I’m a huge admirer of the quilts of Gee’s Bend, and I think part of the reason I love this reupholstered chair from Amy is that the seat has the same kind of modern looking, graphic-collage quality as the Gee’s Bend quilt designs. It provides a great contrast for the warm wood and curved lines of the Thonet-style chair, and I am always a fan of the dip-paint style on legs — it’s a fun and unexpected touch. Great work, Amy! — Kate

Time: 1.5 hours

Cost: free (everything was on hand!)

Basic Steps: To paint the chair, I removed the seat cushion with a screwdriver and had to pry it off after removing the screws because it was glued to the wood frame. I washed the chair with soapy water and let it air dry. I then taped the legs where I wanted the white to end and wrapped the ends with newspaper. I SHOULD have sanded the wood with a fine-grain paper, but I skipped this step.

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CLICK HERE to see Alexis’ plant stand after the jump!

Attractive yet affordable plant stands are somewhat hard to come by, so if I ever find one that has any potential, I think I will follow Alexis’ lead and modernize it with a simple refinishing. The addition of the few white-painted bars add much more interest to the base, and it’s nice to see a piece in such good shape get a new lease on life. Nice work, Alexis!

Time: 5 hours (including drying time)

Cost: $33

Basic Steps: I followed The Brick House’s steps for refinishing wood; sand, clean with Murphy’s soap, apply teak oil and apply Howard feed-n-wax. After that I taped off the slats I wanted to paint and painted them; it took about four coats. My advice would be that when painting, keep Q-tips and water handy; if you get paint on the wood where you don’t want it, immediately use the Q-tip dipped in water to wipe it away. Also take your time taping off! — Alexis