Remember these?
Lovely but worn out slipper chairs from an estate sale for $15 each.
They now have a fresh lease on life in a scrumptiously soft chenille. (Please ignore the floor lamp stuck awkwardly behind them, I had just picked up the little table at another estate sale and wasn't done rearranging when I grabbed my camera!) The pretty, but ripped and dirty turquoise velvet didn't fit my color scheme and the upholstery really need to be redone to keep the padding in shape. I loved the lines and they seemed really sturdy to me. The manufacturer's tag said "Comfort Chair Co., Inc., Hickory, N.C. I couldn't find anything on the company but I knew North Carolina is associated with quality furniture.
I took them to Tracy's dad, a professional upholsterer, to see what he thought. The first thing he did was throw them up on some saw horses and try to twist them apart. He seemed surprised they passed the test and said that chairs of this design without arms don't always have the support they need. I think when I called him and asked him to look at some $15 chairs he didn't expect much! He said they were probably made in the 50's judging by the materials used and they were well worth the cost of reupholstering them. The only design change we made was to omit the tufting on the seat. I paid a couple of hundred each to have them done. I know that's not pocket change, and is way over the price of a slipcover, but at a total of about $275 each they were way under anything comparable I could find.
Like the tufted one on the right for $2365... plus fabric!
See, you were thinking I was crazy but I do know thrifty when I find it! And that's why I'm linking up with Leigh for Thrifty Thursday in Bloggeritaville. Please pay her a visit see all the thrifty finds and crafts at her link party.
One last thing before I forget. I'm happy to say that Tracy is, finally, officially my sister-in-law. Congratulations to Tracy and my brother Walter! If you'd like to see photos of their wedding in Carmel a few weeks ago you can check out Erika Jackson Photography. Make sure you scroll all the way to the end. The barefoot on the beach photos are my favorites, although the winery ones are great too. wedding photography has sure come a long way since I got married!
Hugs,
Dawn
