Wingback Chair Makeover

I have been on the hunt for a pair of wingback chairs for quite some time now.  I visited an antique store/junk shop while I was living in Columbia for five months for an Army school.  I walked through the entire warehouse and found various wingbacks, but they were all WAY over my budget (I’m talking $350 for one), so I figured I would go home empty-handed.  As I was leaving, I told the lady at the register what I looking for and she told me they had just gotten a beat up pair that was sitting outside.  Outside on the porch I found two sturdy wingbacks that were $50 for the pair!  They were covered in dog hair, needed a good reupholstering job, and were absolutely perfect.  I loved the pink fabric that I used on a little chair that I have at my desk, so I ordered 14 yards of it for the wingback chairs.  I just got them back a few days ago and I think they look so great.  The pink is feminine, but not over the top, and it plays well with blues, metallics, stripes and all the other colors in my living room.  It’s whimsical, yet grown up.  What do you think? 

Sturdy, classic wingback chairs like these sell for $795 to well over $895 a piece online, but by finding the chairs in disrepair, buying my own fabric, and hiring someone (E.C. Robinson Upholstery in Alexandria, VA) to reupholster, add padding, and fix and re-stain the ugly legs, they ended up costing $611 a piece.  This amount easily could have been decreased had I chosen cheaper fabric, or if I did not have to pay D.C. upholstery prices, but this just goes to show that a little imagination really can save you money, and it will help you create the exact piece you wanted!
This is what they looked like before.  Gross!
This is what the chairs look like now!


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Katie Vail
Katie Vail

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Leave a comment

  1. October 5, 2013 / 1:58 pm

    Katie,
    LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEE that you started a blog for all your great design ideas! 🙂

  2. October 5, 2013 / 3:12 pm

    Thanks so much Katrina! I hope you keep checking it out from time to time!

  3. March 8, 2014 / 1:36 pm

    These chairs look awesome! I have a wing backed chair that I've been afraid to get reupholstered for awhile now because I still like the color…but it could use an update. This post just inspired me! Also I just found your blog through your @TheEverygirl_ interview. LOVE your style! Also good luck with the transition out of the military. I know how tough that can be!

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