I recovered an office chair! I was intimidated, but gathered the courage to do this (while hubby was away for the day!), and I'm glad I did. This lifeless-looking thing has been around for at least ten years, and was overdue for an update.
 |
| BEFORE |
Basically, I followed a tutorial by PracticallyFunctional that I first saw on Pinterest. However, as with all DIY projects, as I went, I realized I needed to make adaptations. My chair isn't put together like the one in the tutorial. So, I found that even taking the chair apart was a bit of a challenge.
The seat came off the frame, but not without a few screwdriver scrapes.
At least a hundred staples had to be removed.
I learned that it was easiest to remove them this way. The edge of the seat became the lever for the pliers to push down against, to "roll" and lift out the staples.
The trickiest part was figuring out how to get the cushion off the seat back! Mine didn't have obvious screws, as in the tutorial. I finally did a Google search and found someone who had a chair like mine, and figured out what to do - cut through the fabric of the seat back and cut through the foam to reach the plastic plug/screw set that would release the seat back board from the plastic back. Whew.
I had one inch-thick foam on hand from which I could cut a new piece for the seat back.
At one point, I began to wonder if I would be going out to buy a new office chair!
Determination saw me through. I love this home dec seat back fabric - notice how I centered the print?! It's a leftover from the cover I sewed for Hogan's window bench in July 2012. I wish I'd had enough of this print to cover the seat too.
But I kept it economical, and used another leftover home dec print in leafy aqua. Now we're not only sitting prettily, but also more comfortably because I put a one inch layer of foam on top of the original foam seat.
 |
| AFTER |
I'm impressed. Looking at all of the bits and pieces on the floor I would have guessed it would have taken more than 3 hours. It's a great looking chair and so bright and cheery.
ReplyDeleteI did mine over the winter and just love it
ReplyDeleteYour fabrics are perfect. Doesn't it just make you happy when you walk into the room?
I love it! I've been so tempted to do this but my chair has a full back . . . yup, intimidated!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! You are a clever lady (of course I already knew that)!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful chair that goes so perfectly in your studio. I think it would have taken me two days of attempts and then who knows what would have happened. It's bright, functional and comfortable now. Wonderful job, Linda.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have given up at the '100 pieces' stage! But boy, you must be proud of it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job Linda!
ReplyDeleteYay for you, it looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThree hours still sounds like excellent time to me! You did a great job and the end result is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteReally love this chair. Those colors are great.
ReplyDeleteLove the fabrics. I recovered the seat of my chair a while back now, but never got around to the back. Mainly because I realised I didn't have enough fabric, then life got in the way. I'm tempted to start again with something bright and cheery like your choices.
ReplyDeleteFull marks for persevering, Linda! I love the photo of the point-of-no-return :-) In the end your hard work was well worth it. Such a pretty and stylish chair!
ReplyDeleteWOW, what a great makeover. You did a wonderful job. I love the fabrics you used.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great new look for your chair! I'm afraid I would have gotten it all to pieces and then not been able to get it back together.
ReplyDeleteYour chair looks so much better after it's makeover, now I want one.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, I'm so impressed!! Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, cheerful, and new, it's a great confidence builder!! Who knows what DIY project you'll tackle next!!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I wonder if I dare to try this myself...
ReplyDeleteI"ve been thinking of covering my similar chair with selvages, Linda. I had no idea that there were instructions on pinterest.....wonderful. Thanks for the confidence builder of a tutorial from you. I love your fabric choices. All of those pieces spread out on the floor and then your great finish is a pretty impressive sight!! Now, I just need to build up my stash of selvages again after using them all on my quilt. Oh, bummer! =)
ReplyDeleteSeems like these DIY projects are never as easy and quick as they are advertised to be. Your chair looks fantastic...now you need another Ichair so you can sit and admire the one you just finished :)
ReplyDeleteSeems like these DIY projects are never as easy and quick as they are advertised to be. Your chair looks fantastic...now you need another Ichair so you can sit and admire the one you just finished :)
ReplyDeleteI am impressed at what you turn your hands to.
ReplyDeleteThis is well worth the effort with a great result. What a nice chair to sit on.
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job on your chair. I think 3 hours is very short for the taking it apart and getting it all recovered. And it beautifully matches your drawer unit. I would have never thought to look for a tutorial on Pinterest.
ReplyDeleteYour chair looks so cute and fits you as person perfectly and now togehter with the turquoise caddy! Perfect!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you did it in 3 hours - it would have been an all day job for me! :) blessings, marlene
ReplyDeleteGreat job! And nice work using all those resources to get it all figured out. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to try it... but my "desk" is a 7' long 3' tall counter. One of these chairs would put me far too low to work properly. :) Yeah, I could stand (aren't standing desks all the rage nowadays?) but I already stand 9 hours at work, I want to be seated at home, thanks. I'll keep this in mind, though, and maybe I can design something a bit better for me. :D
ReplyDeleteYou're a no-reply commenter, so I am unable to respond to you directly, but I want to point out that you certainly CAN do this! My chair is adjustable-height, so being "too low to work properly" shouldn't be a concern for you. My best as you search for what you're looking for!
Delete