HG Openhouse Blog

A friend of mine called and said she found an old French chair and ottoman that a neighbor had put out by the trash. She thought it had “possibilities” and asked the neighbor if she could have it. She needed a reading chair to use in her childrens room, and was hoping it could be reupholstered.

These pieces had great classic Louis XV styling. The frames were in good condition and they were very sturdy. So we decided to use them. I did a bit of work on them before I took them to the upholsterer. The frames had been painted before and needed another good paint job. So I sanded the frames, just to get off the rough paint and add some “tooth” for the new paint to adhere to. I used a good quality high performance semi-gloss white enamel spray paint. The paint that was used before was oil based, so I needed the same, so the new coat wouldn’t peel off. It covered beautifully and left a smooth durable finish.

Many times I can recover simpler pieces of furniture. But, this one, a bit more involved. So I let the professionals handle it.

I chose the fabric for it’s colors and durability. It’s an indoor/outdoor fabric and will hold up well in a kids room. There is a darling little girl and a baby boy sharing the room, so we had to balance the color for both. Most of the room is decorated in blue and white with green accents, so this fabric went well. Besides the great stripe fabric, the welting and lumbar pillow is done in a blue and white gingham, (click on the picture to enlarge details). We will be adding more of the fabrics in the room…pillows, dust ruffle, ribbon board etc. I’ll try to post some pictures in the room.

Sometimes, when you think there’s no hope for a piece of furniture, give it a second look… if you throw it out, someone may grab it up and turn YOUR trash into treasure.

What have you turned from trash to treasure lately? Love to hear!!