Reupholstered Chair with Contrast Piping
I had mentioned that while my mom was here over Easter weekend we were in furniture rehab mode for the Room Service Atlanta project. We were on a roll… & on a lunch break we decided to stop in at the local Thrift Store just to see what they had… you just never know.
I was literally drawn to this glowing beacon at the back of the furniture section. Literally, it was glowing. This neon green cane chair had surely seen better days & a better paint job. I am all for colorful furniture & this pic does not do the color justice as it was a gorgeous shade of slime. But this color was just not doing the trick. The caning had been removed from the back & all who walked by just rolled their eyes at this sad, sad, green chair. But not me. At $6.96 I knew (well hoped) that I could save this chair & the end result would be perfect for the room & my “budget”!
I decided I needed a wood element in the space as everything else is upholstered or painted. Feeling overly ambitious I attempted a little stripping. Paint stripping. After reading a post from Kate’s archives over at Centsational Girl I decided to try Citristrip, but the aerosol version. After about two hours of sitting, scraping, wire brushing & sanding I had a pretty bare surface that I stained with Minwax in Walnut. I was pretty pleased.
Now it was time for upholstery…. oh the options available! After writing a post for Mohawk’s Blog, Creative Home, on contrast piping I decided this was a great little experiment to try the look on.
I also decided that since the caning was MIA, I would get creative with my upholstering & piping…
I upholstered the inside/outside back using the same exact method as my Bergere Chair Tutorial
& for the seat, I followed the same steps for my Drop In Cushion Tutorial…
I then used my trusty upholsterer trick for the Double Piping again… It is just so easy to have someone else do it. One of these days I will attempt it myself. The end result came with me hot gluing the double piping around the open areas of the arms, covering the ridge where the caning would have been attached. I think it gave the chair a young fresh look, especially since it’s PINK!
All in all, the chair cost just under $40 with the Cobalt Blue & Pink Cotton Duck Fabric I picked up on cleareance, the piping, the Paint Stripper & the chair itself… Luckily I had everything else on hand. I can’t wait to get this in the room & styled. I hope it comes together like it has in my head… because if it does, it is going to be good ya’ll! Especially with some of the latest donations!!!
Yeah. That good.
xo-K
OH MY GOSH…love it! You are such an inspiration for my new house, my head is spinning!
This is awesome! Well done Kristen! I've got a couple of chairs with caning that has seen better days…maybe this will be my next project?! Thanks for the inspiration :).
I love it!! I love the pink trim. That chair was absolutely hideous in neon green! Wow… You saved it.
I was at a local re-store this weekend and passed up a $35 Bergere chair(it had arms). Should I go back? I absolutely LOVE yours!
It's fab! I love the colors you chose π xo Kristin
Kristin, I am seriously OBSESSED with this chair!!
AMAZING! I'm in love! Great, great job.
What a great idea. Love it. Hugs, Marty
gorgeous! love the unexpected pink.
That chair is greatness!!! What a great transformation!!!
Impressive!
WOW! What vision! No longer the ugly duckling, but the belle of the ball! Gorgeous!
Okay, I'm curious about what you used as a back to give it stability since there was nothing there any longer? It turned out fabulous!
Hey Karen! I simply stapled the fabric tight along the back, added a layer of foam & batting & topped with the fabric (just like the bergere tutorial.) It is surprisingly stable & comfortable. If the spacing would have been firther I would have recommended something a little more sturdy, but this did the trick!
That is crazy good! Love the mix of the wood tones with the blue and pink. Did you use foam and batting for the back of the chair? Was that tricky without the caning?
This is fabolous. These are such beautiful colors together and I can't wait until the room is finish, so we can see the whole picture.
Just pinned your Bergere chair amazing work from an amazing person.
Really great job!! I have one almost identical, with the cane sides that need to be taken out due to damage. But, I have no clue how to upholster the sides, and make them strong enough. In other words, I just can't staple fabric, so what did you do to construct the back, and sides in order to make them substantial?
Hey A! I simply stapled the fabric tight along the back, added a layer of foam & batting & topped with the fabric (just like the bergere tutorial.) It is surprisingly stable & comfortable. If the spacing would have been firther I would have recommended something a little more sturdy, but this did the trick!
Hi Kristin! Thanks so much for your great answer. It does make sense, and you've given me (and Karen!) the courage to try this. Your chair is catalog-worthy!
Love the wood with the fabrics you chose! This room is going to be amazing!
So beautiful – Another awesome HI remake!
So cute! Love the pink piping. I can't wait to see it all together. I also have to say that I totally look up to you. Great style, very professional and finished, a little spunky. I like it! I usually keep up with your blog, but am soooo behind because I'm actually working on my first real design project that's not for my mom (not that mom doesn't count, but ya know). We're designing a nursery using all Salvation Army donations, so lots of DIY projects here too. Thanks for sharing your work! It's always inspiring!
I love the Cobalt Blue & Pink with the wood and I saw the chandelier on your IG. I have the same one in my bedroom good luck with the assembly!
Would love to share this chair on my DIY blog next week – you did an awesome job! Love the colours. You do the best and most original things. This chair looks amazing (though I actually did love the green too!).
Cortney @ organicallyopulent.com