

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.