Well, after an excruciatingly long wait (for me anyway) my dining chairs have finally come home to mama.  I have swooned over this fabric for quite some time and my goodness, she doesn’t disappoint. I might actually have come downstairs this morning and much to Wayne’s amusement, gave my dining chair a little kiss. That’s how much I love them.

Shall we remind ourselves what these chairs looked like before? Oh go on then.

Essentially, the seats needed replacing completely – they were sagging and not very comfortable….  and the chairs used to have backs on them (why anyone would want to cover that beautiful detailing is beyond me but there ya go) so where it was removed, the staples had left gouges in the wood that needed to be filled.

I left the task to the experts.  One of those experts being my Wayne who took them to his body shop and filled the holes as best he could without losing the details, sanded them down and professionally sprayed them with a glossy automotive paint.  They aren’t perfect but I think considering the state they were in, he’s done a smashing job.

The other was Brian at MD Upholstery who is local to me in Stockport and genuinely, the nicest, smiliest, most helpful man with a couple decades of experience who completely recreated a lovely comfy seat in each and wrapped them up with my fabric and trim.  I’m definitely going to Brian again in the future.  (And no, there’s no sponsored post here, he’s just very nice and very good at what he does and his rates were super reasonable so if you are in the Cheshire area, look him up and tell him I sent you.)

Are you ready for the after?  Silly question.

I’m absolutely in love with them in every way.

I ordered a little extra fabric just in case because it’s a very large pattern and so when Brian gave me the surplus fabric along with the chairs, I knew I wanted to do something with it.  I considered some cushions but there really isn’t anywhere else in my home that uses orange so I decided to make two simple table runners instead.  The little pink tea lights I got from Amazon for my Christmas scheme (more on that to come!) for £1 each but they look so pretty lit up, I couldn’t resist sharing them early.

I love how the fabric picks up the pinks and oranges in my paintings and works so nicely with the deep blue on the walls.  As much as I do genuinely love quiet, serene, white Scandi-style rooms and can completely appreciate their beauty, I know I’m a colour addict because this is what makes me truly and utterly giddy.

Now, as it’s the way it always goes, my other chairs are looking a bit tired in comparison (they get used a lot whereas the end chairs, not so much) so I’m considering changing the seats on them from a loose cushion to an upholstered seat.

The cost breakdown for the chairs was as follows:

Original chairs £80 for pair
Manuel Canovas Bengale Fabric in Paprika purchased from David Gavin Design in Didsbury £70/metre (I only needed 1 meter for 2 chairs, the extra was used for the table runners)
Trim from eBay £5
Filling, Sanding and Painting £0 (love you, baby)
Upholstery £60 (£25/chair + VAT)
Total Cost: £215.00 or £107.50 per chair

And you’ll be happy to know they are fully Meisha-approved.

I don’t think that’s too bad going, do you?  I figure if I use less expensive fabric, I should be able to come in under £200 for all four chairs.  It won’t happen this year but it’ll be on the project list for early next year!

So what do you think of my little chair makeover?  Was it worth the wait?