Louis XV gets a major overhaul [before & after]

houndstooth chair3

Today, I bring you the story of a very sad and tired antique Louis XV chair.  I came across this tattered, old chair a few weeks ago on my street believe it or not!  Someone had actually put this antique out to be sent to the dump!  I can understand their thinking given the condition of the chair when I found it.  The upholstery was torn apart, the wood full of dings and chips; it seemed helpless…but not to me!  I grabbed the chair and brought it straight home.  This antique Louis XV chair (one of my favorite chair styles) was beautiful in it’s day, and it was my mission to save it and turn it into something amazing again.

Here’s how the chair looked when I picked it up:

The first thing I did when I got the chair home was to repair the wood where it had been dinged, dented and chipped. I used wood filler, let it cure and then sanded it down.

Next, I carefully removed all of the upholstery, making sure to keep it in tact so that it could be used as a template for the new fabric. This process was far from a walk in the park.  I’m talking about hundreds of nail heads and tacks, never mind the decades of funk that had accumulated under the fabric…YUCK

Once all the fabric was removed, I noticed that the chair was a little wobbly in spots, so I reinforced those areas with clamps, wood glue and a nail gun.  This is where Brett comes in and makes my life a little easier with his handy tools 😉

Now the chair was ready for it’s paint job!  I used a two coats of CeCe Caldwell’s Simply White chalk + clay paint on the chair, followed by two coats of CeCe’s satin finish.  This gave the chair some depth and a silky smooth finish.  I’m a big fan of using lighter colors on detailed pieces, I think it really helps accentuate the quality of workmanship and ornate carvings.

Last, I used the old fabric pieces to trace templates for the the new upholstery on the chair.  I chose to use a big, bold black & white hounds tooth fabric.  I love hounds tooth right now, it makes such a statement, especially on a beautiful antique piece like my Louis XV chair.

After a good 6 hours later (these things are time consuming, but SO worth it 😉 ), I’d completed the hounds tooth upholstery on the chair.  The last step was to line the exposed areas with black trim.  I used fabric adhesive to apply the trim.

Finally, this tired old Louis XV chair was finished with it’s transformation!  Here it is!

I’d say that my mission was successful!  One more time, here’s the “before & after” transformation shot…

What do you think of this chair’s transformation?  Share your throughts and rate it below!

You can find this chair available for sale on pickleeonspring.com!

Have a safe & happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Gobble, gobble 😉

 

9 responses to “Louis XV gets a major overhaul [before & after]

  1. Gorgeous!!! Jordan you are a Pigmalion girl!!! You turn old and used things on beautiful and “chic” new souls prepared to live again!!!
    I like to transform old things at home as well…mainly at the living room…I ´m a super fan of vintage and romantic style!!!and I adore white color on furniture…etc
    Congratulations for your great work!!!
    Spanish kisses!!!

  2. I love the fabric. It really updates the chair. I need to learn to upholster full chairs like that. I across so many and have to pass them up. Maybe I will pick up one to use as a test case! Beautiful remake.

  3. I’m not sure Pygmalion quite accurately describes your talents.
    I think you’re more along the lines of a miracle worker!
    This is beautiful and just in time for the inspiration I need to complete a pair of French chairs with cane backs.
    I was afraid a large houndstooth would be too overwhelming.
    But I see it’s not.
    Keep up the good work!

  4. Hello, I’m wondering where you bought this large houndstooth fabric. I work for a small upholstery shop, and a client is currently looking for this and we can’t find it from our normal suppliers. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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