Another Louis XV

This is TingTing (aka Baby) on one of the side chairs after I'd partially stripped it. The chair is lovely as is!

I've completed the first of 2 arm chairs. The quality and lighting of the photos are poor. I'd apologize but really, I have to be honest with you...I use my iPhone for photos 99.8% of the time because I'm too lazy/impatient to go looking for the camera.

I will eventually get some decent photos done but not till the dining room has been done. Till then it's iPhone photos.

To let you in on just how lazy I am:  I feel my knees are chubby and don't like how they look in shorts. So I asked Steve if he knew of any exercise that would target my knees. His suggestion was to get out and exercise. Ha! Lipo is what I hear.

My thinking is if I can see a change in my knees within 2 months (see I have a realistic time frame) THEN I'll consider taking on more exercises. I can commit to 1 or 2 individual exercises...particularly if I can sit while doing them...and we are talking knees here after all. I think I can reasonably assume I'd be sitting for any knee exercises.

So for now, with no exercises for my knees as of yet, I'll pour another glass of sangria and add some photos of the chair.

I found some of the original upholstery under the fabric I was removing. So I left it there for someone else to find some day. Hard to tell but the velvet was a poopy greeny colour...I'm sure it was very nice for someone at one time.

Here's the snake print fabric completed on the back. I was just moving on to the seat. The snake print fabric is fantastic. It is textured just like the skin of a snake and it reflects light with a silver gray shimmer. (No snakes were harmed in the making of the chairs).

A detail photo of the in side of the chair back.

One of five layers in the back of the chairs. Five. Layers. That is a lot of freak'n nails and then there are the nail heads after the five layers! I did not use staples to redo the chairs. In fact, I reused many of the nails. 

Ok, the reveal:

Yippee first armchair completed! Without the proper work bench set up thingys my joints and muscles are killing me...I did this sitting/kneeling on the floor. Simple task of recovering a chair has me in bed the day after...you really can't expect I'm going to exercise now can you?

So what did it cost for the chairs:

• 
  
  2 Louis XV style arm chairs, 4 Louis XV style side chairs and 1 Louis XVI dining table found on Kijiji: $450 so divide by 7 x 6 = $65 / chair
• 
  
  4 meters 100% cotton velvet deeply discounted:  $30
• 
  
  2 meters snake print fabric deeply discounted:  $80
• 
  
  2000 nickle plated nail heads: $40

Total for purchase and reupholstery of all six chairs:  $ 540 not including labour (because I did it as a diy project).


Oh happy day they've added a spell check link =)

Louis XV Style Chairs - Before & After

I've *finally* started to reupholster my dining chairs. I'd found them on Kijiji.ca. They were in dire need of a facelift and I felt I was up to the task. I've thought that many times. But can't say I've always found it to be true.


I invested countless hours at Kravet & Lee Jofa looking for the perfect fabrics. They had to be special to do the chairs justice. I found a couple fabrics which I felt were worthy of my chairs but each time I was to learn they were on back order and there was not a stitch available.

Something you don't know about me...money burns a hole in my pocket book.

via

I cannot keep money long before I blow it on some trivial bits and bobs of no use. So the cash I had for my desperately sad looking chairs...has been gone for at least a month.

The other day out of desperation I when to the local upholstery fabric shop to look at any remnants that might inspire me. I was not very hopeful so imagine my surprise when I found a dove gray velvet bolt.

OK! This was great. It was 50% off so I was giddy. Really. Really. Giddy. I was just roaming the aisles (touching all the fabrics) placing complementary patterns and colours together day dreaming about rooms they would look great in when I saw 'it'. The sexy fabric I instantly knew was going take my dining room chairs from classic and tasteful and elevate them to art.

I'd turned down a dark aisle and down at the bottom of a display was a faux snake skin that had a silvery shimmer and texture to die for. It was worth every damn penny and so worth the wait.

I've gotten one chair completed and I am so pleased with the results. I recovered the chairs 'old school'. No staples were used in the reupholstery of the chair.

I think this is the prettiest 'thing' I've ever made.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is my first attempt at upholstery...so there is an area near the back legs on the seat I've not figured out and nail head tacks are a f'n bitch to work with...but oh it's so pretty!