It’s really rare that I buy a piece of furniture that’s already been made over with the intent of redoing it. But obviously the owner of this bright turquoise chair wasn’t happy with it anymore, because I got a great deal on it. I really thought the color was too bright, the fabric was too thin and flimsy, and the chair pad that they added was too small (hence the lumps on the sides of the seat).
Don’t get me wrong, I love turquoise, I just don’t think it looked right on this chair. What this vintage (maybe antique?) chair needed was a make-under.
First I painted the frame in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Country Grey – not a true gray, more of an off-white with just a hint of gray. (It needed a few coats to cover the turquoise.)
I also gave it one coat of Annie Sloan’s clear wax.
I cut a new cushion pad from a giant roll I bought from Hobby Lobby a few months back and also recovered the seat. The fabric is like a thick linen with subtle brown threads and a very subtle metallic shimmer… so pretty!
For the final touch, I added some bronze nailhead tacks. <3
The chair is so much more versatile now and can work in almost any space – quite a big difference from the bright blue!
* For all of my tips on doing a chair makeover yourself, read this post. *
Finally, here’s a before/after comparison:
Do you prefer the bright before or the neutral after?
This chair will be going to my booth soon… unless I decide to keep it. 😉
Jolinda lampo says
love the chair and what you did. It is much richer now than before. I am doing a chair right now and painting it turquoise (he he) but will paint over it with the country gray and sand a bit for the turquoise to come through. My home is moving into a beach theme. Keep up your beautiful work. I am always excited when you share.
Rose L. says
LOOKS LIKE A KEEPER TO ME!
Rose L. recently posted…MY PHOTOGRAPHS AS CANVAS ART
Jen says
Thanks Rose! 🙂
Kim says
I like the color of the neutral chair, however, I prefer the seat cushion on the turquoise one! Lovely job!
KATHLEEN WALSH says
I like very much what you did to this chair, turned out so nice !
Jen says
Thank you so much Kathleen!
Deborah says
You did a good job with the refinishing of the wood, but I am unfortunately disappointed in the reupholstery work. It was not done well at all and the cushion used is too thin. It really looks like a DIY version, when it could have been so much more. I do appreciate your blog, though. I am new to it.
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
Hi Deborah, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. This happens to be an older project (2015), and we all learn and improve with more practice. I hope you’ll look around and find some more inspiration in both the old and newer makeovers. 🙂