Danish Chair Makeover

A few months ago I spotted a pair of chairs hiding underneath a rug at Scott’s Antique Market. These little babes are what Cher Horowitz would refer to as a “full-on Monet”; from far away they look okay, but up close they’re a big ol’ mess. I heard my husband’s voice in my head, “We don’t need any more chairs and you don’t need any more projects.” But the vendor’s voice was much louder, “Forty for the pair!” I forked over the cash and that was that.

Like most of my projects, they’ve been in the basement waiting on some lovin’. I snatched up a few yards of this delicious Nate Berkus fabric at Joann’s a few months ago and went ahead and knocked out the upholstery but left the frames in the garage until I got motivated to finish them.

The old fabric was nasty. I disassembled the chairs and used a seam ripper to take apart the upholstery. So nasty.

I cut the new fabric using the old as a template but since I also added some batting, I went ahead and pinned the fabric, right side down, while on the cushion. This helps to get a snug fit and also helps to line up your pattern and keep it straight.

A few weeks ago I was working on a dining table for the fabulous design duo GordonDunning, and after a horrible Minwax Gel Stain disaster (more on that in the next month or so), I had my first experience with General Finishes Gel Stain.

Oh. Em. Goodness. Such a dream.

I had enough left over to give these Danish chairs a good rub down.

I stripped them down to bare wood, rubbed them down with two rounds of  General Finishes Gel Stain in Antique Walnut and finished them with Arm R Seal.

Here are some more “before” shots:

…and after:

I can’t emphasize enough how incredibly wonderful the General Finishes Gel Stain was to work with – and this is not a sponsored post. I plan on really getting into the deets after I get some good pics of the table so you can comapre the Minwax disaster with the GF, but long story short – I’ll never use another stain. Ever. Ever, ever.

The upholstery job on these could be better.

Don’t get me wrong, I looooove the way they turned out but… they’re not perfect, and that bothers me. But, I’m not selling them, so I’ve given myself a pass.

Ugh, Nate Berkus you just shut your mouth with this fabric. I love it so hard.

One more quick look at the before and after:

…and a quick peep at their new home in our living room…

Summary:

I would eat General Finishes for breakfast if there wasn’t a warning on the can. Also, Nate Berkus, new chairs, Scott’s Market.

If you’re in the Atl area, Scott’s is this weekend, so, ya know, make sure you stay home and watch the Masters so I get all the good deals. Thanks.