Wingback chair makeover Part 2

Sorry, but this post isn't going to contain any pretty pictures.  But it is the next installment on how to reupholster a wingback chair.

An important thing to remember is that to take lots of pictures so you know exactly how to reconstruct the chair.  Also important is to keep the old fabric that you pull off and label it.  You will be using this fabric as a template for your new fabric.

Don't forget to also label which side is up.

Once you strip all of the fabric and batting off you are left with something like this.

You want to check the sturdiness of your chair to see if you have to do any reinforcements.  Sometimes you'll want to tighten screws or use nails.

Check the foam to see if it's still good.  You can reuse some of these things.  The decking (padding on the seat bottom) was still ok but I decided to add a little bit more padding for extra cushioning.

 Now comes the tricky part; deciding what fabric to use.

DwellStudio Vintage Plumes in Jade

DwellStudio Peony 

DwellStudio Peony and DwellStudio Fretscene Canary

Any guesses as to which fabric I chose.  Stay tuned, all will be revealed next week ;)

Wingback chair fabric choices

It's time to think about what the heck I'm going to recover the wingback chair in.  I definitely want something with a pattern, but do I go graphic, or do I go organic?

For some reason a little voice inside my head has been telling me to use DwellStudio's Vintage Plumes fabric.  Yes, birds again!  I've seen this fabric in person and it is really pretty; a sort of modern take on chinoiserie.  It's not exactly like my peacock bedding but close enough that I could put them together in the same room.  But that shouldn't matter, because I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the chair once I finish it.

Here's some pictures of furniture upholstered in the Vintage Plumes fabric.

source

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I've seen this fabric for sale at my local Calico Corners.  You can buy it online for around $60 a yard!  And considering that I would need at least 5 yards of it, well that kind of settles it then, doesn't it?

Still not to be deterred, I decided to make the trip to Calico to see if they had it for less.  On the way, though, I stopped into Hancock Fabrics to see what selections they had.  It's a bit hit and miss at Hancock; you never know what you're going to find.  I was surprised to see Thomas Paul fabric there (the same pattern as my famous office chair!).

It's not the same fabric but the print is the same.  I think I'm over it though.

I do think that the yellow above could look nice and fresh.  If I was to use the two fabrics, I would put the floral on the inside of the chair (i.e. chair seat and back and arms) and the graphic print I would put on the outside of the wings and arms and the back (hope that makes sense).  Yes, I'm up to my old tricks again of mixing graphic and organic.  The price for the above fabrics is $24.99 a yard, but it is currently 50% off.  So I could potentially reupholster for around $60.

Next stop was Calico Corners where I was surprised to see that they don't carry DwellStudio anymore, or many Thomas Paul fabrics for that matter.

I did see this Dixon slub on clearance.  I love the hex print, very David Hicks, but not the colour.

A client had asked me to source some kelly green imperial trellis wallpaper for her, so when I saw this fabric below it totally reminded of that style.  The green and white would be really fun, but the material wasn't strong enough for upholstery use.

So I totally struck out at Calico, but I did have one more place in mind.  One of the ladies on my upholstery course mentioned a fabric store called Home Fabrics.  She said it was way cheaper than any other fabric store in town and often had close-out fabrics for really good deals.  Let me tell you, I was skeptical; especially when I first walked in.  Rows and rows of not particularly inspiring fabrics and a buzzing overhead light that really started to get on my nerves.  Just as I was about to leave, you wouldn't believe what I spied.  Ok you've probably guessed it by now, and I swear I didn't make this up.  

Seriously!  It's the power of The Secret.  Now if only it would work for me getting a gorgeous colonial home that I dream about.

Was it too good to be true?  Did they have enough fabric on the roll?  I scooped up the fabric, clutching it tightly in my hands.  Nobody's going to be stealing my find!  Not that anyone would because there was only one other person in the store.  And why am I being so dramatic?  Anyway, turns out there is 4 3/8 yards.  Let's hope it's enough.  Total price, just over $60.

Having said that, still not sure I'm going to use it or go with the yellow.  

Here's the chair as a reminder.

What do you think? Graphic, floral or both!

Not another bedroom duvet: you really do get what you pay for!

Yes, another post about my house.  Sorry, I really will try and mix it up more.  And I really must start on all of those DIY projects that I've been neglecting so that I can have something other than "look what I bought today" posts.  I promise I'll try harder.  Having said that, here's another one of those posts!

I don't know about you, but my inbox is bombarded with emails about current sales.  And as many of you will know, I can't resist picking up a bargain.  Last week Urban Outfitters had an extra 30% off sale items.  I've not bought much from there before, but what I have bought has been for my bedroom. A few years ago I bought a patterned quilt and a blue rug from them.

Do I need another duvet?  Absolutely not, but I do like to have options.  Also, I wanted to see the difference in quality between the UO bedding and the more expensive Anthropologie bedding.

Urban Outfitters is owned by the same people as Anthropologie, but caters to a much more youthful crowd (not that I'm not youthful still, but you know what I mean).  As such the goods are generally lower priced and, as you guessed it, not as well made as the pieces from Anthro.  I was really surprised though that I could get a duvet and 2 shams in a style that is very similar to my DwellStudio bedding for less than $50. As a point of reference, the DwellStudio set retails for $350 and used to be carried by Anthropologie.

So how do they compare?  They look similar, very similar.  In fact I think if you mixed the DwellStudio Chinoiserie set with the DwellStudio Peacock set you'd get the Urban Outfitters set!  Quality wise, though, that's where the similarity ends.  Surprisingly the cheaper UO set has ties inside to hold the corners, which the more expensive DwellStudio set doesn't.  But the opening where you stuff the duvet in on the cheaper set only has 3 buttons and so that duvet gaps out a bit at the bottom.  It's also very, very stiff.  The fabric is not at all smooth or silky like higher end bedding.  It's almost like sleeping under a painters cloth.

But I do love the pink bird!

See if you can spot the difference between the photos below.

Yep, I can mix and match the pillows with my old set!

And if you want to see how my bed looks with my different duvets go here, here, and here.

Chic Chinoiserie

More new bedding!  Yep, the other duvet set from DwellStudio arrived.  And I love it just as much as the peacock one.  It's brightened the room up even more.

I think it photographs better than the peacock bedding because it's less busy.  They both look really pretty in person though.

And if it wasn't hard enough making a decision which duvet I like best, now I have to decide on which side table I like.

The side table above is from Target.  It has that chinoiserie vibe to it.  But it is crappily made and maybe a little boxy.

The tulip table I borrowed from the bathroom.

I'm leaning towards getting another tulip table.  I like that the shape offsets all of the square angles of the other pieces.

*UPDATE*  I've entered my bedroom in Apartment Therapy's Bedroom Retreat Contest.  If you like it, please throw a vote my way, thanks!!