a new life

We updated our wingback chairs! 

{without the cost or pain of an upholstery job!}

Soon after we were married we were gifted a set of white wingback chairs in great condition. For a while, I added 'Amanda-like' pillows to them to make them more 'us', but I knew that they still weren't fully there yet...

So we gave them a makeover! 

 These images stuck in my mind every step of the way:

|ONE| apartment therapy. The moment I saw this image, I needed that throw and fur. Look how easily they change the mood of that leather sofa. 

|TWO| atlanta homes & lifestyles. A solid contrasting color strip of upholstery trim gives these chairs a style update and new personality. 

|THREE| little green notebook. Digging through the LGN blog I came across this project, I knew parts of it would be perfect to re-create! That Jenny, she is good! 

|FOUR| hgtv blog. Another image perpetuating my desire for white fur and black stripes. Had to have it. 

|FIVE| vanguard furniture. The unfinished legs on this chair give it such a casual cool vibe. Plus the one strip of trim is a-maze.

|SIX| restoration hardware. Seriously, if its from RH, I love it! Unfinished/bleached wood and bold nail head trim, always a win. 

See the process...

{BEFORE}

The set of chairs are in great condition, they are comfortable, the fabric is clean and I love the wingback style. Like I said, they just aren't completely 'us' and don't jive well with our rustic/industrial look.

Mom recently imparted this gem of wisdom upon me-- She said that it is important to make family items your own, update them so that they reflect your style and still have the story of your family. 

So that is what we did!

Since the fabric is in such great condition and is far from repulsive...I decided to update it with some decorative trim and change the finish of the wooden legs. A great makeover without a hit to the bank account!

Each chair has nail head and black trim completely around its base. Each chair took 2 packs of these handy decorative nails. 

Except the first time I did the first chair...that chair took 4 packs of nails and every last ounce of patience I had. True to my impatient personality, I came home with a sunny outlook on this 'so simple!' project, a rubber mallet and nail heads. Then I started to hammer the nail heads in...then I cursed any and everything around me. {Poor cat...} I couldn't get those dang nails to just stick in there!!! They bent, they broke, the just fell out! What was going on?! No one online seemed to have any advice, I was mad. Stomp on the floor, drink a bottle of wine mad. Then I didn't touch those danged chairs for weeks. 

A few days later, Josh upholstered our bed and trimmed it with nail head. And...he didn't have any problems at all. No problems! What was his secret?! Turns out he was a big strong man about the hammering part...while I had been tap tap tapping the nail heads gently into the chair, he was slamming the nail in with one or two hard hits. And they stuck! No bends, no breaks!

I adopted his method and successfully trimmed out the chairs in lovely black fabric trim and nail heads. YES!!!

Using a handy detail palm sander {aren't new tools so fun}, Josh sanded all of the finish and stain off of the chair legs until they looked completely unfinished. The new look of the legs totally blends in with our room's look. Aren't they so fabulously Restoration Hardware-like?! {please say yes}. Props to Josh for a job super well done! 

I have gone back and forth about putting a stain or finish on the legs...I did a test of a colorless matte finish poly but wasn't happy with the honey tone and shine it gave the legs. So for now, they remain wonderfully unfinished. I like! 

Our made over chairs flank our fireplace in our living room and are topped with the black and white throws that I loooove and new white fur pillows. I love how glamorous and fun the throw and pillow made the chairs, they beg for stylish sitters! The shiny gold nail heads pop off of the black trim and stand out against the white fabric and unfinished wood. 

Sometimes its as easy as sandpaper, nail heads and new accessories! I am so happy with our chairs, they compliment the style of our home but have a look of their own. 

P.S. low cost! And when done right the first time... low stress!

Throw: $10/each

Pillows: $12/each {diy post coming soon!}

Nail Head: $1/box, on sale with a coupon

Black Trim: $6 {I think... + on sale, with a coupon and I had leftovers!}