Ultimate Chair Makeover Reveal

BURLAP, HOT GLUE, & MAGIC

Once upon a time, all I could think about was finding the perfect accent chair for the corner of our basement.  In my bouji head, all that would suffice was a Restoration Hardware Versailles chair.  Aaron stopped me from taking out a personal loan in the amount of $2395, so the Versailles wasn’t an option.  I had to keep my eyes open for something quirky, industrial, with good “bones” for an ambush makeover.  One day, whilst on a friends shopping trip, we made a stop at the thrift store.  And as I was wandering the aisles, there it was.  A tiki chair.  And it spoke to me.  Actually, it screamed at me.  ”TAKE ME HOME AND MAKE MAGIC TO ME!”  I went Fairy Godmother all over that Cinderella chair.  Here is the tale:

Tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki chair, next to RH Versailles chair.

First order of business was taking care of the orangy wood color.  I wanted the driftwood look, so a gray-washing was necessary.  I happened to have several gray paint samples lurking the garage.    I mixed a couple of them, and watered it down.  I brushed it on and wiped it off with a rag.  I wanted the wood grain to show through the gray.  It worked.

The gray wash was the easy part.  It was tricky to figure out how I was going to “upholster” this chair.  Since I would be adding to it, I had to think of how/where I would attach fabric and batting.  It sounds lame, but I thought I’d give hot glue a try.  After attaching the first piece, it was SO STRONG.  We tugged and tugged and tugged, and it didn’t budge.  So we carried on.

I would put a line of hot glue on the wood, fold the burlap, and stick it to the frame.  I was worried that it would look too “arts & crafts” from hot glue strings.  Hot glue strings are like those fly aways that your hair has on a bad hair day.  And I didn’t want this chair to look like it had a bad hurr day.  Ain’t gonna happen!  Not with its Kool-Aid hurr… it’s less ghetto, but dramatic.  (Glozelle anyone?)

And then, it was a matter of keeping going.  And trying not to burn my skin off my finger tips. (Which I was completely successful at.)  I did 91% of the chair with this POS glue gun.  Lord have mercy on those who use hot glue guns with no triggers.  I feel for you.

Covering up the wicker, gonna make it slicker…

I’m no expert sewer, so don’t ever turn here for sewing advice.  I bs-ed my way through making cushion covers.  They fit.  It’s a Cinderella-Chair miracle.

This fancy stuff is nail-head trim strips.  Every 5 holes is here you put the actual nail.  It was easy to tack up.  It took minutes.

TA DA!  It’s almost done.  All I had left was the backing, and… I ran out of glue sticks.  Aaron picked some up for me at the store, along with…

THIS!  A glue gun from the 21st century.  It has a TRIGGER!  Now I don’t need to stick my finger down the melting hole.  Don’t know if you’ve ever stuck your finger in a melting hole, but I would advise against it.

My last and final blister.  Good thing I don’t work at the airport anymore.  I am now missing all finger prints.  Anyone want to hire me for committing a crime?

Here is the final reveal for Cinderella-Chair:

The tenants call this my bossy chair.  Something gets into me when I put my bum in that seat.  ”Karl, fetch me water!  Matt, take out the dog!  Aaron, rub my feet!  Addi, give me clothes!”  I just spit out commands and can’t even control myself.

But the bossy chair really does look sharp planted in the corner.  Just as I always imagined it.  I foresee the construction of a little footstool happening for it.

Now it’s your turn.  What things have you transformed lately?  Used any burlap or hot glue?  SHARE!

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This post has been featured on:
Polish The Stars
Home Stories A to Z
Miss Mustard Seed
Tater Tots And Jello
The Shabby Nest
Someday Crafts
One tough mother
East Coast Creative

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