Old Chair New Life

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What do you do with a chair no one wants?  Well ask me that question and my answer is keep it!  That’s exactly what I did with my new addition.  Like an unwanted puppy, I decided to be her new owner.  Give her love and affection and breathe new life in her just like I did Clarissa (and still working on Don).

I decided to do some research on this chair and found it’s a Louis XV style Fauteuil armchair.  These chairs were beginning to be made in the 1600’s and were considered French by Royal Design and was designed with a woman’s figure in mind, by having delicate curves.  The backs were round for the softness of the woman’s shoulders and the carvings were considered the ornaments (like a woman wears jewelry).   This particular chair was made during the turn of the 19th century (between 1880 – 1900).  The chair had it’s original needlepoint fabric, however, as you see, it pretty much took a beating.  But, one thing for sure, she’s a real McCoy, a Louis XV french chair.  So, I’m thrilled that I couldn’t sell it for the mere $25.00 I was asking for it at the yard sale.    The average price for these chairs is $500.00, so yes, she is definitely worth investing in.  I’m going to name her Kittra.  Luckily, the frame was strong, but the wood stain was a bit drab.  I decided to paint the frame using Martha Stewart antique gold (please don’t squeal 🙂 )

The gold paint gives it a new look, without taking away from the beauty and not making it gawdy.

For the fabric, I chose a soft chenile pile white fabric and wanted to incorporate cheetah print with it.  I also wanted the authenticity of the chair to remain intact, so I had the upholsterer keep the straw stuffing but add enough cushion for a better seat.  Keep in mind that if you ever get a chair or sofa and discover it’s an antique, it’s always best to preserve some of its history.

Here’s Kittra’s new look

kittra

Time to bring her home and find a space for her.

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I’m in the process of making a few changes in the living room, nothing big, but changing up the wall color and adding a few reupholstered items.  But for now, she’ll rest here.  I was just so excited with her new look I wanted to share it with you.

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I’ve never used white before on furniture, and now that we’re empty nesters and no little ones around, I thought I’d give it a whirl (for at least one piece) and the cheetah print has always been my fettish.  I plan to add a bit more of that around.  I hope you like Kittra’s new look as much as I do.  Have you done a makeover lately?  I’d love to hear all about it.  Until next time, Happy hunting and enjoy thrifting your house into a home!  Smooches

Jamala

 

 

26 thoughts on “Old Chair New Life”

  2. What a great chair. Don’t you love the way upholstery can change the look completely? Changing the finish and the fabric gives old sturdy furniture many lives. This reincarnation is elegant, yet soft, so that is the perfect fit. Soft gold and chenille…lovely.
    You and I are not making any great movements towards becoming upholsterer’s though. Ha! You sent yours out to be done and I just sent four out to be done. I did buy an upholstery hammer though! It works perfect for replacing nails in picture frames when I put new backings on old artwork.
    Ginene

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    • Hey Ginene, Thanks, I’m glad you are pleased with the new look. One of the best things to see is an old chair with new life. It’s an even better feeling knowing it was saved from the dumpster pile. As for the upholstery .. I truly have to give it up..my hands can’t take it. I barely have a grip.. and when I do grip things, they hurt.. so, it was a short lived dream for me. Well at least you have one up on me.. you got a hammer..LOL!

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      • I don’t think I will ever use the hammer for upholstery, but I am so glad I have it now. It is perfect for driving in those little nails on the back of pictures. However, it was so good for this purpose that I put too many nails in on the back of an old print last week, turned it around and saw I put the print in crooked…now, I have to pull them all out.
        G.

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  3. Oh My! (SMH) I absolutely love it. The white is stunning with leopard. You should feel like a princess while sitting in it. The history is right on. I love that you give names to each of your pieces. Well done!

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    • Thanks Linda! Yea I kinda felt a little special sitting in it (for the few seconds I did) lol..but like Clarissa, she’s barely ever gonna get sat on…I just like looking at them.. (i know..silly me lol)..

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  8. Ahhh! Mitra is breathtaking. I love your choice of paint and fabric. It’s so nice to get an opportunity to try a little white. A few years ago, I bought two wing back chairs at a garage sale for $5 bucks each. They were a haute mauve mess with worn out cushions but the solid wood bones were amazing. Sorry I didn’t take pics of the before but after a trip to the plastic surgeon(upholster) they are stunning. Now I am the proud owner of two ahhmazzing wing back chars for the price of one. I’ll throw a pic on Instagram later this morning. Thanks for sharing your treasure.

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    • Oh great Marsha! Isn’t great when we can save something from the dumpster pile and give it new life. I find it so exciting ?. I’m heading over to Instagram to look at your darlings. Thank you for sharing! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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      • Here is a picture of my Great Aunt Mae and her chair

        From: VivaLaVintage – For Your Home To: niq1@att.net Sent: Monday, December 7, 2015 7:34 PM Subject: [New comment] Old Chair New Life #yiv4751697277 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv4751697277 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv4751697277 a.yiv4751697277primaryactionlink:link, #yiv4751697277 a.yiv4751697277primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv4751697277 a.yiv4751697277primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv4751697277 a.yiv4751697277primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv4751697277 WordPress.com Vintage4YourHome commented: “Thanks Marsha! I’m so glad you like her new look! I’ll definitely be gazing at your Instagram to check them out.. I have no doubt they’re amazing, because you have a beautiful home.” | |

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