A chair way to heaven for upscalers
Paula’s easy upcycling idea to help you mix modern and vintage
You’ll need:
A straight-backed wooden chair
with a drop-in seat pad
A square of fabric that is 15cm (6in) wider and longer than the seat dimensions Scissors
A square of foam padding or wadding that is the same measurements as the seat A staple gun Dressmaker’s pins
You need one vintage wooden chair with a seat loose enough to be pushed out from the surrounding frame. Test a few when you visit a vintage shop or market. They’re the ones that look like straightbacked dining chairs, but they won’t have upholstered or flat wooden seats. They’re generally quite traditional in style and often seen as old-fashioned, so finding them cheaply is quite easy.
Remove the seat and measure the length and width. Add 15cm (6in) to each measurement, then cut your material to size (the fabric is where you can have fun – use a contemporary pattern and design if you wish). For extra comfort, get some padding or wadding from an upholstery shop, or a thin piece of foam cut to fit the drop-in seat. Sometimes the seat will be padded enough, so you only need new fabric.
Cover the seat with the padding, then cover the padding with your fabric, leaving 5cm (2in) overlay all round.
Carefully place your hand in the middle of the seat, keeping both the padding and fabric steady, then gently turn the seat upside down and lay it fabric and padding first on a flat surface. Make sure the padding and fabric is evenly placed so you can still see the overlap fabric coming from under each side. You should now be looking at the underside.
Fold the overlapping fabric on to each side of the upturned seat and pin into the soft underside within the frame to keep it in place. Make sure it’s neat and even on all sides (carefully check the other side to make sure the fabric hasn’t creased). When you’re happy with how the front looks, staple the fabric neatly on all sides, pleating it at the corners and stretching out any bulk. Keep the fabric evenly distributed across the seat and ensure the padding hasn’t shifted.
When finished, you should be able to press the seat back into the chair space complete with its new padding. Et voilà!