Thursday, December 03, 2009

transformation

a long time ago, we bought this mid-century modern chair by an unknown designer in a flea market for 50 kroner (approx $10). i was always going to recover it and never really got around to it. in pondering simplicity and making do with what we have and recycling and all those attendant thoughts, i finally felt motivated to recover it. it was so easy, i didn't even remove the old fabric, i just put the new one on right over it. that was possible because the old one was so neutral. it was also heavy quality upholstery fabric, so i thought it would be a good layer underneath the lighter-weight cotton i was covering it in.


i unscrewed the seat and untied the pillow.
then i cleaned and waxed the wooden parts with a neutral furniture wax.
it really should probably be stripped and refinished, but i'll wait 'til next summer to do that.


then i covered it with a patchwork that i made.
the fabrics were some michael miller and lizzy house designs that i bought here a few months ago.


i was inspired after seeing this on flickr.
i just covered the seat and fastened the fabric securely in place with a staple gun.


it took me a total of about three hours of work.
i think i'll be faster the next time.


and although my time is worth something, it feels a bit like getting something for nearly nothing.
a brand new, transformed chair for under 100 kroner (approx. $20).
and it's #93.

14 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Really beautiful done. Like the design of the chair, looks good to me.

Char said...

totally cute!! love it.

now my shipping address is....

(hahahaha)

Indiri Wood said...

Oh, how cool! I would never have thought of using a quilted fabric and the new cover is so much more "you".

will said...

Please make effort to find maker before you remove the old finish. I've seen too many old chairs of hidden value ruined, both in value and patina when refinished. Waxing was smart - so was covering old upholstery. Collectors love stuff "as is".

The shape of the arms appears unique and the back is of a distinct design, perhaps that's a clue to origin.

kristina said...

what a difference - it looks beautiful!

Andi said...

I love it! Love the chair. Love the fabric. Love everything.

Great job!

The pale observer said...

Love that!!! The patchwork looks so cute - great work, oh creative one!!!

Barb said...

It's beautiful!

Myne said...

I love the shape and the fabric most

Mari Mansourian said...

wow looks great, nicely done, my dad has in the past few years collected about 20 some chairs like this.. he makes them look really nice...needless to say my parents house has far too many chairs now :)

M said...

I love it! That is so absolutely nice :)

[pssst... I wanna be like you when I grow up :) now if only I could find the patience to bother with fabric again...]

*jean* said...

ooo you chair looks fabulous!! great fabric...i use a mix of 2:1 olive oil to lemon juice fresh sqeezed & mixed each time you polish...it does amazing things to wood furniture...your little pillow on the back is just the perfect touch!! well done!

Extranjera said...

Very cool.
Please come and recover my beast of an office chair for me. I can't even find my heavy-duty staple gun (and yes, I'm 80% sure I own one).

Also, bring fabric.

And the wax.

Magpie said...

Cool - great chair.