A few months ago I was on my way out with the trash in hand to be put in the bin. It had started to sprinkle and I was running late, but it didn’t stop me from noticing something sitting next to the trash bin. Oddly enough, I had just gotten a dining room table passed onto me a month prior. I loved the idea of having somewhere to pull up a chair as I had long gotten rid of all my old furniture when I has last moved out of state.
As luck would have it, I noticed 4 matching dining chairs sitting on the ground left behind by their owner. I hadn’t had any time to find chairs to go with my table at that point, and immediately felt as though I was being smiled upon. I didn’t know what kind of shape the chairs were in, but between running late and the rain droplets that were beginning to fall more heavily, I quickly gathered the four chairs and loaded them into my SUV.
In need of a makeover
After I got home from class that afternoon, I evaluated the chairs to see what kind of work they needed. The black chair frames were a perfect match to my black wooden table, and I was stoked! I didn’t much care for the gold, but all in all it was a minor detail. The main problem with the chairs were the microfiber 80s styled cushions which reeked of cigarette smoke, and the chair wood bases which were cut way too large for the chair frame.
It took some messing around, removal of 437 million staples, drilling, new boards and fresh fabric, but all in all I think they turned out rather nicely.
New fabric for an old chair
After comparing samples with my then visiting mother, I chose a fabric that was much more suited to my earthy casual decorating habits. The greens and blues were much lighter and more soothing than the out of place space aged looking microfiber.
After the foam had been resized and the fresh wood my father kindly got for me had been cut, the new cushions were reassembled with the fabric stabled and boards drilled.
A fresh and more modern look
My dining table final got a proper set of chairs that were both functional and fun. While I still like to work on the floor a lot as my inner-child takes over, it’s been nice that if I have a dinner party or need a decent work surface I at least have the option now.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
the chairs look great! i still want the one that my mother had (my sister in arkansas has it now…of course not being in use), but i doubt i will get it. it has the coolest carved legs with lion feet. you did a lovely job dear!
What a great find and what an awesome job you did on renovating them! They look great, I’m super impressed. I think our old couch at home had that exact same fabric on them (the older fabric). Made for a cozy comfy couch, but not a good look on those chairs and these days.
very cool…i love when i find something serendipitously and then alter it (or them in this case) to suit my tastes and really make it my own.