What to Do with an Ugly Chair? Or Two.

Have you ever had a piece of furniture you couldn’t stand looking at any longer? But still felt like throwing it /donating it/ gifting it was not an option? A family heirloom perhaps? Well, I have. And in fact still do. Our living room is cozy and comfortable but the seating options are far from glamorous, a hot mess really – a brand new Ikea Ektorp sofa, which I kind of like (bad design blogger, sorry!), made friends with two hideous but extremely comfortable brown Wayfair bargains and a pair of swivel English roll arm chairs, discards from a friend. I love the sofa and the swivels but the two brown Wayfair chairs have been my decorating nemesis this entire year. No matter now much I style our living room, no matter how many flower bouquets or pretty coffee table books, candles or knick-knacks I rotate, they stand out like eyesores. 

Why did you buy them in the first place? you might ask.

Well, we bought them because at the time we were on a tight budget saving up for our house and they were truly a bargain, had a pleasing shape and considerable potential. After switching out the round midcentury legs with turned wooden ones from Lowes I spray-painted black, adding swivels on the front and slicing off 2 inches from the seat cushions (they had a serious overhang and it was bothering me something fierce), they still had me stumped. I did not like the reddish-brown imitation velvet, no matter how soft it is or how many sins it hides. 

So… I decided it was time to have them slipcovered.  Two problems: one – there is no seamstress nearby who does slipcovers; two – the one I found is an hour away and gave me a quote three times ($$$) the price I paid for the pair, per chair. Now I have absolutely no problem hiring professionals to do their job, in fact as a decorator I highly recommend it but these chairs I felt were not worth the splurge, especially one month before closing on our house. So it was time for plan B and I went about it the academic way. I searched high and low for books on slipcovers, read two or three good ones, binge-watched Youtube tutorials until I felt confident enough to buy fabric and start cutting. I learned how to make welting and how to always cut the fabric for it on the bias for elasticity. I learned the hard way to make a pattern first and cut into the “good” fabric second. All in all, it took me three weeks to finish one slipcover and although I doubted myself every step of the way, pricked myself a million times, I emerged on the other side with a newfound respect for skilled seamstresses who do this every day the right way. To be totally honest, I had some help from a friend who has a serger, she helped finish off the raw seams but boy, was it difficult! It’s not perfect or anything but it also looks better than my worst expectations so there’s a small victory in that. I promise I’ll share both chairs when I’m done with the second slipcover. In the meantime, I’d like to share with you some slipcover pretties I’ve looked at for inspiration in case you are interested in slipcovering a furniture piece of your own

Slipcovers, when done right, are a great way to refresh dated pieces, protect upholstery or completely change the look and feel of a room. They are also easier to clean and work so well for families with children and pets. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes too. Some are loose-fitting while others are more tailored (my favorite). I particularly like the look of tailored slipcovers with contrast welting. If the legs of your chair/ottoman/sofa are pretty and you’d like to have them exposed, you can opt for a shorter skirt or no skirt at all. You can finish the bottom with a ruffle, box pleat or scalloped edges, banding or no banding…the possibilities are endless. In fact, halfway through my attempts I’ve changed my mind about the skirt. I initially wanted a box pleat but ended up keeping it simple, no skirt at all. As for fabrics to use, I have found that medium-weight ones that are easy to maneuver, especially around curved arms and backs work best. Duck canvas, denim or linen blends will all work beautifully. Just make sure that the fabric is resistant enough that the existing upholstery won’t show through. And to answer my initial question – What to do with an ugly chair? – this is what I came up with – sell or donate if there’s nothing you like about it but if the frame and bones are pretty and what you dislike is the wood or dated upholstery, I’d suggest giving it a second chance. A little bit of paint and a fresh slipcover might make you realize it wasn’t so ugly after all 🙂