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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

DIY Chinoiserie Chair Makeover


 I have hoarding issues. 
One of my many hoards are Chairs. 
I can't ever have too many. 
I love entertaining and having plenty of comfortable seating for all of my guests. I purchased six of these chairs several years ago on Craigslist. 

I didn't love them. I loved the idea of them (and the price) and the thought that I might be able to reproduce an antique chinoiserie chair. 



I knew what I needed to do, but I never found the time.  Well, five years later...

I discovered this Sharpie oil based marker... 
A paint pen. 
Well, color me happy!  
So when a couple littles were home from school recently, I got my markers out and "painted" away! 





I still didn't love that fabric, so I did a little upholstery job with some of my favorite "gold leaf" fabric.  Side note:  Upholstery is not for the light hearted.  I got an estimate of $50/chair to redo them.  That is $300 total that I really didn't want to spend when I could surely do it myself.  Well, the easiest part was the cording.  I followed Miss Mustard Seed's tutorial on piping/cording HERE and they turned out beautifully.  Removing upholstery staples was another story.  Ugh.  My hands hurt for days.
Anyhow, here she is in all her glory.  


I'm in LOVE!! 
Now to tackle the other rest...  


Are you on Instagram?  You really should be!!  I recently started a series on #thingsihoard.

What are you hoarding these days?  Have you found anything fun on Craigslist?

xox,
Emily


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27 comments:

  1. Julia@Cuckoo4DesignFebruary 4, 2015 at 7:26 PM

    What a great makeover. Love the fabric you used

    ReplyDelete
  2. Betsy Cobb GordonFebruary 4, 2015 at 7:30 PM

    I also have a chair hoarding issue! My sweet mother has blessed me with this curse.

    Just counted, I have twenty chairs currently. Yikes! That's just in the house, not counting storage unit.

    Just love the makeover and I've got to find that oil marker from Sharpie.

    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElevenGablesFebruary 4, 2015 at 8:12 PM

      Betsy! I love it! 20 chairs! I'm going to go count mine! ... 22 not counting 6 barstools, 6 kitchen chairs, and 8 dining chairs. Oh dear. HELLO, MY NAME IS EMILY AND I HAVE A PROBLEM! xox, Emily

      Delete
    2. ElevenGablesFebruary 4, 2015 at 8:16 PM

      I linked up the marker in the post to make it easy for you!

      Delete
    3. Betsy Cobb GordonFebruary 5, 2015 at 7:02 PM

      Thank you for the link.

      Funny chair story, I went to a favorite thrift store two weeks ago and saw these solid mahogany chippendale dining chairs. They'd been donated by an atty office closing in Atlanta. I think they had twenty donated. I texted my mom the pics and manufacturer tag. Council craftsman. Very high end and expensive. She went and got four and is now going back for more. They are 40.00 each. Crazytown.
      I'm thinking, do I need any??
      Betsy

      Delete
    4. ElevenGablesFebruary 22, 2015 at 1:09 PM

      That is wonderful! Believe it or not, my mind just said, "Do I need some too?" ;) xox

      Delete
  3. Carol@6WilsonBlog.comFebruary 4, 2015 at 8:33 PM

    I LOVE that chair!!!!!! 6 of them? Totally jealous. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElevenGablesFebruary 4, 2015 at 8:52 PM

      Thank you, sweet Carol! My sister also bought 4 and SOLD them!

      Delete
  4. Jennifer @ Dimples and TanglesFebruary 4, 2015 at 11:03 PM

    Oh wow, Emily, they have a totally different vibe now! Love your makeover!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cassie BustamanteFebruary 5, 2015 at 7:47 AM

    oh i love them! the gold makes such a difference! gotta love the midas touch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElevenGablesFebruary 22, 2015 at 1:10 PM

      I do love the gold.... it looks so much better in person.

      Delete
  6. Lisa @ Shine Your LightFebruary 5, 2015 at 8:41 AM

    Emily your chair looks great and that fabric is so fabulous. I need it! I love those Sharpie paint pens too, I have used them to make signs and add a little detail to the out or inside edge of picture frames. Now I am eyeing my furniture :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElevenGablesFebruary 22, 2015 at 1:12 PM

      I wish the fabric wasn't discontinued. When I found out it was, I hunted down a little extra for this project. Can't wait to see what you do next!! xox

      Delete
  7. Simply LKJFebruary 5, 2015 at 9:40 AM

    What a great makeover. I have a chair that could use a "sharpie" makeover!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sue NationsFebruary 5, 2015 at 1:16 PM

    Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  9. janetFebruary 5, 2015 at 1:41 PM

    I have 4 of those and 3 matching bar stools in Mahogany finish with red/gold fabric and I love the look of them! Have you found them to be comfortable to sit in? Although they have a very nice wide seat, the center seems to sag making the frame of the seat very prominent. Kind of like sitting in an over-sized potty chair! I guess I should take them to an upholsterer to get the strapping beefed up. I love your make over of them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElevenGablesFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:53 PM

      Thank you and Yes... the seat sags on some of the more "sat-in" chairs. While ripping off the old upholstery, I noticed the center is cut out. Probably lends to the "potty chair" feeling. It's weird. We don't really sit in these that much, mainly just pull them in for extra seating. xox, Emily

      Delete
  10. CharlotteFebruary 5, 2015 at 3:27 PM

    Love the chair....a paint pen is worth its weight in gold.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pat@Life At Lydias HouseFebruary 14, 2015 at 10:45 AM

    We are kindred spirits! I just can't pass up a good chair at a great price. I think I still have 4 in my stash waiting for makeovers now! Your turned out great! You can work wonders with a sharpie!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. pam {simple details}February 18, 2015 at 11:14 AM

    So chic, Emily!! Great fabric choice to give them a little edge! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownFebruary 19, 2015 at 10:31 AM

    Wowza!! That fabric is everything! Great transformation!

    ReplyDelete
  14. IreneFebruary 20, 2015 at 2:08 PM

    I love what you did. I think I have hoarding issue too, chairs, maybe we need a twelve step program. I just re-glued 3 chairs (for my son), but I've have separation anxiety, and now I'm on to an all "old" new cane chair, that needs lots of work... that's not counting the two I brought home and the other two still waiting to be picked up.

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownFebruary 20, 2015 at 9:20 PM

    That chair is gorgeous. Love the gold leafing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Heather @ Southern State of MindFebruary 23, 2015 at 8:15 PM

    Ha, I too am guilty of hoarding chairs, pillows, you name it. This turned out great! Thanks for sharing with the Pretty Preppy Party!

    ReplyDelete

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