This chair was found at a local thrift store and sat in my barn for a couple of years before I figured out what kind of refresh to do. Full of dust with a seen-better-days cushion, it needed a bit of work to be a comfortable place to sit. Here's how this little cane chair underwent a makeover to bring it back to life.
Old Fabric
First thing was to take off the old fabric. The cushion was carefully deconstructed the cushion so the old fabric could be used for a pattern. The decaying foam was also used to make a template.
Bare Bones
Once the worn out bits were removed, the tiny nails and staples were next. The channel was cleaned and it was given a good cleaning. Because of the condition of the wood finish, there were two options. Either refinish or paint. Because the cane was in great condition, it was painted in White Hyacinth.
This happens to be my favorite Sherwin Williams color. It's the right blend of creamy white to match most anything. And, truthfully, I had nearly a full gallon sitting around from another project and didn't want it to go to waste.
Restrapping
Although the springs were in great shape, this little chair needed some new straps to fix the sagging bottom. After that was done, the padding on the chair based was reaplced and a dust cover added to the bottom.
Finishing Touches
A dark grey fabric was chosen for the chair base and cushion. The cushion was fairly easy to construct to give it a more casual look. The hardest part of this project was the piping around the chair base. Making it was easy, putting it on took a lot of patience.
Chair refreshes never get old. Realizing the potential of such a beautifully constructed, yet worn out, piece of furniture and giving it many more years of use by refreshing it is really satisfying.