Molly's New Chair

Here is a before and after picture of the latest chair I finished. This one came to me from Molly, a fantastic women with ideals close to my heart. She had seen this chair sitting in her neighbors garage for months, she contemplated asking about it but waited. The most important trait of a chair hunter is patience and it paid off for Molly. The neighbor had a garage sale and there was the chair sitting out, ready for the pickin'. Molly got her chair!
One problem still existed, Molly and I didn't know each other. But one day Molly fatefully walked into Art and Antiques on Main Street in Durango and found a chair I had for sale. She bought it, we met and the new chair project began.

This chair had some tell tale signs of internal wear. When you sat on the chair a fine yellow dust fell from the bottom. This is an obvious sign that the foam has dried up and died in your chair! Upon further inspection, the foam was pretty much gone, dry little balls of foam; brittle and crumbling to the touch. So I stripped the chair down to it's wood frame and started over. The exposed arms and legs needed a good sanding. I re-stained the legs in a Dark Mahogony and did a Poly clear coat with a satin finish.

Then came reassembling the chair. Foam on the base and back, layers of cotton batting and dacron to finish. The fabric was Molly's choice (she has great taste) there was a tan diamond print for the back and front band. Hints of red and blue were mirrored on the front fabric, which was a beautiful sink like fabric with an embroidered asian flower print. There are pleating details on the arms and front band which give it a girly charm.

Projects like these are always rewarding. Molly had the vision to save the chair from the landfill and I was able to give it life, great combo! So when you see a sad little chair sitting on the side of the road, pick it up.. have faith and find a really good upholsterer!!!