Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words may be encouragement to them. Ephesians 4:29b

Monday, August 13, 2012

Lost in Creative Space: Part IV - "Throne" Away

I've been excited to share this particular post with you since my series began! You can catch up by checking out Part III & III.  Today's post is about a spontaneous addition to my creative space that came out of nowhere! :)  It all started on the curb....

Yes, you heard right - the curb.  If this thought bothers you, you may not wish to read on. ;)  I was driving my son to school one dreary morning after it began to rain.  I noticed that a neighbor around the bend from me (who I don't know personally, but a close friend does) had put something on the curb on trash day. This something made me slow down and look closer as I passed.  Being the daughter of a mother who is a collector, finder, redo-er and seller of "special things" (for a better term), I have never once taken anyone's "trash" in order to make it "treasure."  However, on my way back home, I realized why I slowed down in the first place.  I stopped, opened the back of my SUV and heaved THIS into the back of it. 

 

One large, heavy, navy blue chenille chair....someone's trash.  I know, crazy, but I somehow looked past that part and saw potential.  Mom's "special" genes must be seeping in! ;)  I liked the chair's shape and wooden detailing.  I did find a busted spring, but I still deemed it makeover-worthy.  You see, a few days prior, I was exploring the wonderful world of Pinterest.  I came across this pin and read the how-to.  Because of this, that chair grabbed me....so I grabbed it. :)



The pin is from Hyphen Interiors by Kristy Swain and the popularity of the post has since greatly increased!  It's an easy tutorial on brush painting paint+medium  onto upholstered fabric.  All I needed were latex and acrylic paint, textile medium, a spray bottle, a paintbrush and a little sandpaper. 

I let the chair dry and air out a few days outside.  Then I attacked it with Lysol, upholstery/carpet cleaner and a vacuum.  Disinfecting it in addition to the painting process would rid the "old and used" and make it new again.  Once clean and dry, I began the process....

I followed every step in Kristy's tutorial.  I chose black paint.  I considered other colors (green, pink and even cream), but with the dark blue fabric, I thought black would be a safer, easier color transition that would better hide dirt, wear or flaws.  The first coats (2) latex+medium+water coats were the primer coat, creating a thin stain look on the fabric.  A little buffing with the sandpaper helped soften the arms other areas after each coat dried.  The coat of acrylic+medium+water transformed the chair from blue to black.  Once complete, the fabric's texture was now more of a soft canvas, versus its former chenille.

The wooden details came next. Below are close-ups of them beforehand.  I replaced the old brass casters and with larger modern black ones ($4.99/pair at Home Depot), for a better roll on my chair mat, rather than sinking into it.  As for the wood, it certainly needed some love.


And love was added.  Spray paint works wonders.  It's a totally new chair! 



And to go even further, I tried something for the first time. I'm in LOVE.






 Cue Angelic Voices! 
How do you like my new throne? :)



 Requisite Before and After photo:


I am completely in love with the look of my new and improved upcycled chair!  The only downside is the the broken spring that I have resolved by adding a thick pillow cushion so I don't even notice it. :) And now...

Curbside Treasure Meets Creative Space!



Spiritually, when I think of making the old new, I am instantly reminded of the gracious blessing of being made new in Christ.  And He is still making me new today.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come!"  2nd Corinthians 5:17   

Does anyone love the song Beautiful Things by Gungor as much as I do?  I'll confess that I've listened to this song multiple times in a row on multiple occasions. :) It's very relevant here.  It's beautiful and powerful (with strings!) and the "You make me new" bridge is my favorite part!  Spiritual or not, I encourage you to click to listen.


Thanks for visiting!


Keeping Him in mind,




9 comments:

  1. Awesome! Good work. Thanks for sharing. I'll add that to my chairs page and link right to you in a bit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much! You made it so easy. :) I consider it an honor to be linked on Hyphen Interiors!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so impressed and absolutely LOVE the chair (and song:)!!! How long did the entire process take? I have a chair I've been wanting to redo in Hope's room. It's green and I would love to paint it cream, pink, hmmm.... Also, is the chair soft, not crunchy paint feeling? My mom paints everything (even a toilet, tv) and her chair was crunchy and not comfortable to sit in.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The chair looks great. I have a futon that is tan and black. Not my coloring, but its a four hundred dollar futon that I bargain down to $75. (craigslist deal) My only concern is that the futon is microfiber. I know that it's not stain proof, but it shows every little stain, dirt, or dust. Annoying! Has someone tried it on microfiber yet?
    Great job, and great instructions. I LIKE IT!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jennie, The process took maybe 2 days max - paint one day and finished up the wood the next. Probably could've been done in one maybe. I let the chair sit a while initially, but once I started the project it was a quick job. Check out Kristy's tutorial I linked for the details. I used her exact method. My chair is now like a soft canvas like soft chenille. Your texture will definitely be different, but not necessarily crunchy, but not sure what your fabric is. Sandpapering between coats helps like Kristy did. You and my last commenter above should both check out Kristy's chair successes post of other viewers who followed her tutorial. I'm proud to say that my chair has been added to the list! All kinds of chairs are listed with many different fabrics: http://www.hypheninteriors.com/chairs PS: I'd like to do this again on a different chair that has upholstery fabric with stripes! Will definitely post afterwards if so! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops! "My chair is now like a soft canvas, RATHER THAN like soft chenielle." Deleting error. :)

      Delete
  6. The first thing I saw - a chair/throne with its very own crown - I'd gold leaf that sucker...but I'm shamelessly tacky - plus I just bought some sparkly jewelry bits so, I was probably already halfway to "crown" before I ever saw your photos, ROFL!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks! I am a pretty conservative DIY-er LOL! :)

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.