Thursday, June 16, 2011

Reupholstering Chairs, The Finished Product

Remember this post that I did here upholstery post ? Well, I never fully showed you the amazing finished product. We used some very nice and well made chairs that we already had and we customized them by changing the fabric, which is a great trick to getting a designer look or trying new trends without the hefty price tag.

Many times I hear people say that it is too expensive to reupholster something vs buying it new, but I say if you have something that has good shape or that was a great thrift then recovering them in your own hand picked fabric is a great way to give your room your own stamp and individuality that you just won't find typically purchasing off the racks. Also, for a price of around $125, you can't beat the designer results that you will get in addition to your own giddy happiness once you see them.

Here's what we started with:


Now, I'm not saying that these are the worst in the first place. We actually used them in our old home, and they looked great (see my heading pictures). They simply didn't go with our new space. So instead of selling them for pennies vs what I paid for them (and they were not cheap), we decided to recover and re use them. They are decidedly smaller in shape and would work well in our new smaller space.

Here are the finished chairs:

Front:

Back:


Throw Pillows:


We decided to do a different fabric on the back vs the front, but kept the colors similar with a robins blue fabric. All were purchased at a deep discount from fabric.com. We also had some throw pillows made for the chairs to help bring our other pieces together, and we covered the pillows with both fabrics (one on either side) for versatility when we want to change things up a bit. I bought the feather pillow inserts from Ikea for $6 each, and the pillows cost me $25 to make. For a total cost of $312 we have custom chairs and pillows. The only things I have seen close to this price (but not close in quality or style) were from Target or Marshall's. I love our results and how these tie the room and our other elements such as the tans and whites together. What do you think? Have you ever reupholstered something that you just love?

4 comments:

  1. The chairs are fabulous and I love that you found some affordable fabric, that really helps. I am having a devil of a time upholstering a headboard. I can see why it costs so much, it is not easy work, especially for a skilled upholsterer.

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  2. Great job! Love the new fabric!! Can u disclose who you used for the upholstery? Do you recommend them?? Would love to know and hear your feedback :)

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  3. Thanks for the comments. It does make a huge difference to have a good upholsterer. Mine is a Cuban man in Hialeah who speaks little to no English as a side note. Email me directly and I will get you his contact info. He is wonderful

    whitneykirsling@yahoo.com

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  4. Love your blog. So glad to find a fellow Miamian with fabulous taste!

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