Upcycling a Vintage Chair

I believe we should love our home spaces and make them personal and unique to us and I KNOW to do that, patience is necessary. So, when I bought this vintage chair two months ago, I took some time to find the right fabric to recover it.

Waiting to find the perfect fabric for our home was worth the wait as I love the chair makeover.

Keep reading to see how I recovered this piece.

I could see the chair had great bones and with a thrift store price of $20, I knew it was coming home with me even though it needed recovering. It had a very brittle tag on the bottom of it.

 From the tag I discovered that the chair had been shipped to a high-end department store in downtown Detroit. The store was open from the 30's to the early 80's and is called a promenade wing chair.

Then the hunt began for fabric to recover the chair in. I love finding fabric for upholstery at the thrift store. I will use curtain panels, blankets, comforters, tablecloths, etc. After two months I finally found this two sided, king duvet cover for $6. The colors and pattern felt just right for this lovely, vintage chair. 

After washing the duvet cover, I decided on the brown side of the duvet cover for the chair. I laid the fabric over the bottom seat to figure out pattern placement and then cut around it. I did use both layers of fabric to recover the chair so that it was thicker and would ear better.

I used a staple gun to attach the fabric to the bottom seat.

For he top cushion, I did lay out he pattern, but did cut around the top cushion for the sizing. I cut about 2 or so inches wider on all sides to create a fake gusset for the back cushion, which is how it had been sewn on the cushion it came with. 

To create a fake gusset, after sewing around the three and 1/4 sides, I pinned across the 4 corners and then sewed across the corners. If the fabric is particularly thick, you would want to cut off the corner after sewing.

This creates a nice corner that wont pucker.

After stuffing the top cushion, I machine sewed the bottom closed. I made a pillow with the duvet fabric. One side is the white fabric and one side is the brown.

I love the bobbin spindle details on the side and this chair is so comfortable.

This lovely vintage chair sits next to my TV buffet in our great room. Everything you see in this photo except the TV and One plant is from a thrift store or garage sale. I didn't go to a craft/home decor store and buy a "canned" display, but rather took the time to find items that I love, that have a history and character. Before this chair sat here, another cute thrifted chair filled this hole. It worked in the in-between time while I waited to source something that is perfect for my home. 

So, the lesson of this story is--patience pays off. Create a home that is unique to you and your personality and style. Let's say no to boring, bland, cookie cutter decor. Oh, and have fun looking for just the right pieces!