My favorite reupholstery projects take antique bones and dress them in unusual fabrics or modern materials.  Reupholstered with French vintage grain sacks, this Edwardian sitting chair takes on new life.  I especially enjoy the symmetrical and purposeful use of the graphics on the grain sacks.

Of course, another fantastic way to add vintage grain sacks and burlap into your home is to stop by maya*made’s Etsy shop, who just had an exciting shop update today!

Do you have any creating plans this weekend?  I hope that you will enjoy a happy, relaxing, and inspirational weekend!

Christianna’s London home is graced by a lovely Ercol day bed reupholstered with charming Designers Guild fabrics, which are a pretty respite from its original tan color (cleverly disguised in the “before” photo with a turquoise throw).  Blessed with a capable friend who kindly reupholstered the vintage 1960s piece, Christianna opted to replace the stiff back cushions with comfortable, relaxing bedroom pillows — smartly covered with removable (and reversible) covers.  With a flick of her wrist and a change of her mood, Christianna can revamp the look of her vintage Ercol day bed by flipping over her pillows.  Paired with matching Ercol armchairs, this set is perhaps one of the best charity shop finds in all of London!

May this New Year bring inspiration to revamp, repurpose, and reupholster!  Happy 2009!

Many readers have emailed me regarding the appropriate means in which to “take down” or “rip out” the old tacks and knots to prepare an antique chair for reupholstery.  This process is one of the best ways to learn about reupholstery — especially regarding your specific piece.  However, before you begin the deconstructing process, do you need to rebuild the structure and stuffing, or can you simply recover your antique chair with new fabric?  You can ascertain this by conducting the following inspection: (read the rest of the reupholstery guide after the jump)

• Place your hands on the upholstery to feel for firmness.  Make sure it does not sag, especially near the front of the chair.  If you find that one of the edges can be flattened, then you will need to create a new edge.  Next, you want to look on the underside of the chair.  Through the webbing and springs, how does the burlap look?  Can you see fraying, especially along the edges?  After this inspection, if you find that all of the edges and pressure points look to be secure, then you may only need to recover with new fabric — leaving the structure intact.

Keep in mind that not all stuffing is created equally.  Here is a guide to evaluate whether you need to replace the existing stuffing in your antique chair:

1. Horsehair: This type of stuffing found in many antique chairs can be used for decades to come.  If your antique chair has a horsehair pad, it is highly likely that you can reuse it, as long as the pad itself looks to be smooth.  Even if you find that the pad has lumps, you can tease the stuffing.
2. Wood shavings: Some antique chairs may have been stuffed with wood shavings, and in the vast majority of cases, you will need to create a new pad.  The same goes for sea grasses used for stuffing.
3. Foam: More recently constructed chairs may utilize foam.  Look at the pad to see if there are areas of indentation or flaking.  It the foam pad does not seem to be smooth, then you may want to use a replacement pad.

Once you have ascertained the condition of your stuffing or antique chair pad, you can begin deconstructing the piece.  By carefully deconstructing the layers, you can see exactly how your chair was constructed, and this will help when you add your own reupholstery flair.

Tools Needed:

• Ripping Chisel
• Mallet

To take the tacks out of the existing frame, the appropriate tools make life much easier.  Under the head of the tack, you will want to lodge your ripping chisel, and then use a mallet (or hammer) to wedge out each tack.  Make sure you are striking in the direction of the wood grain, as this minimizes the strain and potential splitting of the frame.  Start by working with the tacks underneath the seat, and then begin working your way around the front and along the arms (if applicable).

Stay tuned for additional DIY reupholstery guides!  As always, I would love to see before / after pictures of your reupholstery projects!

Photo Credits (from top): Oliver Hare International; JA Milton Upholstery

The mix of old and new appeals to my design aesthetic…I love taking a vintage piece and mixing it with a “modern” fabric to give it an unexpected personality.  Vickie Davis, an artist and reupholstery aficionado from New Zealand, reupholters vintage couches and chairs from 1950s – 1970s, which typically have good native NZ wood bones, with unexpected fabrics.  The result is quite fun!

One of my favorite elements of using vintage and antique furniture in my home is the fact that it is eco-friendly.  Just today, I saved a mid-century modern desk from going into the landfill (pictures on the revamped desk to come).  Another great way to be kind to the environment, while creating a chic, unique look for your home, is to reupholster antique furniture or vintage furniture.  Let’s look at how your vintage stylishness saves the earth!

•  When you reupholster antique furniture, you choose not to partake in the ridiculous amount of raw materials (and emissions!) that have to be shipped internationally for new furniture.
• By reupholstering vintage furniture, you save it from its doomsday death in the landfills.  In the UK alone, more than 50,000 furniture pieces get tossed into landfills each year, and the US number is staggeringly higher.
• It is true that furniture is not made like it previously was…and thus, probability indicates that the piece you are considering reupholstering has greater quality and more longevity than most of the selection on today’s market.

Now you have a reason to feel great about the fabulous reupholstered furniture you have in your home!  (Photo Credit: In House Design)

You found the PERFECT chair on Craiglist – complete with mesmerizing legs and beautiful curves (sounds like a 1950s supermodel!). Unfortunately, the ghastly fabric makes your design spirit cringe, but you have the foresight to look beyond the dilapidated print to see its beautiful soul. Thankfully, with this DIY reupholster tutorial, you can unleash the beauty from within that antique chair!

You could take your chair to a professional re-upholstery company, who will charge you anywhere from $250 – $350 for a single chair. Or, you could take matters into your own hands and complete the DIY reupholster. Reupholstering an antique chair is time-consuming, but it’s fairly simple to do. Set aside two or three days of time for this reupholster, since it is easy — just not easy and quick. Here’s how to reupholster antique furniture – specifically an antique chair.

Before you Move on

Considering it is antique furniture, you’ll need to clean it out. There might be a lone spider living comfortably in grandma’s antique chair, so before reupholstering it, carefully clean it out, using a soft brush and gloves. Gently brush out the cobwebs and dust from the furniture, turning it from side to side, gingerly cleaning out the mess. Once the furniture is clean from dust and cobwebs, you’re ready to reupholster your furniture.

Reupholster Pre-Steps: How to Remove the Cover

These steps mainly deal with drop-in chair seats. The steps differ slightly with other chairs, so consult a guide before continuing – or check back soon as we update frequently with new antique furniture reupholster DIY tutorials!

Now for the steps.

Step 1: Remove the chair seat. Use a screw to unscrew the chair seat, gently removing it. Put the screws in a box if you can, so it’s not lost. Wouldn’t that be a downer if you couldn’t find it after all of this reupholstering?

Step 2: Turn the chair seat on its bottom. You should see some sort of foam under it. Staples or nails should fasten this securely all around the edge. Gently remove the staples or nails with a plier or staple remover. You won’t be using these staples or nails after reupholstering your furniture, so you can discard these elements.

Step 3: Remove the foam and cover, throwing the old seat cover away. Take a look at the foam. Is it in good condition? If so, then you can keep the foam. However, if there are any signs of mildew, mold, or an interesting smell, you should replace the foam. You can buy chair foam at fabric stores, especially ones that specialize in furniture fabric.

Now you’re ready to reupholster your antique chair.

How to Reupholster with New Fabric

You’ll need the fabric, a Sharpie, and a heavy-duty stapler for these steps. This is the actual reupholster portion.

Step 4: Fold your fabric in half, so you know where the halfway mark is. Mark it on the backside with a marker.

Step 5: Flip the chair seat upside down carefully onto the fabric. Trace the outline of the chair onto the backside of the fabric. Cut the fabric 2 to 3 inches over the outline with a pair of scissors.

Step 6: Take the foam and place it back on the underside. Staple this securely to the edges of the chair, making sure to be careful.

Step 7: Place the chair seat back down on the fabric. Wrap the fabric around the chair seat, stapling the extra fabric underneath the seat frame. Staple carefully every inch or so, making sure the fabric is tight and smooth. Go all around from top to bottom, making sure every staple is stapled securely.

Step 8: If you would like to add detailing to the chair reupholster, you can place double-piping along the edge of the seat. You simply need to utilize a hot glue gun to add a portion of piping onto the chair seat.

Now you’re probably wondering why I suggested two or three days time. It comes from removing the staples carefully. You’re dealing with a fragile, antique chair so you must take the utmost caution not to break it (you know, otherwise you can’t reupholster it, but it makes great firewood).

I would recommend starting with the antique chair with the drop-in seat as your first reupholstery project. Then you will be ready to move onto other types of chairs, and even antique sofas! Stay tuned as we present more advanced reupholstery DIY tutorials. We are in the process of re-upholstering a dining set and an antique settee, and we can’t wait to show you the results!

The images presented in this tutorial are courtesy of Country Living.

Many people ask me whether or not they should reupholster their antique furniture. Although I am a proponent of salvaging our antique history and vintage decor, unfortunately, not all antique pieces are created equal.

There are several questions to ask yourself, when it comes to reupholstering Aunt Jenny’s heritage chair or your most recent Craigslist find.

• Is your antique furniture OLD enough? Although age is just a number, the craftsmanship of yore changed dramatically in the last three decades. As a general rule of thumb, your antique furniture that is more than 40 years old is typically worthy of re-upholstery. Furniture from pre-1970s were traditionally made of hardwood that was kiln-dried, making the structure more solid. In addition, they were constructed with corner blocks, along with coil foundations. Therefore, the overall structure of these pieces of antique furniture is strong – making it a worthy long-term investment.
• Was the antique furniture originally custom? If this is the case, then you may want to place the antique piece in the “to reupholster” classification. Typically, if someone had the piece custom-made decades ago, they spent a great deal of money and thought into the piece – which translates into a unique, well-made antique furniture piece for you.
• Are you happy with the structural design? Remember, you should only reupholster a piece if you love the structure, and simply want to change the fabric. If you want to alter the existing structure of the piece, then you may want to simply get a custom-designed piece, which may cost the same as re-upholstery.
• Do you love the antique piece? Overriding all of the other elements is how much you love your antique furniture piece. Unless you reupholster yourself (which we have a DIY reupholster tutorial coming this week!), it can be very expensive. If you plan to hire a reupholstery professional, think twice about whether you are in love with the piece – till death do you part – or if it was only fleeting love at first sight.

When you are looking for pieces to reupholster, you must be able to look past the hideous fabric and stains to see its underlying beauty – which lies within the structure. Do you have any vintage or antique furniture pieces you have reupholstered? If so, send an email to poetry@poetichome.com, and we’d love to feature your style!

Stay tuned for our update this week with a DIY re-upholstery tutorial!