Beautiful transformation though I think navy fabric would have been better...=)

Nicely Done. I really like "Victorian" style furniture that's been "funkied" up like this. I wish I had more imagination for these kind of projects.

I'd have redone the chairs in black with white upholstery or white with black upholstery. Or maybe two shades of gray!!!

It looks well done but I think the colors are clashing.

was prepared to dislike this since I really loved the before... but this looks great!

I like the red.. not sure about the blue.. perhaps I was hoping for something darker? Either way, it's a great transformation!

My comment that "it's not working for me" was deleted?? I was trying to agree with other commenters about the color choice. HMPH.

I was about to start complaining about the hackneyed chevron pattern, but they did a great job of making it feel fresh through the combination of colors. Well done!

Very nice

Well done Charlotte! The chair looks fabulous! I have just started an upholstery course and seeing this project has made me even more enthusiastic. :-)

Isn't the idea to look at what can be done. Choose whatever colors and patterns you want...not the point. Her taste isn't for others, it's for her. Maybe these color choices match her decor perfectly. The point is that it's a job well done.

Great job! I love it. I wish you'd post a pic of the room (and the red coffee table!) so we could see it in context. :-)

Heathergirl, it's not working for me either, but that's because I'm not a fan of Chevron. I would love to see that red with dark gray cushions (darker than the before ones). I do think that Charlotte did a lovely job, however, and I suspect her refurbished chairs are going to look great in her place. I don't have even a 1/4 of her imagination to begin a project like this which is why I love to see Before and Afters and why I respect those who do it well.

The red isn't working for me (tomato red is so not my shade), but then again neither was the ghastly nailhead trim in the "before" pic.

I think you did a great job on the upholstery. Very nice.

Mary E., dark grey would be interesting. (My deleted post was that I agree with williamsweyr about black and white, or gray. That would have been cool to see.) I would NEVER attempt this kind of a project; I'll agree with the time and talent displayed. My skills (and interest) in upholstery projects are limited to dropping something off at the foam and fabric store. Haha. Having said that, I think the finished project looks a bit... homemade. And I think I feel that way because of the color and fabric choice. Just my opinion, of course.

At first I was not crazy about the red, but once I clicked on the link and saw it staged in your home I realized how great it was for the space! Very funky and fun.

having just seen her blog, the living room the chairs are in now, and the red table in the room, i think these are perfect!! great vision!

I appreciate the adventurous spirit and workmanship but--for myself--would have kept the "bland" fabric and focused on the frame, with matte or high-gloss black or even a metallic finish and added color (if desired) with a throw pillow. Still, as always, the point is to create a space that feels good to its inhabitants. And I always enjoy seeing readers' creative sides and fearlessness about color and pattern--though that's not my particular inclination.

Agree w/Gillianne. But I must say that I appreciate the reupholstering job...I've tried it and it's not easy or for those without patience.

It is a real disservice to the chairs and the project to show them in a stand alone photo. In the context of the room where they live they are perfect. I don't like chevrons, or bright red painted furniture, or light blue and white. In context these are stunning. Probably the first thing I'd notice and like in the room. They just belong there.
And great job too.

I LOVE the combination - perfect! darker, gray... blah blah blah. everyone's a critic. GREAT job! enjoy.

Inspired! I just love everything about this. You took something bland, plain and boring and put it on fire! Whether I like red or chevron or not...it doesn't matter...it's made me want to do something similar with my own fabrics and colors.

Love it! The "before" fabric is hideous and so terribly bland. Good job.

Put a chevron on it.

Am I the only one that gets the heebie-jeebies with anything secondhand? I may have an unhealthy fear of bedbugs, though, not helped by the fact that our new apartment's management is militant about not allowing an infestation. (My mom has found bedbugs in a VHS case at her library.) How do you prevent them from getting into your place if you buy secondhand?

Well now, nycgreenmomma, if one doesn't like a particular pattern and wishes for another color, does that make her/him a critic? I think not.

Typically, if I am critical of something on here that is in someone's home (and not just a design element) or don't like or appreciate a tour, I keep my mouth shut. But if I like what someone has done but just not the material used (like this Chevron), I think it is part of the conversation to state it with respect.

This has to be one of the most bizarre blogs when it comes to the the comment section. You've got the truly mean anonymous posters who are disrespectful and nasty; and then you have the well-intentioned ones who simply can't stand anything other than "I love it!" from everyone posting. This place would be beyond boring if everyone loved every tiny detail all the time.

Oh, and to Charlotte - duh! I should have clicked on your link to see the chairs in your home. They are truly gorgeous within the full context of your living room.

I agree with Jan. They are beautiful in her home. Click through to her blog and check it out.

Delightful! Fresh! Fun! They make me smile.

Love it, but a bit concerned that chevron is going to date rather quickly after all that work!

Perfectly gorgeous in your living room, great choice of paint and fabric.

liking the red, but chevron is such a fad that i see ending soon, so i hope you did it because you like it.

oh mary e, mary e. when someones says "the blue should be darker" or " I hate the chevron", that IS being critical. VERY critical.

let's applaud this woman's beautiful (and difficult) job on making something old look amazing and new. this was not an easy project.

Why does every before and after post on this website turn into a bashing of someone else's tastes? What appeals to one person is not going to appeal to everyone. But even if you don't appreciate the color or fabric choices, can't you at least admire the craftsmanship and ingenuity that went into rethinking something? Could you do the same thing? Would you ever be that creative or daring? I am not going to offer my opinion on color or fabric choice other than to simply say what a cool reinvention of this fabulous find and I hope that it brings you many years of joy.

I'm totally down with the chevrons and red, or whatever the owner likes best. I'm not a big fan of double piping though, especially with a patterned fabric. It makes the edge complex when I want it to be simple.

Not my personal style, but I really really like this! Wish I had sewing skills that went beyond making very basic decorative throw pillows.

lovely make-over! would love to see how they look in the room with everything else.

Charlotte, I've NEVER been a fan of red either... go figure, but I was feeling like my whole house was blue and green. I figure with these fixer uppers why not take a risk! Thanks!

I agree that it's a fad, but I do love it... and who knows, maybe it will stick around and take on a retro-thing down the line.

I love when Louis XIV chairs are painted white or gray and then upholstered to match the paint. The monochromatic scheme brings out all the textural detail. This colorful treatment works against the chair's architecture, but it's still pretty.

Wasnt crazy about them,then went on her blog and saw them in context,now I totally get them! Very cute!

I was on the fence about these, but they look lovely in context.

nycgreenmomma, - I never said the blue should be darker or that I hate chevron. Please re-read my comments. I was very complimentary (genuinely so) in what I said.

Perhaps you might want to stop finding a mountain where not even a molehill exists?

Same to you, DeidreChristine. Who's "bashing" anyone. Not that I need to defend my comments above, but somehow you've misread. I specifically pointed out Charlotte's ability to do something I could not.

Geez...you'd think Chevron was liquid gold. I don't like it, okay? I don't hate it and if Charlotte invited me over for a cocktail, I wouldn't go running from her living room screaming in dismay at the sight of it. But I would have lined the chairs with dark gray! And because this "before and after" was showcased on here, I might very well someday buy a couple of parlor chairs, paint the wood red and line it with dark gray fabric!

Or not...

Before: subtle, clean, sophisticated. After: Fun, energetic, fresh. You couldn't lose either way. Love the vision though.

Not this Charlotte, fyi.

Did I put anyone's name in my post? No. I was commenting on a general culture within the boards in this website of people criticizing without doing so constructively. If anyone took these comments personally, that is on them.

I realize we all think of decorating first and foremost from the point of view of what we would want to do in our own homes. But the main reason I am a devoted reader and occasional poster on this website is because I love to see what other people do differently from what I would have done. It is because of posts like Charlotte's that I've tried new things and taken chances on color and design that I wouldn't have before. So to Charlotte and everyone who is bold enough to post their projects even though they know what the comments section will inevitably hold, thank you. You're the reason I keep coming back.

I LOVE the before chairs and would LOVE to have them in my home (I'm a sucker for dark brown furniture & oatmeal coloured furniture/blankets/etc - so together??? EEK!) So... I love the before. That said, what a well done job with the re-do. If I had only seen the new chairs I wouldn't think twice about loving them - but I can't help going back to the before pictures...

Mary E., well said. A respectful discussion of individual tastes SHOULD be part of a design blog. After looking at this string, I think I'd rather just move on and not be part of this community. If I want a series of comments saying only "Yay, Fabulous, Love!" then I'll just go to pinterest. (I haven't typically had much time to spend on this site but have come across a few threads I found really interesting with respect to people's personal styles.) If people (not trolls) aren't free to discuss likes and dislikes then I don't see the point.

Please make me feel better and tell me this wasn't your first upholstery project?!

I am shocked at the level of lack of resprect and just plain meaness in a 'community' that is usually filled with kindness. If I ever don't care for something another has done I don't replicate it but try to learn and put my own spin to it, If we all had the same taste we'd all drive volkswagons!

The refinishing and upholstery seem to be expertly done. All those curves can be hard to deal with, compounded by the difficulty of the piping and of doing both with front and read panels of the chair back.

I inherited a gentleman's chair similar to this, and I had a vision of some perverse, shocking, out-of-character treatment -- I was mulling a leopard print. In the end, however, I chose a taupe velvet that AT would evidently consider "a bit bland." (Tough luck, AT.) I've never regretted that choice, and I think I would often have regretted my original plan, which would have been like putting clown makeup on the Venus de Milo. Sometimes a bit of whimsy or out-of-character pattern is fresh and reviving; other times, you can hear the chair saying "I am SO embarrassed right now."

Wow. Definitely click through to her blog. The chairs look amazing in that room!

WOWSERS.. awesome refurb job. I love the quirky mix of red and the geometric fabric! And boo hoo to all those suggesting they would have done it otherwise...prove yourselves and show us!

EEK, don't like the color combo. I think white or blue paint would have worked better. Too much in your face for me. But, if you like it thats good.

For what it's worth, I haven't taken any of these comments or opinions as being overly critical or judgmental! I appreciate the dialogue and welcome the feedback. It's not often that we get such a wide range of viewpoints for a DIY group critique. Thanks, everyone!

the after is the before and the before should be the after.

Charlotte, I think YOU are awesome. Thank you for the comment - I feel better knowing that just because I don't love the blue chevron, I haven't offended. :) (I clicked through to your blog and love some of the stuff and you're so creative.)