Canada AM chair makeover revealed in five easy steps

Chatting it up with Beverly Thomson

Had so much fun this morning on Canada AM. They really are such nice people!

In case you missed it, here's a link to the segment:
Chairs on Canada AM

And if you're the low tech type, below are the before and afters.

Okay, so I know it's not that bad, but it really could use a little modern oomp. Plus, nobody wants to sit on leatherette unless they don't have a choice! So here's my interpretation:

I kind of loved the wood, so felt badly about painting it all. I decided to go with a more natural, contemporary look. I picked out the pattern of the back stripes and carried them onto the seat, and then across the seat because, well, sometimes I can't help going a little overboard. I love the idea of the little "socks" on the legs. Looks very modern and cool, I think!

The chairs came from Goodwill, $6 each! Rug from Ikea, stump side table, twig balls and lamp from West Elm and the amazing art in the back is by Christine Flynn from Lovethedesign.com. Fabric is Designer Fabrics.

Here are the instructions for this chair makeover:

1. To paint a wooden chair, start by lightly sanding the wood to scuff up the varnish.

2. Tape off any sections you don’t want painted and apply primer followed by paint. It’s a good idea to start with a high adhesion primer so the paint doesn’t chip off. Prime and paint with enamel, or acrylic paint. Remove tape.

3. To upholster a seat, turn the chair upside down to find the screws holding the seat in place. Unscrew. Remove old upholstery by prying staples off. If necessary, replace foam and/or add batting to soften the seat. Cut a square about 3” larger than your seat on all sides. Lay fabric upside down and lay seat over top. Make sure your pattern is going in the direction you want it to.

4. Start by stapling the top, bottom and two sides, pulling tight each time. Next, move on to the corners, starting by pulling and stapling the corner, and then pleating and stapling the fabric as you work out on both sides of the corner. Do all four corners. Then finish off the top and sides.  If you want a professional look, you can cut and staple a clean piece of muslin in place to cover the underside of the seat.  Finally, screw seat back into place.

5. To paint fabric, you can either buy specialty fabric paint, or test the paint on a scrap of paper to make sure it doesn’t bleed. Tape off the pattern, and paint using a clean dry brush.

I'm bumping reader question Fridays because I don't have enough questions yet. Don't be shy! Send them in at askvirginie@chatelaine.rogers.com.