Thursday, February 4, 2016

Dining Chair Makeover


Two years ago, I flip flopped my dining table with the kitchen table.
 It dawned on me one day that the black and brown table in the kitchen could pull apart for leaves.
Did I just hear angels singing?


It had been screwed shut by a previous owner to cover up the fact that the leaves were missing.
It wasn't living up to its seating potential. 
It can seat eight now that we have made three new leaves for it. 

 Let's play I Spy the kitty cat. 

 Unfortunately, the curvy paisley chairs no longer fit at the head and the foot of the table. 
They were a little too wide at the seat (a problem I can totally relate to.)
I didn't love them once the walls got a coat of a light gray paint so I took them out of the room.


One was in a closet and one was at a bathroom vanity much to Bill's dismay.
He could forget all about the chairs until it was time for company. 
Then wrangling them out of a too narrow door frame renewed his irritation at my tendency to continually move furniture.
It annoyed him to pull our "new" chairs out of hiding.
I decided to leave them in the dining room for the holidays.


One less annoyance in Bill's life.
They have been bugging me and I was itching to give them a makeover. 
The brown chenille upholstery felt a little too formal or a little too cowboy - I'm not sure which.
I really want to love formal furnishings but they aren't me. 
An opulent style of decorating is gorgeous but most of our stuff is country or cottage.
I did a Pinterest search for French chair makeovers to get confirmation that I'd actually like what was swirling around in my head regarding these chairs.


I'd like to tell you that I went and got French linen or antique grainsacks but I'd be lying. 


I used plain old drop cloths from the tablecloth drawer. 
 They are cheap and simple and they look like well washed linen to me.


 Please know, (Bill, if you are reading), I didn't take off the old fabric.
It's under there waiting for my deconstructed, French chair makeover faze to pass.
I did remove the nail head trim but it can go back on as well.


I almost didn't cover the leather (pleather?) seats but in the end decided to because they were horribly scratched.
New chairs + old cat + new puppy = scratches in leather seats.
It also equals an unhappy pet mommy! 





These almost went to consignment during their banishment. 
In the end, I thought the scratched seats would depreciate their value. 

I love the contrast of light and dark in here. 

Thanks for stopping in. 
I hope this inspires you to makeover a chair that isn't quite you.
Have a blessed day.
 




15 comments :

  1. Your chairs look great! I understand that they have to have the feel you are after too. Our end chairs are currently in the garage because they are slightly the wrong color. They were a Craig's List find and great furniture so I may have them recovered...they are upholstered.

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  2. I love how they look now!I guess Bill was relieved to find you didn't paint them! :)

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  3. Great save! And they look beautiful in your dining room!

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  4. Its makes a huge difference when fabrics are changed on chairs....I like the lighter fabric and honestly like the chairs look better. Lightens' up room too!

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  5. That is a great little make over, Katie! You will enjoy them! Blessings, Cindy xo

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  6. Well you have done an amazing job on those chairs! Well done, and with a beautiful result. I have had the same problem with too elegant furniture. So beautiful, but just not me. Great solution!

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  7. Well you have done an amazing job on those chairs! Well done, and with a beautiful result. I have had the same problem with too elegant furniture. So beautiful, but just not me. Great solution!

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  8. The dropcloth fabric totally changes the look of your dining chairs, Katie! And I get how frustrating it is to drag chairs around for the holidays. We've had our extra painted pressed back chairs in the garage, in the basement, and anywhere we can find a few inches of space to stash them.

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  9. Wow! What a simple change but it has such a HUGE impact! I have 2 chairs out in the storage building that may just get a new look, too! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  10. Happy Thoughts of Home on Thursday. Thank you so much for joining...I'll say that for each time that you join because I'm a happy camper.

    Pinning. :)

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  11. Thank you so much for linking to Thoughts of Home on Thursday.
    I loved what you said about the -width.
    I can relate!!

    Laura
    WSP

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  12. That makeover is very good. I like the white linen against the dark wood. Well done!

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  13. They turned out really well! I like the contrast between the light and dark too!

    Good job!

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