Make me over - chair edition

Mr D's Grandparent's recently moved into an apartment, meaning they had a four bedroom home that needed to be condensed... meaning they had a dining suite looking for a new home.

I love family furniture hand me downs (Like Lenny's drawers). They not only have character, but also the embedded family history. Since I've known this family we've had many, many Christmas dinner spreads across this table with extended family all around year after year, so it's kind of special to now have this table in our little family.

It's an extension table so you could several people around it easily. We have four of the original chairs, and will buy two more 'spare' chairs at some point in time when some spare money falls at our feet.

I chose a fabric that echoed a very similar pattern to the original chair, just in a fresher colour, as the dining room is quite dark. This was a low cost, non fussy 38 weeks pregnant chair makeover. The corners aren't tight, it will probably sag over time and I'll need to re-stretch (easy to do) and you can see some of my staples. But who's going to come over to my house and complain? I dare you.

My lovely mum came over in her school holidays to assist me. She knew those chairs would sit in pieces if I didn't get them done before the baby arrived. She was a pro at ripping out old staples and digging out the foam, and it made my job so much easier. Thanks mum!

We were laughing, because I thought I'd write a blog saying "this was so easy" simply wrap the fabric over the chairs, pull tight, staple and glue on some trip - and in one afternoon you're done! Then we imagined some poor person embarking on a similar 'afternoon' project and cursing at me when they realised it wasn't that simple.

So I won't lie.

In reality, it wasn't that easy or fast. I didn't have the patience (too pregnant)...  I wrapped the fabric over the existing fabric on the seats as the foam was still very good. The back panels were the trickiest because the added bulk of fabric meant they didn't fit back into the frame. Hence mum's digging!
Once we worked that out, it was much easier!

But who cares - they function, they look fresh and new, and the cats love them. They look great with black cat fur on them. (must scotch guard...)

I can't even do a tutorial post for you really because I didn't have a method or anything that I think should be published. Similar to the spraypainting...
Let's just look at the end result shall we?

Saskia, posing on the original chair.

The end result.