We don't have one, but by all accounts Dutailier gliders are well-made and comfortable. They're also rather plain and, in some cases, verging on ugly. But when Jennifer sees a good deal, she doesn't let aesthetics stand in the way.
Here's the scoop from Jennifer:
I found this amazing maple Dutailier glider at a baby consignment store for $140 (new it is $600, what a find!). It was definitely not my style but it was a great deal and I could see potential! Someone gave me a free gliding footstool as well, and even though the wood didn't match I knew I could find a way to tie them together.
I saw this fabric at Ikea and it just popped at me, it was perfect. I wanted something very unique and modern, not babyish, something that I could put in any room of the house. We have a 1 and 2 year old so it gets a lot of use!!
To fully appreciate the transformation, here's a "before" of the mismatched glider and the footstool.
If you're inspired by this glider makeover, Craigslist is a great place to start looking for a used Dutailier. Brava Jennifer!


White Enamel Four-P...
What a wonderful result for something that is usually so hideously ugly! Those are my least favorite chairs but so comfy for nursing or cuddling. Great idea.
This SO perfectly exemplifies how a little innovation can make stylish parenting do-able. This looks great and, Jennifer, I'd like to imagine how your creativity shows itself in your parenting!
Margaret
bonbonliving.com
NICE!
I agree, well done. I love that fabric.
We received a free glider from my grandma and unfortunately the cushions look very very "grandma-ish" so you've inspired me to find my own cool fabric to recover those cushions.
Does IKEA still carry this fabric? I live about an hour away from the one in MI, and I don't see it on the website...
I have a Dutailier (also a CL find) in my daughters room which would benefit greatly from this sort of makeover. My sewing skills are limited though. How hard was this to make?
I also have a gilder, which had UGLY and BORING lifeless cushions on it. I found an amazing vintage fabric, and made removable (so they could be washed) covers for cushions. Wow, what an amazing transformation and now it is a unique piece!
Question - did you do the reupholstering yourself, or did you have it professionally done? If so, how much was that?
Miss Lisa, I've seen the orange version of this fabric on Etsy. Just search in the fabric section for Ikea.
Have a dutailier. Yes comfortable, no, not well made. Warning: the nuts and washers fall off after much use. We grabbed one out of my son's mouth the other day. We've had to exchange the undercarriage 3 times.
Oh please please please will you tell me how to make this slipcover? Or did you take it to an upholsterer? I have this exact same glider, and I was going to kick it to the curb . . . but I would keep it around if I could liven it up a bit!
Thanks so much for the compliments!!
Miss Lisa ~ I got the fabric last summer @ Ikea and have not seen it there since, so it may have been a 2008 print.
Missuswayne ~ It wasn't nearly as hard as I imagined it would be! I have more info on how I did it on my blog, I bumped the post to the top: http://kenjiandjen.blogspot.com/
Paperpusher ~ I did this project myself, I'm an avid sewer, but this was the first chair I've ever done.
Elfitzy ~ If your glider also has the cushions that "snap" to the frame, recovering it should be do-able! I posted more of how I did it on my blog, I bumped it to the top for those who want to see: http://kenjiandjen.blogspot.com/
It looks great - another SUPER easy fix that I did with a light beige Dutalier glider is I just threw on a cream sheepskin I had bought at IKEA over the top portion - comfy and makes it look a *little* more cool.
I've been wanting to do this with my glider! Now I know it's possible and it looks great!
Great job! This gives me hope that I'll be able to repurpose my glider someday. I love it, but even the nicest looking ones start to look really worn and dumpy after a while.