chair makeover in progress– paint color suggestions needed!
Last weekend, I covered the chair shown above with a rose-print fabric from Brooklyn General. This was my first reupholstering attempt. A friend found the abandoned chair down the block from my apartment and lugged it over, assuming I’d like its lines and would figure out how to address the problem of its staid floral fabric.
Covering chair seats is supposed to be easy, but I was suspicious. Instructions (from The Nest, Martha Stewart, and eHow) blithely advised to “unscrew the seat,” but I was convinced my chair would have something annoying up its sleeve, like tightly-stuck nails. Wrong. A couple of turns with a screwdriver, and out it popped.
Next I placed the seat face down on the new fabric. The instructions suggested removing the old material, but I left it on in the hopes of a cushier seat (which explains why it’s plumper than the original). I also left in the old batting, out of laziness. In pursuit of flat corners, I notched “V”s at the points where the fabric gets folded over while turning a corner edge. Unfortunately, my “V”s weren’t the right shape, so my corners are lumpy. (Anyone have tips on how to solve that problem?) Overall, though, reupholstering turned out to be a relaxing and absorbing way to spend an hour. Final step: using a staple gun to secure the material.
The main reason this project was uncomplicated is the chair itself. It has the right kind of seat—”drop-in,” according to one set of instructions. Because it’s old, the screws practically fell off. And its nicked wood and wobbly left arm, which I plan on gluing, meant I wasn’t worried about ruining the chair with a badly-placed staple.
As it happens, the fabric I picked out isn’t that unlike the old one, but hopefully the right paint color will emphasize its jewel-like pinks and greens, making the chair look more up-to-date. My question for you is: what color do you think would best complement the brown-and-pink pattern? Pale pink? Cucumber? Cream? I’d love to get your suggestions about the palette — I think it will make a big difference! — Bunny W.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:46 am
What about a happy sage? Something like this? http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/bedbathstore_1982_249389478
It will brighten up the fabric and make it a real statement piece…
January 17th, 2008 at 6:53 am
I would definitely go with a green.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I would absolutely go with pale pink – it’ll look fresh and cute and bring the tradtional-style chintz fabric up to date. Or else a pale sage green like on the leaves. Make sure to bring some of the fabric with you when buying the paint!
January 17th, 2008 at 9:14 am
a very pale blue could be interesting
January 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
if you opt for pale green or pale pink – it might lean a little spring/eastery, dontcha think? i’d do a magenta to make it POP.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hmm . . . green is tempting, but I think a cream with some pink undertones would be nice.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I think a pale pink would be amazing.
January 17th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I like the magenta idea. But then, I have a pepto-pink office!
January 18th, 2008 at 5:17 am
This is way too hard. What happened was, the original fabric had a hint of something tradional, very formal, and you went all Waverly on the fabric. (nothing against waverly, but it doesnt work in this case) The best thing here would be to rethink the fabric. The chair and the fabric are apples and oranges, chinchilla and plaid. (did I just say that?) Thats why it’s difficult to decide. The chair is gorgeous. Get some wood glue, firm it up, then go shopping with a picture of the chair, and then you have a couple of choices, either to match its seriousness in the fabric, or to go totally the opposite. I just bought some fabric for my kitchen chairs that are little hens and chikens. (not what you should do) Pick a stripe with variegated widths and colors, matching your decor…a toile might look good. Go serious or whimsical, either way is paying homage to a very pretty chair.
January 18th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Everyone, thank you so much for your suggestions. Laura_s, good point about the Eastery effect—I can see in particular how green might do that. I like the magenta idea, but that really depends on finding the perfect shade, and painting the chair flawlessly. If I pick that first I will do a quick post about paint tips, perhaps.
Also, Audrey, I see what you mean about the fabric, absolutely. My living room isn’t very formal, though: do you think that’s a problem?
Nevertheless, now I am considering perhaps posting with some new fabric ideas. Any new thoughts from all of you? Also, in addition to needing some glue, the chair is nicked and scratched; if I take Audrey’s suggestions and use a different fabric and no paint, is there a way to make the wood look better that isn’t too time consuming (such as wood stain, which I’ve never used)?
January 18th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I disagree with Audrey–why be so regimented about it? I like the sound of the cucumber/light sage.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:13 am
I don’t favor anything pale because of the “Easter” affect, mentioned by someone else…unless your room is something like cottage-style and already has a feminine palette. If not, go bold to bring it into this century! If you want to keep the wood, then another fabric that is bold in design and color would make it feel up-to-date. But I like the “waverly” fabric if the chair is painted in a blog color.
I love the magenta idea, or hot pink done in a high gloss. A bold, not pale green, could be stunning too. Since you said your room is not formal (and I am guessing not strickly traditional?), then I think you can have fun, even go wild.
What color first came to my mind is a chair from Brocade Home — a peony-colored chair. This color would work too, and you can see the high-gloss shine. See here: http://www.brocadehome.com/bh/catalog/product/product_detail.jsp?productId=bh_prod112051&link=leftnav&navAction=jump&navCount=2
You might also consider dry brushing on some crisp white, maybe even chocolate brown, and wiping it off to reveal the carved wood details/lines in the wood. You can experiment. Just wipe off quickly while it is wet if you don’t like it.
I will enjoy seeing this unfold. There are so many “right” ways to do this peice. I will blog soon about refurbishing furniture and will link this for my readers.
thanks for sharing!
and keep going…
Dana
January 19th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Oh, definitely paint the chair! You’re not matching a dining room suite, so go for it. Just take a pic of the chair when you go fabric shopping, pick a deliberately non formal fabric, but one that doesnt clash with the chair. I wish I knew your house, I’ve looked for so many fabrics for me lately that I could rattle off design numbers, much less the names of the designers! Pick a fabric that goes with the rest of your house, and then make sure it has one offbeat color, to jazz up but not disrespect it, and you’re 3/4 of the way there!
January 19th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
OMG just saw those peony chairs! And that price!! THAT was worth turning my computer on!
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I love the frame of the chair and I think it can look amazing in a number of colors. I would think about what room you plan to have it in and what color palette you want in that room.
Bottom line is that any other half a yard of a fabric would not be all that expensive if you wanted to rethink the entire look of the chair.
I think it could look really cool if the chair frame were either black or white. With a modern fabric with either green, yellow or white hues. (Any of the fabrics in the website link would look cool with a dark almost black or white chair frame.
It could even be great if the frame were red with a white fabric seat. It can become a cool accent chair. I’m excited to see what you decide!
February 5th, 2008 at 7:04 am
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