Corner Chair Painted Black, New Seat Fabric

 

Chair Before

Chair After

This little chair is called a “corner chair,” because it can go perfectly into a  corner and you can sit on it facing either way. It’s a perfect place to sit and put your shoes on (or off) or just for additional seating. This little chair was an antique, likely made in the 1920’s or 1930’s. 

It was in great shape, but my customer wanted an updated look so she opted for satin black paint. After sanding, priming and painting, it was ready for a new upholstered seat.

The seat was covered with suede, which had seen better times, so she chose a gray tweed fabric which worked well with the black paint. The seat had been reinforced with very old, likely original metal strips on the underside and had been nailed with 2” nails! They were way to long for the 1/2 “ wood, so I had to turn the entire seat upside down and pry up the nails before removing them. 

Once that was done, I replaced them with seat webbing, weaving three rows in each direction for extra strength and support. Foam and batting added, then the new fabric was stapled in place. A black cambric finished off the underside of the chair. The black was satin, and looked fabulous with the fabric, a perfect blend of color and texture. 

Antique Corner Chair

Corner Chair Before

This adorable corner chair caught me completely off guard as I wasn't searching for a chair when I came across it at a barn sale here in Marine City. The chair is likely over 100 years old, built at the turn of the last century and I simply had to have it. I could see the

Corner Chair After

potential since the chair had a sturdy frame and other than the missing center detail scrollwork, nothing was broken.

The chair had the original seat and the cushion was in amazingly great condition, so I negotiated a price of $18.00 for this little beauty and took it home with a thunder storm and my two grandchildren running ahead of me toward the car. After carefully placing it in the back seat, I headed home with my new treasure.

My original idea of painting the chair gave way to a total strip and restoration as I couldn't imagine covering up that beautiful mahogany and hand carved details on the chair's legs. Stripping took three days, because details such as this chair had took time to get it right. I pulled out all my stripping tools including my wood carving tools to remove the old stain which tends to get trapped in the nooks and crannies of the hand carved areas. It took a lot of scraping and stripper to completely remove the old finish, but once it was down to the bare wood, it was worth all the time it took. I was so happy I made the decision to strip instead of paint!

I marveled at the elegant condition of this fine little gem of a chair. The wood had a luscious sheen and smooth velvety feel. I knew it would take the mahogany stain well, which of course, it did. I chose a soft cloth and carefully applied the stain, then removed the extra stain with an old t-shirt. Old shirts make for great staining because they leave no lint. I try to avoid cloth with the possibility of leftover material on the wood surface.

Corner Chair in Sunroom

Once the chair was completely refinished, I applied two coats of polyurethane. While waiting for the polyurethane to dry, I removed the old seat cushion and replaced it with a piece of fabric I had my eye on. My plan to use this chair in the sunroom dictated that I use fabric to match the "Tame Teal" paint in the sunroom. The fabric was absolutely perfect and matched like a charm. I now have an adorable little chair to rest my feet on when I'm enjoying a good book in my lovely sunroom.