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Settee Makeover

Monday, March 7, 2011

Last week I gave you a sneak peek of a big makeover that I was working on. I had intended to be finished this makeover by Friday, however it was a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated. I attempted my first reupholstery  ever and it took me forevah!  I knew the settee was old but I didn't think  it was so old that the wood was petrified! It was so hard to staple and nail through the wood frame that I think my eyes are permanently bugged out from squeezing the stapler, and my hands are forever in a claw position from hammering.  I removed the old fabric, retied springs in the back, added more stuffing to  the back and then started the recovering process. I used canvas drop cloths for the back sides and cushion. I used white burlap for the front and inner sides. I made a cushion with  the seam underneath because I wanted it to be removable to launder but look like a solid seat. I trimmed it in nail head trim. The trim is a little wonky in spots... again because the wood is so hard!! It was so hard to try and hold the tacks in place and try to hammer with the force that it took to drive it , that sometimes they went a little crooked. Oh!  I painted the frame before I put the new fabric on. I gave it two coats of primer, a coat of white paint and a thinned coat of Sharkey Grey. Okay here is a pic of what I started with:




I took this picture after I had removed the original cushion. I bought the settee at the goodwill years ago.  I  paid about 49.00 dollars for it. The original cushion was crispy and stank. It  never made it into the house.

Here is the front view after painting and new fabric. My house is surrounded by trees and that makes the inside very dark. Even after editing the pictures are not great, I added as much light to the room as possible but the pics just don't do it justice. Here's the after:

Front View


right view

      side view               
These are the best pictures I could get.   The tootsie roll pillow is just an old bolster that I wrapped a burlap remnant around and tied the ends with seam binding...no sew. I added a vintage doily to the front. Overall I'm pretty happy with it for a first time try. Next up is a chair. I bought a chair from Martha Stewart's line of furniture about eight years ago. It was in the discounted furniture section of the store because it had a tiny rip in it. The frame and springs have held up great but the fabric is shot. It is a rust/cinnamon velvet...velvet is not a  good fabric for everyday family use,besides I'm changing the color scheme so it needs a makeover too. Wish me luck! hopefully it wont take me an eternity to finish it. I'll end with another shot of the after:

after
It was a lot of work but fun and so worth it. I'm anxious to start my chair now. I'm joining the Newbie Party at  Debbiedoos  bloggin and blabbing and Thrifty Decor Chicks Before and after Party and Tuesdays Treasures at  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.and Whassup Wednesday at Elements Interiors.  SNS at Funky Junk Interiors

39 comments:

  1. Karen it's just beautiful!!! I love the material and colour you chose!!
    I know what you mean about indoor lighting!! My house is sooo dark I am forever adding lights in the back ground to help with the light!! Frustrating!!

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  2. This is great! I wish I could muster up the nerve to try to upholster my couch.

    dreaming-n-color.blogspot.com

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  3. Seriously Karen it's gorgeous! Bravo to to for completing your first upholstery challenge! The nail head trim was the perfect finish and I love your tootsie roll pillow!!!

    Oh and just so you know I am cracking up at your choice of adjectives!! Crusty and Stank!!! hahahaha!

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  4. Looks beautiful; love the pillow!

    Sue
    xo

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  5. that turned out beautiful.....

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  6. You are incredible! What a nice job you did. Thanks so much for joining my newbie party.

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  7. Oh my gosh, that is fabulous!! i would be thrilled with that! Awesome job! Would love it if you checked out my blog sometime!

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  8. Outstanding job you did here! I’m having a giveaway...be sure to come by and check it out…it’s a goodie!!!

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  9. You did a brilliant job. My family has been in the furniture industry for 50 years, so I've seen loads of upholstery. I adore the nailhead trim.I'm looking forward to following you and watching your future projects unfold.Please drop in and visit me at Brambly. Take care.

    Ann-Marie

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  10. Fantastic! I am so amazed this was a first time job. Great work. That is a really good "Redoux"!

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  11. Soo pretty I love the way it turned out. Great Job!!

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  12. So beautiful! Love it! You did such an amazing job!!!
    -emily
    www.nestnestingnested.blogspot.com

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  13. It turned out wonderfully! I've never had the guts to try upholstering anything. I loved how yours turned out :-)
    Blessings,
    Marcia

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  14. Oh my goodness! That is awesome! So beautiful! Have you tried taking a photo without the flash or it is that just the light coming in? You are talented and brave to tackle a project like that. Love it!

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  15. you did a fabulous job...wanna come redo some of my furniture?

    hopping over from my uncommon slice...and now following!

    blessings,

    alison
    stuff and nonsense

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  16. This is fabulous, so pretty! You did a wonderful job!
    Thanks for linking up!
    XO
    Kristin

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  17. You did an excellant job- I am not that brave. Love the fabric.

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  18. wow!!
    gorgeous work!
    lovely photos!
    take care,
    Rosa

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  19. Karen! You did a great job!! I love the makeover and I love the imperfect trim! : )

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  20. Amazing job. I love what you started and ended with - i'll bet that was a big project? thanks for sharing!
    xoox
    ~tracie

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  21. OOOOooooo looks great. I is quite difficult to upholster. I am watching everyone master it. I will be following your blog. love the projects you tackle.
    Bonne Journée
    Caroline

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  22. Hey Karen...great job on this. I really like the wood painted white and the nail-head trim is like the icing on a cake. The final touch. Thanks for visiting my blog and your nice comments. I'm behind on emails and trying hard to catch up...hope you week is going well. The weekend is getting closer! ~Ann

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  23. Thanks for the comment Karen, and I love the settee, I have one that I need to do. Hope it was not too hard.

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  24. So lovely!!! Absolutely gorgeous, thanks for sharing! xo

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  25. Wow! A labor of love but so worth it! I have never done upholstery myself... not sure I ever will after hearing about your poor eyes and hands! I'm sure once you've recovered you won't mind... it's absolutely beautiful!

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  26. I die. This is gorgeous. I dream about the day I can own something like this! Awesome transformation!

    Best,
    Ashleigh

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  27. Karen-

    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! What a-ma-zing transformations you've made! I'm your newest follower too :D

    Shelley

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  28. Wow, I love it. You did a fantastic job!

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  29. That was quite an undertaking and you deserve 100 stars!! That's a lot of studs you put it...no wonder your hand is still clawlike. It is stunning....major kudos to you. :)

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  30. This is gorgeous! I love the fabric you chose!

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  31. Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate your comment. I am so impressed with your re-upholstering job! Make a tutorial next time so people like me can see just how it's done!! Looks beautiful!

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  32. It is truly a lovely piece! I love it! Great job!

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  33. What a beautiful piece to find! It turned out gorgeous!

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  34. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am your newest follower. This looks amazing! I love it!

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  35. This looks amazing Karen :) Thanks for the sweet comment on my blog! I'm a new follower of yours! I think I'm going to have to try something like this soon!

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  36. Karen this is gorgeous! You should totally do a tutorial so I can learn for my chairs.

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