Name: Sagesse
Location: Upstate, NY
Time: 33 hours (This includes shopping and 10 hours of hand stitching.)
Cost: $150.00 est. (Please note: JoAnn's has great 40% off coupons, which saved me a lot of money.)
Dark Hotel Chic. Sagesse may be from upstate, but she's pure SoHo with this remarkable overhaul. Head below the jump for all her pics, tools, and instructions and VOTING...
Tell us the tools and resources you used for the project:
1. Chair purchased at a yard sale, by my Mother.
2. Fabric, gimp, batting, and webbing from JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store. (www.Joann.com)
3. Sandpaper, Rust-Oleum Professional High gloss Performance Enamel, Contact Cement, and Butcher's Wax from Lowe's. (www.lowes.com)
4. Staple gun and staples from McMaster Carr. (www.mcmaster.com)
5. Antique Browning agent for brass feet was borrowed from a metal worker friend, due to small amount needed.
6. Hammer, chisel, pliers, screw driver, scissors, thread, and needles are from my own tools.
Share step by step instructions for how you completed the project:
1. After years of having this chair sit in my parent's house, I finally have a place to reupholster and use it. I get so excited about the project that I forget to take a picture of it in its original purchased state of being covered with a worn out burgundy velvet fabric.
2. With a hammer and chisel, I remove all fabric and find out this chair has been reupholstered about 3 times.
3. Make a purchase list, and go shopping.
4. Front brass feet are removed and chair is sanded with 320 grit sandpaper. The chair is then spray painted with black Rust-Oleum Professional High gloss Performance Enamel. I like this paint b/c its stands up well to a beating.
5. Strip and refinish brass feet by oxidizing them to give them an aged look. Oxidizing is sealed by Butcher's Wax. Re-attach to chair.
6. Re-web bottom of sagging chair to create a tight seat.
7. Cover seat, back, and front with batting and muslin to create a smooth base for fabric.
8. Using inherited grandmother's thread, I hand stitched designs into a faux leather fabric (also known as vinyl). Please note: I do NOT recommend using vinyl unless you have adequate upholstery experience. It is very unforgiving and does not stretch or take the shape of rounded corners.
9. Attach fabric by stapling to chair frame. Trim access fabric with scissors.
10. Finish chair with gimp (fancy trim), by attaching it with Contact Cement, to hide staples.
11. Stand back from chair and pat yourself on your back for a job well done!
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
a real eyecatcher!
view SD913's profile
absolutely fabulous!
view CQ in DC's profile
The embroidery is stunning. What a great idea to give this chair an extra bit of oomph. Congrats on a job well done!
view suziegoombs's profile
Rock on!!! And yer Upstate too!
view I Love Upstate's profile
that's one sexy chair!
view southof290's profile
Yowsa! That is gorgeous!
view timmy jr.'s profile
Wow! Socks off.
view El Jinx's profile
Can you tell me how you got such a smooth finish with the timber - did you hand sand or use an orbital? Its one hell of a good looking chair now.
view The Teal Sea's profile
This one is a total winner. Inspiring!
view Eric D M 's profile
Wow, I never would've looked at that chair and seen such potential. Amazing!
view melanie's profile
Beautiful. I would have thought about replacing the casters with something else.
view aphrodite's profile
holy crap!
you must win!
view elizabet's profile
Wow, I love it! Great job!
view tooshie's profile
The best yet!
I soooo want to do this with two inherited chairs in my kitchen, but they have tufted backs. I have zero upholstery experience so the task is a bit duanting. Your chair looks fabulous!
view emhoop's profile
Love it. Actually, I'm already having this done to a pair of chairs I have as I type this ha. I did the wood myself but was scared to upholster the back and do piping.
view Garrett's profile
I cannot believe you did this yourself. It looks amazing!
view AmyV's profile
Gorgeous!
Could you Re-web my sagging bottom and create a tight seat?
view Lori's profile
Nothing more to say....it looks great!
view Patrickinchicago's profile
FABO!
view Mr. Dangerous's profile
This has GOT to be my favorite contest by far!! Too bad I'm still lollygagging on my projects. I have enough to enter the next few years!
view petworthdc's profile
for the win! this is phenomenal!
view kungfookimmie's profile
SO very well done! this is inspiring.
view janewheniordercoffee's profile
Amazing!
view Christine (the one in DC)'s profile
WAY TO GO!
view O's profile
Thank you for the support, everyone! Its been great to see all the projects people are coming up with. And, I'm glad you like my project! For 'The Teal Sea''s question- The frame is hand sanded. An orbital sander wouldn't be able to get into all the detailing and would be too aggressive for this application.
view sagesse's profile
Jeez Louise - hand embroidering on vinyl? You must have hands of steel!
Socks off here too.
view greer's profile
This is great! It's like the Jasper Van Grooten chairs but with a different shape. I like it. And it's a heck of a lot cheaper than Jasper's chairs.
view orangejuce's profile
Okay, I voted 'wow' on two other projects, but I take those both back...this one really is amazing.
view Donald in Pigtown's profile
Bets on how long it takes a major chain like Brocade Home or Z Gallerie to mass-produce a knock-off of this chair? I'm figuring we see it in catalogs by Christmas 2008.
view wende in the twin cities's profile
Beautiful job. The embroidery is a lovely and unexpected touch.
You CAN stretch vinyl if you use a heat gun. Just carefully heat the vinyl from safe distance and slowly stretch over the corner before you staple. With that method there will be no need to fold at the corner.
view mary pat's profile
fabulous transformation!
view kristenk's profile
Oh my! Sooo pretty!
view uisceros's profile
Really amazing before and after transformation! Love the hand-stitched embroidery.
view mc509's profile
There's no excuse for something to ever look that amazingly beautiful. I just about can't stand it. I don't understand why I love that stitching so much.
view Curtis's profile
Socks off. Toes curled. Absolutely beautiful.
view judy in TO's profile
Winner! So Fabulous!
view mistresstina's profile
mary pat's right about vinyl, I found this while researching upholstery, the lady heats the vinyl up w/ a space heater...
http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2006/09/the_hot_seat.php
but I think it would've ruined the beautiful embroidery, and I'd rather see it this way than seamless and plain
view southof290's profile
Brilliant! Can I have one?
view abcarter's profile
I am in disbelief over this transformation! How is it possible to take something worthy of the trash heap and turn it into a thing of such beauty? Applause to you!!!
view Jess C's profile
Fantastic! The embroidery is magnificent!
view SVaranka's profile