Upholstered Chair: Before and After

This extra grainy photo (circa 2009) was the only 'before' I could find of the chair. I took a bunch on my iphone as I was taking it apart and putting it back together .... but sadly the phone died and took the photos with it. 

When my husband and I were first married we bought a red microsuede chair (above) at a local furniture outlet for $100. It was a rocking chair, which seemed useful enough ... but never really was. It sat in the living rooms at various apartments, then after we had our first baby, we tried to repurpose it in the nursery. But the arms weren't conducive to nursing a baby, and the rocking function was really more annoying than helpful. So we just sort of put up with the chair.

This summer, after the chair was kicked out of my son''s room to make way for toys, it landed in the living room, again. We took the rockers off and replaced them with feet that we got from a chair found in the dumpster at D.I. (Don't worry, we got the manager's permission and paid for $2 for the feet).

The fact that it didn't rock and scrape the wall behind it was a big improvement, but the chair's tomato red coloring didn't play well with the calm blues and greys in the room. Late one Saturday night, I got a wild hair to reupholster the chair myself. So I took it apart!

This was my first major foray into upholstery. I made a headboard for our bedroom and have replaced fabric on a kitchen chair but nothing major. I was ready to get rid of the chair, anyway, so I figured I didn't have much to lose by trying to reupholster it myself. I should have picked an easier first project — you know, one where I didn't have to make my own bias tape and piping — but now I've tackled it and lived to tell the tale.

I used this Serena & Lily fabric — retail price is $50 a yard! — found at Home Fabrics for $5.99 a yard. (I found the DwellStudio fabric I used on my master bedroom curtains the same day. Happy day!) It is a nice, heavy canvas and was perfect for this project.

And here is the after:

A detail shot of the arm. It isn't perfect, but I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

Not too shabby for about $50 in fabric and supplies

This corner still needs some help. I'd love to find a perfect lumbar pillow for this chair. I will likely move the pictures above the chair when I tackle the TV wall. Oh, and I'd love to get a pharmacy-style floor lamp to get behind the chair and add some depth to the corner. Maybe this one?

For now, I'm super pleased with result and glad that I tried to revive the chair rather than tossing it in a landfill. I definitely see more projects like this in my future. What do you think? Have you ever tried to reupholster a piece of furniture? I can post some resources and tips if anyone is interested.