I’ve tackled a few chair renovations, but I’ll be honest: caning intimidates me. I’m eagerly awaiting the day that Amanda covers caning in Upholstery Basics, but until then, I’m steering clear. I love this chair renovation from Haley Beham; she’s found an inventive way to mimic the original caning back by weaving strips of cotton…
It’s so fun to see where people go hunting for furniture — thrift stores, yard sales, the bizarre junk shop you can barely walk around in. There’s treasure to be found everywhere! Wippowillow founder Kate Troyer decided to combine her modern textile designs with a more traditional chair shape. Her friend and colleague Shannon found…
These types of Eames knock-off chairs have seen their fair share of new upholstery. I’ve seen cowhide, wools and patterns of all kinds, but never denim. Before this project, if you said the words denim and upholstery in the same sentence, I would cringe and run away. But this denim chevron print created by Jody…
I took a beginner’s upholstery class last fall, where my fellow students and I were cautioned against choosing an intricately patterned fabric to work with on our first attempt. Stupidly, I ignored my teacher’s advice and chose a plaid — not a great idea. I simply could not get the pattern to align properly and…
There I go again with the rhyming! I can’t help myself, I’m afraid. I hope I’m not offending anyone when I say this, but these chairs that Danielle picked up for $20 are “granny ugly” in the worst way. I half expected them to be covered in those thick clear plastic seat protectors. I never…
I want to start this post by clarifying that I am not partial to project images with pets in them. Unless it’s a corgi (cardigans only, please), in which case I’m powerless to resist. As far as Jessica’s upholstered chair is concerned, I just dig it — cat or no cat. Wait, why isn’t that…
i love, love, love these beautiful chair re-dos from heather at skinny la minx. she has (luckily for us) produced her orla fabric in yardage in a rainbow of colors. she worked with dan from saks corner to reupholster and refurbish a bunch of old tattered chairs. the results are amazing! i especially love the…
this next chair project comes from d*s reader betsy o’gara. betsy found this chair at a garage sale for $6.50 and grabbed a can of discounted (mis-tint) paint from lowes for only $1.00. she re-used a burlap bag (from rice at costco) to create the new seat and loves the way the girly pink paint…
this fantastic before & after project comes from lucinda henry of shakti space designs, a decorative painting business. inspired by pieces she saw in a magazine (see photos below) lucinda decided to refurbish this old cabinet she purchased back in 1997. after traveling with her from chicago to seattle, then portland, this little cabinet lived…
our next before & afters are all about seating. one is from a previous before & after subject and features beautiful pleated upholstery and the other is from a d*s reader who discovered how simple, but elegant, the addition of mirrors can be to basic furniture. first up is d*s reader lori dunbar of marzipan…
this before & after comes from rachel at vintage song bird- this was her first re-upholstery project and i’m just as excited about it as she is. it’s no small task to strip a chair, guts and all, so i’m happy that rachel was able to tackle her first project successfully. thanks, rachel! [have a…
for this before & after makeover, d*s reader toni brogan of the catskill kiwi combined two of my favorite things: a chair with good bones and plaid upholstery. plaid can feel a little upper east side, preppy and conservative, but i love the way she’s integrated it into the decor in her living room. for…
normally i’m not a fan of messing with a classic, but when it’s a knock-off, and the new fabric is this cute i’m totally game. brad dufton from colorTHEORY sent over this fun chair makeover that he did for his friend peter. peter’s eames lounge chair knock-off was in a need of an upgrade so…
molly at chairloom is no newbie when it comes to reupholstering, but i still love to see her projects- and the incredible fabrics she uses. this chair upgrade comes courtesy of a gorgeous modern floral fabric from roberta roller rabbit (i love that name). it looks so clean and fresh. click here to check out…
this creative before & after comes from d*s reader nia sayers. she transformed this antique twin headboard and one side rail into a clever bench seat! i love the way she thought outside of the box and made the best of an antique frame that doesn’t fit modern day box springs and mattresses. great work,…
i’m always impressed when anyone takes on their own upholstery project- not only is it a little intimidating to me, but i admire anyone who has the patience to take on more difficult chair and sofa shapes. this diy upholstery project comes from d*s reader sarah- and it’s her first attempt at upholstery. she used…
i’m in a green mood today so i’m loving this before & after makeover from whitney at darling dexter. she included some great process shots to show how she changed our her fabric so if you’re looking to do something similar all you need is some furniture, batting and a good staple gun! click here…
