Antique Eastlake Chair Makeover: From Trash to Treasure

This is an Eastlake Chair.

It’s an antique, dating from the Victorian Era, and I found it in the TRASH! Can you believe it? Given its age, I wanted to honor its history but give the fabric an update.

Step One: Getting Down to Brass Tacks

Or nails, in this case. It was quite clear once I began removing the fabric that this chair had been reupholstered at least once before. In fact, the batting underneath looked relatively new! As a consequence, I decided to focus on a refresh rather than a complete makeover.

I removed the sagging straps that supported the back and found a fabulous wool underneath! This chair had clearly been loved at one point, so it was doubly pitiful that it was discarded.

I replaced the straps with fresh jute and added a layer of new foam and batting over this substructure.

Step Two: Giving the Wood a Glow Up

The wood was in amazing shape for the chair’s age. Sure, there were nicks and dings here and there, as one might expect for something over a hundred years old, but they were easy to fix with a little sanding and some Minwax® Red Mahogany stain.

Once the touch-up stain dried, I polished the wood with Wise Owl® Furniture Salve (in lemon-verbena scent – mmm!). It looked fabulous when I was finished.

It broke my heart, but that meant I had to replace the wheels. I installed reproductions that respected the character of the chair — and actually turned!

Step Four: Freshly Picked Flowers

For this small chair to serve as an accent in a room, the fabric needed to make a big statement. This Spoonflower® velvet print would modernize this piece but honor its elegance. I tested the floral in various positions until I found just the right look for each section of the chair.

Then I applied double-welt trim to cover the installation staples, just as had been done in the previous reupholstering of the chair.