Welcome back, amazing friends! Have you got an old chair that could use a makeover? Well I am here with tons of inspiration for that chair project!
Because I was expecting to be traveling this week, I had planned to share an oldie, but goodie today. However plans changed so I had a little more time to put something together, and I decided to round up a bunch of my chair makeovers and share them in one post!
I mentioned on Tuesday that I would be driving Jack to college today, but later that morning, we got the news that the start of classes had been pushed back two weeks. That meant that his move-in date was pushed back two weeks also. I was ready to just get it over with, but I am so thankful for two more weeks with my sweet boy! I think I’ll definitely (maybe) be more ready to say good bye then! Thank you for all your words of encouragement and wisdom on Tuesday!
I must have a soft spot for chairs because I always check them out when I’m thrifting! Even the most tragic looking of chairs can be brought to life with a little imagination and know-how. Just be sure it is solid and not wobbly because it is not worth the trouble to try to fix a wobbly chair!
I’ve done quite a few over the years and here are 23 of them!
I’ve included the links to these makeovers below each after photo if you’d like to see more of one of them! Enjoy!
1
I’m going WAY back for this first one! It is a super oldie, but a good one, I think.
This is my desk chair that I bought at the thrift store back in 2013 for $40:
It was SO comfy that I had to bring it home, even though it was way overpriced (in my opinion)!! When I got home and googled the make and model number on the bottom, this leather chair actually reatailed for $500! That’s insane! No wonder it was so comfortable, and what a deal it turned out to be!
I knew I did not want to live with the blue leather, so I covered it:
UPHOLSTERED DESK CHAIR
I am still using this very same chair today, and aside from the fabric wearing on the right arm a little, it has held up beautifully!
2
This next chair was a such a cutie except for one small detail…it was missing a seat:
No worries! For $9.98, I decided to lug it home anyway! Great for a chamber pot, no? Put it right beside the bed?
I cut and covered a piece of plywood for the seat and fixed it right up, no chamber pot necessary!
PETITE FRENCH CHAIR (& HOW TO FIX A BROKEN SEAT)
3
This little rocking chair is one of a few that I’m sharing today. I always pick up children’s rockers when I see them as they are good sellers.
This one was a $4 thrift store find:
It got a sweet, shabby new look:
SHABBY LITTLE ROCKING CHAIR
4
Here’s another child’s rocker I picked up for $6.98 on a thrifting trip with my favorite thrifting buddy, Nancy:
It got a whimsical makeover:
CHILD’S ROCKER MAKEOVER
5
I picked up this set of chairs at the thrift store for around $60 for the set:
They looked like they had come out of the saddest waiting room you ever did see. I loved the French Provincial lines of them though and tried to see past the tattered upholstery.
They sat in our garage for forever until I finally decided to give them their big day.
And I think I made it up to them!
REUPHOLSTERED FRENCH PROVINCIAL CHAIRS
These still sit at our kitchen table today! This was when we first moved in and I was sharing our pedestal kitchen table that I redid…
6
Not long after we moved in, I went in search of two chairs to go with this set. I searched every thrift store I could find to no avail.
Then, one day while I was browsing through HomeGoods, I spotted these:
That gold wasn’t doing anything for me, but the shape was very similar to the chairs I had already redone, AND they were on clearance! SOLD!
I brought them home, gave them a paint job, and covered the seats in the same ticking I used on the other two chairs:
PAINTED CANE-BACKED CHAIRS
They coordinate so nicely with the other chairs…
Such a charming set for our kitchen!
7
Not long after that, my hubby decided he was going to empty our storage unit since we now had a larger garage. I had this thing stored in there for three years!
It was only $35 at the thrift store and with all those pretty details, I just could not leave it behind. I never really had the motivation to redo it though until I had an empty spot that needed filling in our new living room.
I found a beautiful set of curtain panels at HomeGoods (my favorite fabric store lol) that did wonders for this chair!
UPHOLSTERED THRIFT STORE CHAIR MAKEOVER
I love how this one turned out so much! This now resides in a corner of our dining room.
8
Next up is this queen Anne chair I picked up for $10 to use in our Halloween display:
After halloween, it just sat in our garage until I picked up this beauty (for only $30!!):
$30 ANTIQUE DRESSING TABLE MAKEOVER
It turns out that this chair ended up being a pretty good match!
They did sell separately though.
QUEEN ANNE CHAIR MAKEOVER
9
This cane-backed chair was also purchased to use in our Halloween display:
Talk about an ugly duckling, but that cane is so pretty when painted!
CANE-BACKED CHAIR MAKEOVER (WITH SPRAY PAINT!)
This makeover was done entirely with spray paint, making it super easy! The seat was covered with fabric I found at the thrift store!
10
Up next is this thrift store find I picked up for $10 on another one of my Thrifting Trips with Nancy:
I just loved those beautiful details, but the inside of the seat was a mess of straw and whatever else gross stuff was stuffed inside chairs a hundred years ago!
I gave it fresh paint and completely redid the seat:
HOW TO EASILY REPLACE AN ANTIQUE SEAT (FILLED WITH STRAW OR HORSE HAIR)
You can see Nancy and me shopping for it here:
If you have trouble viewing, find it on YouTube HERE.
11
This next one was a lot of fun! It started out as this thrift store find that I held onto for way too long and then gave up and tried to flog at our annual neighborhood yard sale:
With no takers after the yard sale (See pics from that yard at the end of this post HERE!), I decided to keep it and give it some love.
I was inspired by a piece in the book my friend, Jen at Girl in the Garage, wrote called Amazing Furniture Makeovers.
It turned out so cute!
FOLDING WOODEN CHAIR MAKEOVER
It was a lot of fun bringing this one to life! And it is still for sale in my booth!
12
This next chair just wasn’t cute at all, but I spied it at a yard sale for $10 and brought it home anyway:
It sat in my storage room for months before I added it to my Haul of Shame to ensure it would finally get a makeover!
White paint to the rescue!!
$10 YARD SALE CHAIR MAKEOVER
The two-toned look wasn’t a good look at all, so painting it all one color did wonders!
13
Here’s another piece from my Haul of Shame, this child’s wicker rocker:
I am always painting furniture white, but this time, I took a white piece and turned it blue!
CHILD’S WICKER ROCKER MAKEOVER
My favorite on this one is stripes on the runners!
14
Ever come across a broken cane seat?? This was a deal at $6.98:
I gave it a simple fix with plywood and fabric that gave it many more years of life to live:
SIMPLE FIX FOR A BROKEN CANE SEAT
15
This little cutie was hard to pass up for $5!
I decided to play with green for this one.
$5 THRIFT STORE ROCKER MAKEOVER
You guys seemed to love the green, but unfortunately it sat too long in my booth, and I ended up bringing it home and painting the green stripes blue.
It sold shortly after.
16
This next chair was also a $10 yard sale find:
I pick up small chairs because I often find desks or dressing tables that do not have chairs, and so it’s nice to have a couple on hand. This thing was solid, but had zero personality! And I never came across a piece I could match it to, so I set out to give it some much-needed personality:
$10 YARD SALE CHAIR MAKEOVER
Stencils made it so much more fun! I might even say it’s cute!
17
How about outdoor chairs?
This set had definitely seen better days!
The covers had faded and the brown did not go with our new house at all. I decided to redo them for our side porch!
GIVING NEW LIFE TO OUTDOOR FURNITURE
See how I made brand new covers for these outdoor cushions HERE. If you can sew a straight line, I promise you can do this!
18
This next one was a redo of a redo! It started out like this:
It got its first makeover HERE and lived in our old kitchen for several years.
It sat in my storage room for a while until I decided to give it another redo:
KITCHEN STOOL MAKEOVER
One of my favorite wreath stencils finished the look:
19
I found this dated little rocker for $5 on the same thrift store trip as the previous child’s rocker I shared:
I wasn’t sure how this one would look when redone, but I should have known better…
DATED LITTLE ROCKER MAKEOVER
It turned out super cute with its mini check seat and fun sentiment!
This might be my favorite of all the rockers!
21
I see this style of chair quite often. I ended up buying these one this time because they were super cheap at only $5 each!
I decided to use them to share a tutorial on how to replace a chair cushion:
HOW TO REPLACE A CHAIR CUSHION
22
I loved the style of this next chair as soon as I spied it at the thrift store:
For $14, I snatched it up! I ended up pairing it with a drop leaf table that I brought home from my booth for a redo.
The legs were a great match!
WINDSOR CHAIR MAKEOVER (& DROP-LEAF TABLE REDO!)
Hello Miss Lyla!
The table got a transfer…
23
And most recently, these chairs that once belonged in my mom’s kitchen and then my own years ago, got a makeover:
A new paint job and and recovered seats gave these cuties a brand new look!
DROP LEAF KITCHEN TABLE AND CHAIRS
I love the ticking for these sweet chairs:
And just for fun, here are two more projects that were made from chairs!
I’ve shared this first one a couple of times… my neighbor had asked me if I wanted her rocker that was on her porch. It needed repaired, but I wasn’t interested so I passed on it.
A few days later I found this sticking out of her garbage can:
I knew just what I could do with it and grabbed it.
I ended up turning it into a shelf!
REPURPOSED CHAIR
It currently lives in our guest bath.
And this project began as the front of a chair that I salvaged from a broken chair a couple of years ago:
I added a piece of wood to the top and created a cute wall shelf with this one too!
Chair parts Repurposed
And there you have it! 23 thrifty chair makeovers and two bonus projects!
I hope you enjoyed this look back with me!
I’ll be drawing my THREE winners of the Etsy Shop/Dixie Belle giveaway today, so be sure to check your email! I will announce the winners once everyone has responded.
I’ll be back on Tuesday sharing what I did with this little table:
UPDATE: This table looks so much cuter now! See it HERE!
Have an amazing weekend, dear friends!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Mary Kaiser says
Wow you have done a lot of beautiful chairs. I remember every one of them, but it is so fun to see them again! I think my favorites were all the ones you used ticking stripes on. I am looking forward to your e mail telling me I won your contest, fingers crossed here! Thanks for having the contest, and thanks for having such amazing furniture re-dos and for sharing them with me!
Christy says
Thank you, Mary! I love the ticking ones too! I’m so glad you enjoyed looking back! I did draw three winners, but two have yet to respond. If after 48 hours I do not hear from them, I will redraw! XOXO
Christina says
Wow, how completely wonderful!! I love all the beautiful makeovers and inspiration. Thank you!!
Be well!!
Christy says
Thank you, Christina! Enjoy your weekend! XOXO
Cheryl says
I know it’s not your intent CJ, but why ?? Why you makin’ me cry over all these truly gorgeous make overs ?? Every single one is amazing !! 😍😢🥰
Cheryl in C’Ville
Christy says
Oh ha ha! I am SO sorry!! Thank you, Cheryl!! XOXO
Jaye says
I know I’ve seen all these reveals, but putting them all together shows what a truly talented person you are. I love the way you bring out the best in each piece. So look forward to your blog every Tuesday and Thursday. Thank you for sharing.
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, Jaye, thank you!! Have a great weekend! XOXO
Rosie says
You definitely have inspired me to go and redo a chair! They all turned out beautifully. The details on some of the chairs is what captures the eye when painted white. Enjoyed seeing all 23 of the chair makeovers. Have a great weekend!
Christy says
Oh yay! Thank you, Rosie! Chairs are fun and quick to do if you only have one or two! Glad you enjoyed them! XOXO
Maryellen Webber says
Christy, you have such talent for giving chairs a second chance! Love those cute little rockers!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Maryellen! The rockers are always fun to do! XOXO
Barri says
Love all the chair makeovers! I was inspired by one of the child’s rockers so I redid one similar. Also, treasure the 2 extra weeks with your boy! Honestly I never cried so hard in my life the day we dropped my firstborn son off at college, but I knew he was ready to “fly” and he has done so well and we are so proud (graduated in 4 years and on his own now!)…time flies with kids and they live at home such a short amount of time sadly, you gotta treasure each and every moment…enjoy these two weeks! Best of luck on drop off day…you prepared him well I am sure, he will “fly” as well!
Christy says
Thank you, Barri! And thank you!! I will cry ugly tears I’m sure, but mine too is ready to “fly”, so I think that will help! Thank you for your words of encouragement from a mama whose been there! I will definitely treasure this gift of time! XOXO
ANITA EISENBEIS says
Love your transformations!
Christy says
Thank you, Anita! XOXO
Donna says
Those chairs are all so inspirational. I even passed on some of those ideas to my sister and daughter. Like you, I would be moving my son to college to this month but his program was cancelled and was a blessing because he was in a terrible pickup/semi accident this spring. So really it causes him to have more healing time and he will delay college until next Fall. So it will be nice to have him home a little longer.
Christy says
Thank you, Donna! Funny how things work out. I am glad your son has this time to heal and you get to enjoy having home another year! XOXO
Sue Mellette says
I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all your makeovers. I remembered several of them. It is always a pleasure to peruse your photos and detailed descriptions of each one of your treasures. I get a lot of inspiration from your work. Thanks again for the “walk down memory lane.” I loved them all and each one is so unique!
Christy says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Sue! It is always fun to look back, and I love that you feel inspired when you visit…that is the best!! XOXO
Vicki Lombardi says
Christy, enjoyed this chair post! Oh the possibilities! Enjoy your two-week reprieve with Jack!
Christy says
Thank you, Vicki!! I’m so glad you enjoyed looking back! I will definitely enjoy this time! XOXO
Mary Loveland says
That was really fun looking at all the past chair projects. Thank You
Christy says
I’m glad you enjoyed looking back with me, Mary! XOXO
Anita says
Christy, loved seeing all the chairs and their redo. Due to the quarantine, I had lost my inspiration to do things, but seeing what you did to the chairs has inspired me again. Thanks for posting them.
Christy says
Thank you, Anita! I LOVE that you are feeling inspired…that is a great feeling!! XOXO
Addie says
You’re a chair hog!!! Great make-overs…love them all. Fun to look back at all the hard work you’ve done…….high five!!!…..with 6 feet between us!!!
Have a good weekend!!! xoxo
Christy says
Yes I am ha ha! Thanks, Addie! Air high five lol! Enjoy your weekend too, my friend!! XOXO
Sandi Allen says
Wow! These are some incredible chair makeovers.
Beautiful colors & fabrics! Thanks for the inspiration!
Christy says
Thank you, Sandi! I’m glad you enjoyed them! XOXO
Constance Colvin says
Christy………seriously………..you. are. a. wizard. !!!!! :-O
Christy says
Aww, thank you, Connie!! XOXO
Dianne Noffke says
This was fun! Many of these I had seen before and enjoyed seeing again and some were new. Your creativity is so inspiring. Loved seeing Lyla again. I’m going to study your chair cushion makeover again and learn to do it. It makes so much difference and yours always looks so professional.
Christy says
Thank you so much, my friend! I thought you would enjoy that peek at Miss Lyla! Good luck with your cushions! XOXO
Mary says
Oh goodness Christy! What a great blog post today, filled with inspiration! I loved the “You Rock” rocking chair 🙂 and also how you transformed the back of that rocking chair from the garbage can into the cutest shelf for your guest bathroom! All of the redos were great! I too seem to “attract” chairs and I thank you for great ideas…maybe now I will get something done with them – ha! 🙂 Love your blog!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Mary! That little rocker is one of my favorites and the chair shelf also! When I made that shelf, I had nowhere to hang it at our old house. We had no plans to move at that time, but I couldn’t let that one go. Good thing because we bought a new house just a few months later! Have fun with your chairs!! XOXO
ROSE LEFEBVRE says
I love many of these! The first set of chairs and the office chair first pictured are my absolute faves!
Christy says
Thank you, Rose! I love those too and they are still going strong! Have a great weekend! XOXO
Patty says
Christy, your chairs have also “wowed” me – I’ve loved every one! Can hardly believe you have a “college” age son! Growing up is hard – especially for the mom! I’ll be thinking of you – hoping you enjoy the gifted couple of weeks! Everything will be different this Fall – hoping he will enjoy it, none-the-less! 🙂
Christy says
Thank you, Patty! Yes, my mom always said our children are only on loan to us. I will miss him dearly, but I am going to try to enjoy watching him fly! Will definitely enjoy this gift of time though! XOXO
Cecilia from Georgia says
I love chairs! I picked up 3 dining chairs off the side of the road and put them with about 10 other odd chairs —- hopefully, to get to one day! I really enjoyed seeing all these chair makeovers in one post. Enjoy the next 2 weeks with Jack!
Christy says
Thank you, Cecilia! Nice roadside score! I keep telling myself I should get up early on trash day and scout the neighborhood for goodies, but it’s the getting up early part that gets in my way lol! I will definitely enjoy these two weeks! Have a great weekend! XOXO
Kelly says
How do you do the piping and details on the fancier cushion makeovers?
Christy says
Hi Kelly! I share how here in a super old post here: https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/how-to-add-piping-to-dining-room-chairs/ It really adds a professional finish to your chair cushions! XOXO
Sharon Medlin says
Christy, Love, love, love your re-dos. I thrift shop also, but I never seem to find the great pieces you find. I have collected several pieces and now you have inspired me to get busy re-doing them with the help of your blog. The first job I just completed were my outdoor seating Bench, two chairs and table, I cleaned them up and they went from dull gray to beautiful brown stain, they look brand new! I think you should do a book on all your projects! or have you already, I am new to your site and look forward to each post. Thank you
Christy says
Thank you so much, Sharon! Isn’t it the best feeling to be able to breathe new life into something? And I would LOVE to publish a book!! So glad you found me! XOXO
Carol Karl says
All such great projects. Thanks for the inspiration!
Christy says
Thank you, Carol! XOXO