Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Painting And Reupholstering A Chair With Ikea Curtains

When Teresa sent us her before and after chair makeover pics, we couldn’t wait to share the goods. Here’s her letter:

I just had to pass along the story of our $20 garage sale find. My husband hated the patterned Ikea curtains that I had hanging in our living room so I’m happy to share one of the panel’s reincarnation. My husband and I refinished the chair by sanding it and using Kilz oil-based primer and a can of regular old white high gloss spray paint from Lowe’s. We can’t take credit for the reupholstering though, as we had that professionally done. But here she is in all her glory. This is definitely my new favorite nook. I unwind here after long days with my two year old and six month old. Sometimes with or without a glass of wine, but always with the latest book that I am currently reading. Hope you enjoy my special ‘getaway’ as much as I do. Cheers! -Teresa

Here’s Teresa’s chair before the big primer + paint + Ikea curtain makeover:

Chair RR Before

And here it is after being spruced up with some oil-based primer, some glossy spray paint and some fun patterned fabric stolen from the living room windows:

Chair RR After1

Chair RR After2

Don’t you adore Teresa’s creative use of the curtains that the hubby hated? We definitely love her new “getaway” chair as much as she does and we appreciate that she did all of the chair refinishing herself to save some money (while leaving the upholstering part to an expert since she recognized that it was above her skill level). Thanks so much for sending along those photos Teresa! Your “new” chair looks super cozy- and you definitely deserve some reading time after wrangling two young children all day.

So what do you guys think? Cozy? Inviting? Inventive? Who’s a fan of Teresa’s creative thrift store chair reinvention?

Comments

  2. Jacci says

    That looks so great! Way to think out of the box, Teresa! :) I looked for a link, but couldn’t find one. Does Teresa blog? I loved the styling in the photos, too, by the way. Nice work!

    ~Jacci

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sadly Teresa doesn’t have a blog (we always include those links in Reader Redesigns if our submitters have one). But maybe she’ll catch the blogging bug soon…

      xo,
      s

  3. Christin says

    Love the chair! I actually really love those curtains and I’ve wanted to find a way to use them in my home – but they just don’t work for now for us. They work great as a chair too! Kudos to you Teresa! (And the general look of the nook is quite charming as well).

    Reply

  5. Cindy says

    Beautiful. I am so sad that I have to be a full-time working mom because I want to do some projects so badly and haven’t yet found the time. I’m gathering great ideas though!

    xo

    Reply

  9. Michelle says

    I love it! It’s so fresh and perfect in that little corner. This may be a silly question, but where do you take things to get reupholstered?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey Michelle,

      You can just ask friends and neighbors for a recommended upholsterer or check out your Yellow Pages, google around or even peruse sites like Craigslist for some great options. You can also visit any fabric stores in your area for a recommendation (the private ones, not chains, are especially helpful). Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  10. Jen says

    I love those curtains too! What a great chair! So inspirational. I too am a full-time working mom so am just gathering ideas until I can find the time.

    Reply

  11. Lindsay says

    Tre awesome!

    Good job, Teresa! I think Ikea sells a chair with that fabric on it (or something similar) but it’s like a bazillion dollars! What a clever idea and I have to say I think I like Teresa’s better!

    Good work!

    Reply

  15. Jo says

    I love, love, love this chair! I am not always able to see the potential in garage sale bargains like yours, but you have totally inspired me to try my own chair for our current bedroom redo on a tiny budget. Brava!

    Reply

  19. Jennifer says

    What a change. I love the new chair! I’m curious how much the upholstering ran. As always, I’m inspired by reading YHL. Thanks S, J & Teresa!

    Reply

  21. Jean says

    This is fantastic. What a great idea for a curtain panel.

    I’m totally curious: did Teresa also DIY her sheepskin throw since it was a recent post here on YHL?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hey everyone,

      So glad you’re loving Teresa’s chair makeover as much as we are. Here’s hoping she stops in to answer all of your questions soon!

      xo,
      s

  22. Jannell says

    They chair looks amazing! I love when people take something not so pretty and make it look fantastic! Wish I had the eye for it..

    Reply

  23. Teresa says

    Hi everyone!

    So glad that you guys love my chair!

    Lindsay- if only I had the power, I would be more than happy to share the chair love with everyone :)

    Jo- the stacked baskets are a Marshall’s find from several years ago. Keep your eye’s out there and at Home Goods.

    Reply

  24. Stacy says

    Beautiful! I’m wondering how much it costs to have something like that reupholstered. I know that I couldn’t do it myself, and I’m always hesitant to buy things that need new upholstery because I’m afraid the cost might be prohibitive.

    Reply

  26. Amy says

    That’s a great idea to use an unwanted curtain panel for an upholstery project that doesn’t require much fabric. I would be willing to bet that curtain panels, single flat sheets, etc are easier to find on sale than the fabric itself.

    Reply

  28. Darbi Lynn says

    Yeah, I’m with Stacy. How much does reupholstering a chair like that cost? I wouldn’t have any idea what was a good price or bad. Teresa, if you don’t mind sharing, we’d love to know what you spent on the upholstering. I love the chair and have a fabric shower curtain that would work perfect for a chair in my bedroom!

    Reply

  31. marisa says

    Wow-what an inspiration that chair is! I have a glider chair w/a boring brown pattern that I hate. This post has caused me to dream about what I can do to it. It would be super easy I think, since glider cushions can come right off. I’ll keep you posted if I get around to doing it and it comes out awesome!

    Reply

  33. Shannon U. says

    What a fab idea to upholster with Ikea curtains. That little chair turned out gorgeous. Love the added texture of the furry throw. Bravo!

    Reply

  34. Lisa in Seattle says

    This chair is gorgeous and so much nicer than anything with that fabric from Ikea! I too bought the curtains in a fit of wishful thinking and ended up returning them, not having a cute garage sale chair or mad refinishing skillz. Poor Teresa – now we all want to see more pics of her place!

    Reply

  35. Barb says

    I am really anxious to find out how much Teresa paid for the chair to be reupholstered by an expert. There is a bench at an antique store I want to buy and have recovered but I’m worried it would cost too much…
    Thanks for sharing Teresa, it looks great. I’m a little jealous!

    Reply

  37. Laurel says

    I absolutely LOVE this! Well done! I just reupholstered my sofa this weekend – it was so much easier than I expected! I don’t think I’ll ever buy new furniture again! Why waste hundreds when you can get perfectly custom, mile-high style on the cheap?

    Reply

  39. Kelly says

    I love those curtains! I only have one, bought a few years ago in the as-is department for €5 (new, the pair sells for €75). I only needed one at the time, and was delighted to find it!

    We’ve moved now, however, and although I still love the fabric I’ve been balking at spending €75 on curtains! I think I’m going to turn the curtain into a throw for the couch and maybe a pillow or two- I love the chair though!

    Reply

  41. Kristy says

    It looks great! I’m so sad that her husband didn’t like the fabric as curtains, though! That’s one of my favourite Ikea prints, haha. I’m glad at least one panel was reusable!

    Reply

  44. nita says

    this is fabulous look. i wish i knew anything about sewing or upholstering. sometimes i see pieces with potential but due to my lack of know-how, i usually take a sign and move on. kudos to you teresa!

    Reply

  46. Julie says

    Those curtains currently grace my bedroom and I’ve always wondered how my boyfriend really feels about them – oh well, it’s my house and he currently doesn’t get a full vote in the decor decisions!!

    Reply

  48. Melanie says

    I have those same curtains in my house, my husband gives me a bit of grief over them too. How funny. Beautiful redesign!

    Reply

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