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…
I might be angering some die-hard upholstery experts out there when I say this, but I’m a firm believer in thinking outside the box when it comes to choosing fabrics. Clothing, rugs, industrial materials and even recycled non-textiles can be used to make an amazingly awesome upholstered chair. I love this chair from Katie Steuernagle…
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…
We’ve seen many lovely reupholstery jobs over the years but very few in which the fabric was designed by the owner. This was Michelle’s final project for her BFA in graphic design, and it’s pretty amazingly cool for a school project. She had been wanting to do a fabric design project, and after finding the couch…
We had a bevy of chair projects in our inbox, so I thought, why not share another trio of cool chair makeovers? The first one comes from Chyanne, who spotted this chair with an unusual back (and yucky upholstery) at a garage sale. After a heavy dose of sanding, staining and reupholstery, she wound up…
This is a great project to open with today; the loveliness of these chairs can inspire you to tackle your own re-upholstery projects, and this afternoon’s Upholstery Basics post on coiled seats can show you how to get started! After snagging these chairs for only $8 (!), Heather made a brilliant upholstery decision by pairing…
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…
I know I shouldn’t anthropomorphize furniture, but I have to admit that it saddens me to see decrepit, neglected furniture. This chair was in serious need of love and attention — a very sad specimen indeed. Irina has done a wonderful job bringing it back to life and making it stand out with the custom…
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…
Small tables are dangerous territory for me. As with chairs, I have a hard time letting unique and promising ones pass me by, and my apartment has a serious lack-of-space issue because of it. Alyson’s console table is a piece I’d have difficulty passing up, for example. I really love seeing the decorative wood details…
The lines on this “before” sofa are incredible, and while the fabric is not terrible, it certainly isn’t doing the decorative wood details any favors. Theresa inherited this sofa and decided to give it a modern spin, using two tones of fabric and a pop of yellow welting. The mix of hues is restrained and…
Antique sofas are beautiful, but I’ve never considered them practical, especially if they are upholstered in the light colored linens, leathers and wools that look so fantastic on sofas of this shape. Rebekah had the ingenious idea of using a white faux leather on this old piece; according to her, the fabric holds up amazingly…
I’m not usually a fan of chrome chairs, but when I saw Lucie’s chair makeover, I realized that metal chairs have great potential when placed in capable hands. Lucie chose wisely when she used the bright, bold pattern; it definitely added a dose of fun to the simple frame. Great work, Lucie! — Kate Time: 6…
Erin and her husband were on the lookout for a bench to accompany their entry console table and provide extra seating in their living room. They managed to snatch up this bench at a hotel liquidators’ sale and refurbish it into a sharp, modern piece. The upholstery fabric they’ve chosen provides a nice, bold contrast…
Grace may have moved from chairs to lamps as a new design obsession — definitely a wise move for space-efficiency purposes —but for whatever reason, I am still firmly stuck in the chair world. I admit, it’s a problem. All I have to do is see a beautiful new chair, like this gorgeous rocking chair makeover…
I have a special place in my heart for bulk supplies of any kind; in my mind, you can make something awesome out of anything, as long as you have enough of it. I know that Karen Johnston — the creative talent behind this metal-ruler mirror and many other clever reuse projects — would agree…
There are literally tens of thousands of chair designs in the world, so for a single chair to stand out in the crowd, it all comes down to the details. Looking at the lovely finishing touches on these refurbished chairs by Patrick Feist, I can tell he is well aware of this fact. From the…
Maybe it’s the influence of the wintery weather, but I can’t get enough gray in my life right now. I’ve purchased a new sweater, a pair of throw pillows and some fabric for an upholstery project recently, all in shades of gray. I can’t quite articulate what draws me to the understated hue, so I’ll…
Like Grace, I have a weakness for a crisp, clean stripe, so when I saw the fabric Laura chose for her seating makeover, I was instantly won over. The blue chevron looks wonderful against the sage green wall, and I very much appreciate Laura’s decision to use the pattern for the cushions as well as…
