Elegant Accent Chair Makeover: From Sorry to Sunny!

I received this accent chair as a gift to makeover as I pleased.

And wow, was I pleased because I’ve been saving a fabric that I love for just the right project. It’s a beautiful, buttery soft canvas from an Etsy seller that shipped all the way from Turkey! And this drab chair was just the project for it.

Step One: Disassembly

Some days, I think I’m getting too old for this job. The worn fabric was attached by ten million staples. It didn’t want to go! After removing the fabric from both sides of the back and the seat, my wrist and hand were sore for days.

Step Two: The Frame

Except for a few nicks and a loose arm, the frame was in good condition. When I work on a chair, I always check each joint. To tighten this arm, I pried off the cap at the rear of the chair (known as a button plug) to access the screw. Once tightened, I popped the cap back into place.

Often, I paint chair frames to coordinate with the fabric I’ve selected. In this case, I decided the warm wood tone of this chair would complement my print. So, I just needed to address normal wear and tear on the frame. Where there were nicks and scratches from use over time, I lightly sanded to smooth the finish. Then I retouched with Minwax® Red Mahogany stain.

When the repairs were complete, I gave the frame a buffing with Wise Owl® Furniture Salve (in the lemon-verbena scent — aah!). You can check out my love affair with this product in a previous post: Furniture Salve: From Dry to Dazzling. It wakes up the finish, making it glow.

Step Three: Reupholstery

Time to bloom! Yes, my print was a fabulous bright modern floral. First, I stapled the fabric visible from the rear into place with my (rowdy cheers!) Surebonder® pneumatic staple gun. Then I replaced the straps that give the user support when leaning back (visible in the disassembly photo above).

In this case, the original foam was in great shape and could be reused. After I set the back foam into place, I covered it with fresh batting and stapled the new fabric over it all. Brighter already!

Next, I covered the seat with new batting and wrapped the fabric over the foam. When I stapled the floral into place beneath the seat, I lined up the print pattern with that of the chair back to create visual continuity.

Step Four: Trim

To cover the staples on the back of the chair, I made double welt trim out of the same fabric. Then I adhered it in place with a professional grade hot glue gun. For the seat, I made cord trim and stapled it into place beneath the cushion. Finally, I stapled a black cambric dust cover over the underside of the seat.