Before and after makeovers are always rather shocking right? It's always some sad piece of furniture that gets a new paint job or rework to be a brighter, bolder, more modern form of itself right? They're always so cool. This one is no different except the after photo of these chairs — well, how do we say this — they're not even chairs anymore.
We checked in with Brooke over at All Things Thrifty where this simple chair with busted caning was in need of a makeover. Instead of trying some crafty trickery to fix the broken pieces, they removed the caning all together and removed the lower half of the chair.
The pieces were painted black and large printouts of their daughters were inserted into the middle. These chairs, which could easily be any chairs with this style back can be found at garage sales, estate sales, and thrift stores around the country, but large, ornate frames are hard to track down and a wee bit pricey when you do.
This is a great solution to oversize artwork and makes a statement without breaking the bank. If you're looking for a creative project or have the need to rescue sad and lonely chairs from thrift stores like I do, then it's a great project to keep in mind. Check out the full tutorial and how to over at All Things Thrifty.
Image: All Things Thrifty
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Cute.
I thought I'd hate the after, but it's wonderful. However, I do hope they find way to reuse those cool front legs...a stool perhaps.
Just to let it be known, that "basketweave" backing that is torn is pressed cane and would have been a very quick and easy task to replace it.
Amazing. that is SO creative!
Great idea!
Very lovely. And yes, the legs could perhaps be recycled and used to make a coffee table or stool.
nasty
Very cool.
that is dreadful. why? WHY?
I was hoping to see a stool.
The pricey part is if and when you try to fit glass into that frame shape to protect those cute photos.
I might just end up stealing this idea...
@runswithscissors You could simply go to Hobby Lobby or some other store to get cheap poster frames and cut the thin plexiglass to fit for under ten bucks.
@veslabeachgirl frames from the back, a stool is left. You got two things out of a old chair¡
I miss the chair. It was beautiful, just needed a little elbow grease. The frames are nice too but the chair itself...wow!
Great idea for personalizing kids' chairs :)
I saw this on her blog a while ago and kind of loved it. Not sure if I'd ever have a need or actually do it, but I still love it.
I found a discarded cane-backed chair while in college and simply made an uppolstered panel to replace the caning.
what a shame. it took more effort to ruin the chairs & fake unbalanced, unattractive picture frames than to bother to restore the chairs. a/t should have a section on what not to do.
Not a fan.
@runswithscissors, you don't need fitted glass, you can make a rectangle that fits behind the frame (I'd use plexi since there are a couple of dips that might make it a BIT tight, so a hexagram might actually work better here) and use clips to hold the image framed onto or behind the glass.
I think I'd appreciate these more with mirror rather than photos. But I kind of hate that chintzy fake carving decoration... sorry.
Nope.
Recycling is always nice but in this case the original was nicer.
deweydefeatstruman96 where can I get "basketweave" backing? Have been to the local craft stores (Michael's. AC Moore) to no avail. I have a chair that needs repair and I love it and don't want to part with it!
@galval, if you google "chair caning supplies" or "woven caning" you'll find tons of sources for caning materials. Mass-market craft stores usually won't have those kind of professional-grade materials. If you want to DIY it and you don't want to order online, you could also try your local upholsterers and see if someone has it on hand and will sell it.
very 80's. eww.
painted in high gloss pop color maybe.
Nope indeed.
I think it bothers me more than the usual grasping-at-straws antique > kitsch project because the chair had so much more charm and character than the terrifying "glamour-gremlin" studio shots. I find it hard to get past that and see the ingenuity that I'm sure is there.