Sunday Fun—Shabby to Chic

Refinishing furniture is not my forte, but after my daughter was given a pair of old kitchen chairs someone found at an estate sale, we decided to try our hand at it.

Both chairs had been stripped of their original finish, one had been given a coat of white primer, and the seats were upholstered with a shade of purple that doesn’t match anything in my daughter’s eclectic collection of furniture. I'm not sure that particular shade of purple goes with anything.


Shabby, for sure. I suggested we spruce up the old chairs with a couple of coats of paint and some new upholstery. She loves the black-and-white prints that are so popular these days, so that’s what she settled on.

We lightly sanded the wood and gave it a coat of glossy black paint. Two coats, actually.



Neither of us has ever done any furniture upholstery, so tackling the seats was an easy first project.


We borrowed a funky old stapler from our neighbor and used that to fasten the new fabric in place. The previous upholstery had been attached with a bazillion tiny staples. Rather than try to remove them-that would have taken forever-we simply applied the new fabric over top.


Here’s one of the newly refurbished chairs. My daughter is delighted with the outcome, especially since the chairs were free and she spent less than twenty dollars on fabric and supplies!


Very chic, don't you think?

Until next time,
Lee