Friday, December 9, 2011

Before & After: Diamond Tufted Side Chairs

(before)


Earlier this year, I stumbled upon these AMAZING little side chairs on an antiquing trip.  Even though they were missing some buttons and the yellow velvet upholstery had seen better days, I knew they had great potential.  So, we bought them and hoarded them away for a future makeover.

And finally, their time has come! 

When choosing an upholstery fabric, I wanted something simple and sleek.  So, I stayed away from patterns and prints (although, I was tempted to pick a pinstripe), and I landed on a luxurious chocolate linen with a subtle grey undertone.  I wanted the fabric to almost blend with the color of the wood frame, so all the focus was directed at the gorgeous diamond tufting. 






I picked up the two chairs from our upholsterer this week, and I'm beyond thrilled with the result...


Here are the chairs BEFORE:





And, this is what they look like today:





In addition to the new upholstery, we had them completely re-stuffed.  They now have brand new springs, and they're SO comfortable.  For the finishing touch, we picked an antique brass nailhead to trim out the legs.  Just a little bit of sparkle goes a long way.



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10 comments:

  1. They are stunning!!! I love diamond tufting.

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  2. those are gorgeous! where is the linen from? i have been looking for a mauve-y brown woven for months and it's so hard to find the right hue (not too dead & not too brown). can't wait to see where your chairs will live! xo

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  3. Well done. You picked the perfect fabric and the nailheads are a beautiful touch. Wonderful blog too...a new follower!

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  4. They look great! You have a great upholsterer! Love the detail of the nail heads. and those oh so slightly curved legs are lovely! -BOO

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  5. My goodness - what a simply gorgeous transformation!

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  6. I love finding a diamond in the rough and transforming it ~ you (and your upholsterer) did an amazing job!

    I, too, would love to know where you found the linen fabric...

    :)heidi

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  7. Gorgeous! Love the additional nailhead detailing, it really makes the chairs.

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  8. I second the comment . . . where did you find that fabric!

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  9. Thanks for all of the wonderful comments, guys! I found the chocolate linen at Pindler & Pindler. Here is the information: 1766 Vernon in "Espresso"

    It's a really nice chocolate and it's perfect for a couple of side chairs. If you're looking to use it on a sofa (or other large piece of furniture that sees a lot of action), you might want to have it backed for extra durability.

    xoxo
    Kelly

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