I picked up a sad, helpless looking Louis XVI chair at a flea market a couple weeks ago for $20 (gotta love flea market finds ;)) As I’ve said before, the worse-off a piece starts, the better I feel about giving it a transformation…and it’s safe to say that this chair started out pretty bad. I’d been eyeing Louis XVI chairs at places like Restoration Hardware and Home Decorators Collection for a while, so I knew exactly what I wanted. I just love the rustic charm and simplicity of this style chair. I was looking for a chair to sit along side of my newly revived dining room buffet, so I chose a color palette of gray and white to use on the chair. Here’s how the chair started out:
Yes, this chair left much to be desired. So I got work stripping off the fabric and cleaning off years of dirt and debris. Of course, I always try to keep the original pieces of fabric in good condition so that I can re-use them as templates for cutting my new fabric. Then I gave the chair a fresh coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in “Old White”.
Ahhhh, don’t you just love the difference a simple, fresh coat of paint can make! There’s one of the original fabric “templates” sitting under the chair! After the new paint was set and dry, I begin cutting out the new fabric for the chair. I chose a fabulous gray chenille fabric that I purchased from a local textile mill =)
Here’s a close up of the front of the chair after I applied the new fabric. I used nail head trim stripping to secure the fabric to the chair, and then upholstery tacks on any spots that wouldn’t be seen.
I love using chenille fabric because it has somewhat of a warn, vintage feel, which is great for using on revived antique chairs. Chenille’s like a fine wine in my opinion, it only gets better with age!
Here’s a peak at the back of the chair, stunning, isn’t it?!
And now, without further ado, here’s the final before & after transformation of the Louis XVI Chair!
Here’s the chair in it’s new home next to my chalk painted buffet…
I am in love with the final product! This chair came out so much better than I could have imagined, and I saved hundreds by creating this myself!
What do you think of the Louis XVI chair transformation?
Gorgeous!!!!
WOW, this belongs in MY house! 🙂
Fabulous up-cycle! I’m definitely using this as inspiration for my new office… when we finally move next month!
Wow this is amazing!!