Accent Chair: From Wan to Whimsical

This accent chair needed perking up.

The intricate back was lovely, but the seat was pretty muted and dull. Fortunately, this vintage reproduction was structurally in great shape.

I had originally planned to paint this but decided I really liked the wood stain. I have to remind myself sometimes that I don’t have to paint everything (even though it feels like cheating to skip that step).

Reupholstery

Apart from minor touch-ups with wood stain, the work on this chair was basically just reupholstery. I searched for a brighter fabric that would echo the curlicues of the back design. This whimsical print from Spoonflower® fit the bill.

I removed the existing welt trim and upholstery — and the zillions of staples that held them in place. The old fabric became the pattern for cutting the new fabric. You can tell from seeing the fabrics side by side that the new print was going to make this chair so much more cheerful.

Now it was time to reapply all those staples. Oh my Surebonder® pneumatic staple gun, how I’ve missed you!

This chair was a little different than many in that the fabric attached to the sides instead of beneath a detachable seat. I had to be extra careful to keep the staples in a neat row so they could be covered with welting cord since there was no room for error.

The last step was to apply the welting cord, but first I had to make it. The trim details are what make a chair reupholstery project look professional, particularly if the trim is bespoke. You can see the double welt forming behind the sewing machine foot. After the excess fabric is removed, the trim is applied with a high heat glue gun.