DIY Antique Chair Makeover

      One thing that makes stagers unique is that they have to be very creative on a job due to small budgets. We try as often as we can to work with the homeowner's furniture and accessories. Some cases where this can be difficult is when the the furniture is needed in a new home (as is the case in this project) or is so outdated, using it defeats the whole purpose of staging. Now there are a few options in these cases. One can rent from a local furniture rental shop, buy on Craigslist or garage sales (this is more time consuming than one might think) or re-purpose existing pieces. 

One of the chairs that was being left behind on this project had great bones but just needed a little TLC. It was a Louis XVI chair that had already been reupholstered at one point by the owner. No one was taking claim to the chair so it seemed like a great DIY project just waiting for me.

Step 1: Choose great fabric for inspiration

Step 2: Take chair outside for a light sanding

Step 3. Wash chair and prep for paint

Step 4: Paint. (Note: I'm not usually a huge fan of painting wood but we were already painting the garage door this gorgeous color and it worked so well with the fabric I had picked out—so love it or hate it, here we are.)

Step 5: Once paint has dried (it was so humid it took a few days to really set) begin to pull off existing fabric. This will teach you a lot about how to put your new fabric back on. You will need to remove all staples or nails as well.

Step 6. Lay old fabric pieces on new fabric and use as patterns. Also, if you fabric has a pattern make sure you match it so all your pieces are headed the same direction—ex: vines or flowers

Step 7: Cut! (always give yourself extra—you can always cut back  later)

Step 8: Place new fabric on chair and begin to secure (I used staples because their fast). Start in the center and work your way out, smoothing as you go.

Step 9: Cut any excess fabric

Step 10: Glue trim cord onto edges to cover staples—I bought five yards of light brown trim. I had a little extra but that was better than driving back to the store:)

                                                                       

Voila!