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How To Turn IKEA's Tullsta Chair Into a Designer Piece
Home Hacks

10-14-08panna1.jpg

2010HomeHackspostBadge.jpgIn keeping with our Tullsta renovation theme from earlier, we couldn't help but notice that IKEA's chair bears a strong resemblance in form to the brilliant Tokujin Yoshioka's Panna chair for Moroso. With a few inexpensive tweaks, we think you could transform an already inexpensive chair into something much more interesting.

 
 

10-14-08panna2.jpg

Yoshioka is known for his innovative use of materials, often creating furniture out of startling substances like natural crystal. His Pane chair, which evolved into the Moroso version, was initially baked whole in it's raw state until solidified.

The Panna version, created using a similar concept but utilizing more practical manufacturing methods, is upholstered in "a puffy white quilted industrial fabric used for carrying precision instruments, pulled over the chair form". We think this "industrial fabric" looks almost exactly like standard-issue moving blankets, which cost around $5 each.

10-14-08panna3.jpg

Using a couple of these per chair, along with some simple cotton batting and a staple gun, creating a similar version (at least visually similar) at home would take very little time, and even less money.

Quote taken from Dezeen.com; images via Tokujin Yoshioka Design

Originally Published 10.14.2008 - AA


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Tags

How To..., inspiration, seating - sofas & armchairs, DIY, IKEA, Moroso, panna chair, Home Hacks, Tokujin Yoshioka

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Comments (83)

It looks like it's getting packed for travel. No thanks.

posted by oakland on October 14th 2008 at 11:08am
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ugh.

posted by kimg924 on October 14th 2008 at 11:09am
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ditto the previous sentiments.

posted by Niamh on October 14th 2008 at 11:11am
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Ew. And plus, as a previous owner of that chair, those things are back breakingly uncomfortable.

posted by protogarrett on October 14th 2008 at 11:15am
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Hideous.

posted by burpchick on October 14th 2008 at 11:16am
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I agree. It reminds me of those tacky crocheted toilet paper covers.

posted by jamesdamian on October 14th 2008 at 11:24am
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no....

posted by amiencc on October 14th 2008 at 11:25am
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no.

posted by Nudik on October 14th 2008 at 11:29am
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Those chairs are so ugly why would anybody want to copy that?

posted by sea9262 on October 14th 2008 at 11:36am
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I've seen this chair in person and really liked it. The silhouette of sweeping curves and pointy seams and edges has popped up at a few of the european collections. It really does look like the love child of the B&B Italia Bombole chair and a piece of whipped confection.

That said, I think the idea of transforming the Tullsta is interesting in the abstract, but the materials selected probably won't work. The upholstery needs to be light enough to hug to lines and the pattern on the upholstery needs to be much smaller than the chevron pattern on a moving blanket. I fear this makeover is way beyond the skills of the typical seamstress/diy-er.

The good news is that that level of complexity makes this chair a nice design investment. Due to the labor intensive processes involved, you probably won't be seeing any reasonable facsimiles from CB2 or Ikea any time soon.

posted by RichardinLA on October 14th 2008 at 11:41am
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I'd rather see the chair get kitted out in some lovely Anthropologie-type fabric instead.

posted by *heather leaf* on October 14th 2008 at 11:42am
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blech

posted by Carder on October 14th 2008 at 11:45am
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Wow. Ugly. So very ugly.

posted by perdita27 on October 14th 2008 at 12:03pm
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I honestly don't get people that just post "gross" as a comment. Use your words, for chrissake. Don't like it? I'm glad to see a different opinion! Try letting us know why you don't like it. And not just because "They had this in the 80s and it was a bad idea then." or "My grandma has this couch." RichardinLA's comment, for example, is both descriptive and constructive, and therefore interesting to read.

Interior design doesn't mean one design, it means a variety of designs from a variety of eras used in creative and interesting ways. Just because something doesn't look like it would fit into your Ikea model home doesn't mean it should be dismissed with a monosyllabic grunt.

It has seriously reached the point that it's not worth reading the comments on AT, which is a shame since so many of the posts are about how you, the readers, would use and construct interesting objects and spaces.

posted by organs on October 14th 2008 at 12:08pm
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I don't mind it so much - At least it doesn't look like a crappy uncomfortable chair from IKEA anymore...

posted by bepsf on October 14th 2008 at 12:27pm
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ugleh

posted by Eleno_Mome on October 14th 2008 at 1:03pm
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I don't find this attractive. It looks unfinished and bulky. The lines of the chair are ok but with the fabric treatment those simple lines are lost. I never did like clothing that was sewn purposely inside out to expose the seams. Some things look better hidden. That said, I can appreciate the artistic intention of doing something unconventional to a common object. Like some runway fashions though, this one only works on the runway.

posted by WendyJ on October 14th 2008 at 1:07pm
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Ok, someone on here said they wanted explanations so here goes: This chair reminds me of a wadded up kotex or a used baby diaper, sans poop. Neither of these remind me of anything artistic or innovative, but for some I'm sure they do. Sorry, but that's my opinion.

posted by citygirlincountry on October 14th 2008 at 2:08pm
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This is simply unappealing to me. 'Nuff said.

posted by KWorld on October 14th 2008 at 2:59pm
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Beatiful, great idea! I wish we could all see how the DIY "replice" looks like.

posted by chicago_girl on October 14th 2008 at 3:11pm
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Gross.

posted by kgreene on October 14th 2008 at 3:13pm
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so groos-Not! :)

posted by moddog on October 14th 2008 at 3:39pm
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Sometimes one word is more expressive of your thoughts and feelings than an entire diatribe. I hate the way this looks. I don't need to explain why.

posted by amiencc on October 14th 2008 at 6:33pm
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Hard to believe but the before was better.

posted by JPK on October 14th 2008 at 7:35pm
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Packing Fortune Cookies.

posted by TracyJ on October 14th 2008 at 7:36pm
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I really hate the fabric on the Yoshioka chairs, but the amazon moving blanket fabric looks a lot better, so maybe it could work?

posted by Finally Woken on October 14th 2008 at 7:44pm
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To agree with organs... if one word describes your feeling, why say anything at all? This is a place for conversation.

On that note, while I like the idea of the chair and even the style, it's the fabric I take issue with. I think this chair offered in a patterned fabric would be more striking.

Also I think that this would be hard to replicate, however the replication idea still sounds like a good way to rehab the Tullsta. Will someone try this and post pictures?

posted by rreader on October 15th 2008 at 12:17am
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Maybe it's the way the moving blankets are photographed, but I think they look like a gun-metal grey, which I love a LOT, and I think that if someone actually took this project on, they might come up with something that actually surpasses the thing they want to imitate. No. Really. I mean it.

posted by Curtis on October 15th 2008 at 5:41am
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Oooops, I like them. But then again, I like all those tee shirts with the seams on the outside. I think this would be great in a simple nursery or toddler room-it would take wear and tear, and it looks like fun. I'm not sure what other sort of decor this word work with, though.

posted by fleababe on October 16th 2008 at 8:13am
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not my style but i like the creativity of it and i am sure someone could work it into a room and rock it well.

posted by Curvatude on October 16th 2008 at 8:29am
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I have a Tullsta chair, (and for me it is very comfortable, as it happens to be a good match for my leg and body lengths) While the inspirational Yoshioka chairs are “interesting” looking as conceptual art, they do not look very practical for the actual function of a chair:to be an inanimate participant in the life of a home, where people actually sit in it.

It wouldn't be impossibly difficult to make a slipcover from movers blanketing, or other pre-quilted materials. The part of this that seems horribly impractical to me is having the seams on the outside and unfinished. The "stuffing" would likely come loose along those edges and not look attractive. And if you tried to wash the coverings, it would have disastrous consequences for your washing machine.

If I wanted to re-construct this look, I would make a quilted slipcover in whatever fabric desired, and pipe the edges with http://www.sahuc.com/know-how/p019_moss.htm>"moss fringe", a trim which is designed to give a fluffy fringed edge look, choosing a pale color to give the look of the original inspiration.

posted by fjorlief on October 19th 2008 at 9:40am
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Oh Sorry, somehow my attempt to show what moss fringe didn't work. The link is here Moss Fringe

posted by fjorlief on October 19th 2008 at 9:43am
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it is hideous...

posted by mvdiaz9 on December 31st 2008 at 1:48pm
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awful. no thanks.

posted by cheverells on January 8th 2009 at 7:30pm
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no. and, it's soooo no that i don't feel it needs further explanation.

posted by lollipop on February 1st 2010 at 9:40pm
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Each to his own. For me, the finished product is something that you'd want to transform, if you could even imagine it's being transformable, into something else (like a Tullsta chair, even). Clearly, there are people who like the Panna chair, but I'm not one of them.

posted by mei-ling on February 1st 2010 at 9:59pm
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It's wrapped in GAUZE for Pete's sake!!

posted by burnttoast on February 1st 2010 at 10:59pm
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Reminds me of the elastic waist on the Depends diapers my patients wear at the hospital. No thanks.

posted by swirthy13 on February 2nd 2010 at 2:31am
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Not my favorite look but it could work in the right space. It's more of an arty, don't sit on it kind of chair. It's about how it was made.. I think it would look really awful it somebody tried to hack it. Has anybody seen any images of an attempt? I don't mind the Tullsta chair - it is what it is.. inexpensive seating, and small scale for a first apartment/home - for all of $99. Not like you'd leave it to your grandchildren..

posted by rr90027 on February 2nd 2010 at 2:47am
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I thought it was going to look rather John Saladino-like -- he often uses shipping blankets in his work, but in his case, they look extremely elegant...

posted by mschatelaine on February 2nd 2010 at 2:50am
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I don't understand it.

posted by Miss Masa on February 2nd 2010 at 3:10am
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I love my tullsta since the back made a perfect headrest for someone my height :) I bought a yellow one then soon added the fuschia slip cover and never looked back.

posted by Kinky Gazpacho on February 2nd 2010 at 3:23am
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nasty.

posted by thorndale on February 2nd 2010 at 4:04am
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Eep. This takes a basic, clean-lined chair and turns it into a total eyesore. Like citygirlincountry said, it looks like it was upholstered by Kotex. :p

posted by Kris0218 on February 2nd 2010 at 5:56am
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I really really like the look of the Yashioka chair - with the exception of the white/blue color scheme. Imagine if it were white/charcoal or some other color; the blue does summon uncomfortable reminders of diapers.

I like the chair because it looks comfortable to sit in. If not, there's really no point to it. But unlike so many things I see at AT, in tableaux or as single pieces - one random chair/lamp vignette in a landing that nobody in the history of the household has ever sat in; a bench in a living room that is only sat in when every other comfortable chair is taken - I can actually see sitting in this chair comfortably.

(Doesn't hold with the Ikea one, which I have sat in & is not exactly sigh-with-contentment comfortable.)

posted by vernonlee on February 2nd 2010 at 5:58am
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It may be fun, but it is not artistic.

posted by Cally on February 2nd 2010 at 7:48am
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I really didn't think this could be the finished product. No.

posted by sasharenee on February 2nd 2010 at 8:14am
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I kept waiting for the "after" picture.

posted by Sugarbakers on February 2nd 2010 at 8:57am
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I too kept scrolling down for the after picture. I thought the finished one was just showing how and where it was sewed together and that once you flipped it over it would be done. I guess I don't like this for the same reason I wouldn't wear my clothes inside out - it doesn't look neat to me. I like clean lines and no extra poufyness (probably not a word!) in my furniture design.

posted by SaraBa on February 2nd 2010 at 9:23am
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Exactly who is this targeted at anyway? Ohh, I love that panna chair and I don't have the money to purchase it - thank god Keehnan wrote a vague posting on AT on how I might be able to make my own Frankenstein version! I'm sure that Yoshioka would be flattered with my half-assed attempt to copy his design!

I encourage more posts of this nature - complete speculation based on nothing more than a crackpot idea.

posted by guerilla on February 2nd 2010 at 10:26am
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i love it

posted by guido on February 2nd 2010 at 11:31am
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there is nothing refined about this. Either you like messy things or you don't. I'm not a fan, but I know some hot shot young hipster client of mine would adore something like this...

posted by kjansson on February 2nd 2010 at 12:03pm
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These chairs look like they are wearing underwear, and not the fancy type either. What do they wear on top?

posted by skidou on February 2nd 2010 at 1:24pm
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I got really excited about the blanket in your lead photo, and then I clicked through. Blegh.

posted by eefers on February 2nd 2010 at 2:42pm
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they look like the elastic sides of diapers. To take a perfectly nice chair and turn it into that abomination... well, words fail me.
It's a waste of time and materials.
It's ugly.
It doesn't look comfortable.
It looks like bad DIY.

posted by lorijo on February 2nd 2010 at 4:36pm
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There was a home tour in New York magazine recently that showed a moving blanket used to reupholster a sofa. It looks great!

posted by Anna at D16 on February 2nd 2010 at 4:58pm
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I hate it. Sorry.

posted by MeWindow on February 2nd 2010 at 6:15pm
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Seriously, Keehnan Konyha? You think AT readers like 'stuff' like that. That's nasty looking. It looks like gauze was wrapped all over it like it was injured. Ditto the Kotox comment.

posted by atomicranch79 on February 2nd 2010 at 7:55pm
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ummm....not so sure about this one...

http://www.mylittleapartment.blogspot.com

posted by my little apartment on February 2nd 2010 at 8:03pm
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"they look like the elastic sides of diapers." by lorijo

This comment!!

Oh my. Not a fan.

posted by iheartdesign on February 2nd 2010 at 8:17pm
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Wow, this is a doozy. How'd you guys give this passing marks?

posted by Jesse Lu on February 2nd 2010 at 9:55pm
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What? WHY?

posted by RenateGreen on February 3rd 2010 at 2:50am
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As I scrolled down I thought the first picture was an unfinished version, then I realized it was the end product! Ew. It looks like a half-a**ed DIY job.

posted by Nicole_F on February 3rd 2010 at 12:23pm
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Sorry, but this looks terrible.

posted by suzy8track on February 3rd 2010 at 4:17pm
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Thank you for your version of posting instructions, organs. Nevertheless, sometimes a few or even one word conveys it all. In this case, Ugly, Hideous and Ugh communicate the poster's feelings about the chair.
Be nice.
The chair? Kotex pad. Two words.

posted by marthaquest on February 3rd 2010 at 8:13pm
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Yuck.

But a real tutorial on creating a cool slipcover or DIY upholstery project for this basic chair would be cool.

posted by msattitude on February 6th 2010 at 12:42pm
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BARF.

posted by radioriot on February 6th 2010 at 1:17pm
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I agree with the majority.......ugly!

posted by joyera on February 6th 2010 at 2:22pm
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To me these look like they are waiting for the fabric having just received the stuffing. The thing that was nice about the original chair is its clean lines which are totally deformed by this treatment. I can think of a dozen ways to cover that Ikea chair, any of which would be preferable to this.
Where the moving blanket might come in handy on such a small piece would be in a child's room, however the fact they've stapled it on rather than slipcovered it makes it unwashable, therefore: no.
This does look like an art "piece" however in an apt or small home we need our furniture to function as well as look good and this doesn't nail it for me. This chair would be perfect with different slipcovers for different seasons, courderoy, sheepskin or flannel, floral, in a bold beachy stripe around a patio table... all the ways to dress a chair and they come up with this... looks like when you acidentally send a new tampon through the washing machine and dryer.

posted by Val1961 on February 6th 2010 at 2:37pm
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Sometimes one word is all that needs to be said. I'm reminded of Bette Midler's Baby Divine, whose entire vocabulary consisted of only one word, "more!" ~:o)

posted by quiltmaster on February 6th 2010 at 2:57pm
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I saw the Tullsta at IKEA years ago and thought it was super cute. And then I sat on it. It LOOKS like one should just sink into the cushion, but instead it is hard! One of my favorite things to do back when I was single and had no obligations was to go to IKEA and wander and eat meatballs. I would always sit in the chair section for a while and watch people sit in the Tullsta for the first time. The surprised looks as people stopped short instead of sinking in was funny.

And I think those bag things above are ugly. Cheers!

posted by HCVMama on February 6th 2010 at 3:18pm
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i think it's the styling....if it was in some jonathan adler room with a beach chic vibe with this chair as the "special" item in the room people would probably look at it differently.

I like the chair purely because it ISN'T the eames chair.

posted by madamelai on February 6th 2010 at 3:34pm
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If it takes so little time and so little money why wasn't it done as a hack before this was posted? As I'm not a fan of the (expensive) original anyway, I really doubt that a budget DIY knock-off would look great. Might be more interested if there were actually one done that we could see though.

posted by travislessness on February 6th 2010 at 4:42pm
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I enjoy the brief comments on AT as well and sometimes skim over those that go into great detail. That being said, I say nuh uh to this re-do.

posted by Adriennella on February 6th 2010 at 8:19pm
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These chairs are perfect examples of why designers need to use COLOR.

In white and blue: kotex.

In browns and greens, to go with the already rattan-ish texture: lovely.

posted by Emika on February 7th 2010 at 11:18am
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awful! Maybe to some these are wonderful, but to me they are simply awful!

posted by ellearRVA on February 7th 2010 at 12:36pm
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I like these chairs and love the idea of transforming something with common, inexpensive materials. I usually hate things from IKEA, but can really get into the idea of using the nondescript forms as a base for something much more interesting. I often click through on any before/after transformation project, mostly because I like process and also because as someone without the budget to realize all my aesthetic impulses through purchase, I may be tempted to recreate the project at hand. That being said, I'm always happy when the before/after project doesn't involve spray paint and brightly colored, big patterned fabric as it often does. Not that that's a bad thing, its just not my thing. And I've seen it already. Waaaaayyyy too many times.

posted by Cindy on February 7th 2010 at 1:42pm
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I don't like the fabric 'cause of its "passing" quality, I wouldn't feel relaxed, only reminded that it's not meant to last. But I love the design! So so stylish!
(As about the majority of comments --yes, the one-word ones-- I don't feel surprised after seeing some of the rooms the readers have voted for. :p )

posted by tulpoeid on February 7th 2010 at 5:43pm
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Oh I hate to say this but these chairs look like the panties/underwear that they give you in the hospital after you've had a surgery!

posted by s0damglam on February 7th 2010 at 6:35pm
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Yeah, NO!

posted by Lori on February 7th 2010 at 7:34pm
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I really like it. I think it is fun and I would be interested in seeing it with the other side of the blanket and if might take on a very space age feel. It looks cozy and would go great in my very brilliant, artistic son's room. I must admit however, It does look like something we would have come up with at RIT in 3D design class.

I wouldn't have thought it would cause such intense feelings thus making this a very interesting comment section to read, a bit like reality TV.

posted by tinaloco on February 8th 2010 at 8:01pm
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Both the original and DIY look very uncomfortable. Looks hard to get out of and after awhile the seat would be sagging to the floor. I think my cat would like it

posted by majeral512 on February 18th 2010 at 10:03am
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With what you were given and the original chair look... good job. Not my cup of tea personally but nice execution. Looks like the real thing.

posted by dove8503 on March 9th 2010 at 3:01am
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