From drab to fab...

I acquired a kitchen set not long ago…a table, leaf and set of 4 chairs.  The set had great bones but was outdated, dirty and beaten up.  I was excited to jump right in and strip the chairs down to their bare bones.  I removed the chair seats and began the process of removing the upholstery…one layer at a time.  Each chair had three layers of fabric on them and each layer was stapled down with over 100 staples.  My hands were sore and swollen by the end of the deconstruction, but I felt a great sense of gratification when I was through.  I filled a huge garbage bag with the old, dirty fabric and crusty foam cushioning which had deteriorated over the years. Once the 4 chairs were down to the bare wood, I gave them a good cleaning and ran to the fabric store...

The set is from the 50's and I wanted to use a fabric that would capture that time period.  Some of my favorite table cloths are from the 50's.  I love the color combinations that were used back then…poppy red with baby blue and yellow, being my most favorite.  I selected a strong and durable, bright and colorful, floral fabric that would allow me to utilize some of my favorite paint colors for the chairs.  Note the poppy red, baby blue and yellow…

After selecting my Annie Sloan paint colors, I got to work painting, distressing and coating the chairs, one at a time.  When they were done, I covered the chair seats with new foam cushioning and the new fabric and reattached them to the chairs.  I painted the table and leaf in Annie Sloan, "Pure white" to coordinate with but not compete with the chairs.

I see this set in in a white kitchen, but it would look great most anywhere.  Bring some fun into your home!