"My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." - Isaiah 32:18

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Dining Room Chairs

I remember promising you a post about my dining room chairs.
I recently reupholstered them which is really not a big deal to do but it always takes me forever to finish even small projects.

I blame kids...

homeschool....

and life!.....

But I've never been the type of mother who believes that having little kids gets me off the hook of doing my womanly and homemaking duties,

So,

I reupholstered my chairs.


                

The chairs are off-white, and I chose this blue and white check fabric.

I really love them!

The seating around our dining room table is mis-matched. I like it that way. It's never once crossed my mind to go to a furniture store and buy a matching table and chairs set. That's just not what I would prefer. I enjoy an eclectic look that appears to have evolved over time.

We have a hand-made bench on one side:


(Micah built it. It's very sturdy! A perfect place for the kids to sit.)

The blue and white chairs are on the other side:


And a pair of slipcovered IKEA chairs are on the ends:

             

I didn't clear off the books and magazines because I don't "stage" my photos. This is what our table really looks like. It's almost never cleared off. We live here. We like to read here, play here, work here, eat here.... 
This picture was taken on a Sunday afternoon and I was flipping through some magazines, sipping tea:


            

The seating around our table is a mix of old and new, store-bought and home-made, natural wood, painted wood, and fabrics. To me it's the blending together of different textures and elements that gives a room a feeling of depth and interest. 

The chairs I reupholstered began as oak. They looked like this for the first few years that I owned them. 



But then I went through an unfortunate season of life where I believed everything should be painted white. These chairs were among many pieces of furniture that did not escape my paint brush. 

(I'm so glad that phase is over!!! Phew!)

I also used to be more of a crafty person back then, too. I wanted grain sack fabric to recover the seats, but when I found out how expensive they were, I decided to make my own.




This is totally not something I would do now, but several years ago I bought a drop cloth and painted grain sack stripes on it. I used it as the fabric to recover the seats. They looked like this:


I remember feeling so proud! Haha!

Over the years, though, they began to look dingy. They were not off-limits to my kids so they accumulated stains. I try to teach my kids to take care of our home and be good stewards of our possessions, but they are just kids after all. Plus, I want them to remember their childhood home as a place where they were free to live and be themselves. The consequence to this however, is yucky, white chairs! Haha!



It felt good to rip the drop cloth off and have a fresh start.

I always start with way more fabric than what I need:


This stems from a traumatizing experience years ago when I barely had enough fabric for an upholstery project and I was stretching, and pulling, and cursing.... and sweating.... (I feel like I might get hives just thinking about it.) Needless to say, I don't ever want to live through that again! Haha...

Remember to staple the corners first:


              

After that it's just like wrapping a present:

             

Once the fabric was on and the seat was screwed back into the chair, I placed it on a work towel,


and gave it two light coats of this magic stuff:

              

Hopefully, I'll get a few years out of this fabric! 

              

I've been enjoying the pop of color in my dining room. And, I think it looks beautiful against my damask wallpaper!

             

I know everybody wants new homes in new suburbs with new furniture these days, but that's just not me. I really love my old farmhouse, and filling it with antiques, unique things, and pieces that either Micah or I have created is icing on the cake. 

Thank you for letting me show you my chairs! I appreciate all of you who stop here. I always hope your time spent on my blog is uplifting and positive!

Feel free to leave a comment. I promise I'll respond!

~Courtney

6 comments:

  1. I had our couch scotch guarded when I purchased it, but I had no idea you could buy a can of it. I need to put that on some of my chairs. Thanks for that tip! I really like your slip covered ikea chairs at the head of your table. It is nice to have some texture in the dining room. Right now I have an all wood dining set. I feared the dirt and food stains. A slipcover can be washed so that is a great option!

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    1. Yes, I wash my slipcovers so I don't fear anyone using them or eating on them. I bought the can of scotch guard at Walmart. I think it was only a few bucks! (Remember to spray your new beautiful runner if you buy a can ;) Thanks for commenting! It thrills me to think I might be sharing useful information! :):)

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    2. Oh for sure! I moved the runner off the table this weekend when Ben was eating spaghetti.

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