free to shoot me a line for any addtl pointers … i’m always happy to help.