Friday, July 3, 2015

Costless DIY Armchair Upcycle | Pastel Inspired ♥

My love for upcycling has grown in leaps and bounds ever since my shabby chic chairs upcycle back in May. I currently have some projects on the go and am really enjoying transforming something old, worn and not too aesthetically pleasing into something beautiful, stylish and injected with a new lease of life.

This armchair in particular was one of the ugliest pieces of furniture I have ever laid eyes on. It was so dark and dreary with its super dark wood and dark velour upholstery in a horrible old cottage design, it was the complete opposite of my style when it comes to furniture and I was keen to make it over and into something pretty. Whats more is that I was able to make this upcycle completely costless by using materials I already had around my home. Making something beautiful for free is always a great feeling, especially when you're delighted with the results, just like I am with my chair.

I choose to upcycle this armchair in a pastel theme as I wanted to include it as part of my Popsicle brief for for my Graham & Brown ambassador role on my other blog Dolly Dowsie, a role which I have since given up but I was thankful for the inspiration it brought me.

The paint I used was Disney's Cinderella's Perfect Pastel, paint I left over from another project and which actually turned out to be a lot lighter than I expected but still lovely nonetheless. I chose not to sand the chair before painting and just set to work straight away. This chair eventually had to have six coats to transform it from super dark to the very light colour you see above and whilst it was tedious (I chould have chosen to use a spray paint which would have been a lot quicker), I think the end result was totally worth it. When the last coat has been applied I was really happy with the colour, it's so pretty and combined with the stripy seat covers, it has a real beach hut vibe to it I think and that's a look I love.

I was going to buy fabric and have my Nan make some cushion covers for the armchair but it was all getting a bit expensive and extra work so I looked for another solution. I had a single duvet cover in the hot press which was doing nothing - we have no single beds in our house and it is such a pretty design that I felt it was a shame not to put it to use so I decided it would be perfect for the armchair. I simply popped the two chair cushions into the duvet, propped them up on the armchair as they should be and tucked in the sides and middle to make it look seamless and fitted - it was as simple as that! What's more is that you can actually sit on and make use of the chair and the duvet doesn't move or pull - I've put it to the test! What's even better is that if the duvet gets dirty you can simple take it off, wash it and put it back on quickly and easily again.

I then used a cushion I had for the Popsicle brief to prop on the armchair, this is the Dream Cushion,  just as a finishing touch but as someone who has a love of cushions and many of them in her bedroom, I could have used any of them to prop on the chair too.

I absolutely love the transformation of the armchair, the pastel theme is absolutely perfect for it and I love how the pink stripe on the duvet matches the pink of the paint perfectly. I was delighted to be able to complete this project with no cost at all. Everyone has old discarded pots of paint, duvets and cushions lying around their home or in the shed I'm sure, so why not put them to use and make something beautiful?

This chair is now in the cottage next to my parents house and it suits the cottage vibe very well I think. There is a rocking armchair to match this armchair and I shall be upcycling that sometime in the near future too, although I'm not too sure whether to do it the same as this or completely different, what do you think?



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27 comments

  1. I love how you redid this chair. The pastel colors are gorgeous and I really like the look of white chairs. Your throw pillows on it are also super cute and fun. I really need to try to DIY and update some old furniture :)

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    1. Thank you so much Danielle. I'm a big fan of pastels so it was lovely to create something with theme as the inspiration.

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  2. When I first saw this chair, I had no idea it had a previous life! We used to have heavy wooden furniture just like it, and it was THE ugliest stuff ever. I think we eventually sent it to the furniture graveyard in the sky, but I wish I had thought to do it over like you did! It looks great in white and with updated cushions. The great thing about this kind of furniture is that it's solid and can hold about 14 kids at once -- it's worth hanging onto. Great work!

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    1. Oh those old, dark wooden chairs are just horrid, I don't know how anyone had them in their house! They are so sturdy though so worth hanging onto and freshening up :)

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  3. You did a great job on this one. Dark wood can be boring, but pastels are so easy on the eyes.

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  4. I love how you redid that chair! My mom use to go to dumpster diving and get old couches and chairs and redo them I thought she was crazy but I am actually sitting in one in my office right now that she got from the side of the road and she redid.

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    1. I love it too. We think our moms do the craziest things when we are young, but appreciate them as we get older. I remember my dad used to tell her to toss an old furniture, but she won't. She would redo it and turn it into something nice.

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  5. Wow what a difference from the old dark original. Very pretty. Nice!

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  6. That is stunning! I can't quite believe you turned that old chair into the new one! You are so clever. Love it! Kaz x

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  7. I never knew anyone could turn something from being so ugly into something so beautiful. It looks fantastic! x

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  8. Wow you outdid yourself! This is absolutely beautiful, if there wasn't a side by side picture, you would never know it was the same chair! I love furniture that is painted white, it has such a clean and spacious feel! I am loving this piece!

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  9. I love those pillows! We don't have a couch or chair right now but we'll definitely keep this in mind for our future home :)

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  10. I wish I had an eye and vision for makeovers like that, but I just see what's there in the moment. You turned that into a beautiful piece of furniture!

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  11. OMG that chair came out super cute. Love that you used Disney paint as well. I always use Disney paint as well hehe

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  12. This is such a great makeover! I love everything But it! Great job!

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  13. My grandmother's neighbor had the "before" chair. I've always found that patten a bit peculiar but the comfort was just amazing. What you've done with the chair is no less than perfect. It's fresh and airy and still has the comfort of the previous.

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  14. I am absolutely loving the colour you have used to re-do the design of this chair. Makes the home feel lively with it in it

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  15. Totally impressed how you turned an ugly so not cool chair and turned it into modern looking hip and ever so useful chair. The pillows really make the chair.

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  16. You really did an amazing job reviving that dreary chair. You took it from trash to treasure and made it sound easy! I am not sure I could do it, but you made it look absolutely lovely. It is a piece I would certainly put in my home.

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  17. That is a beautiful transformation!
    Nicola x

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  18. This looks gorgeous indeed and I would do the other one the same way too. It so improved the look and made it much more elegant Thanks for sharing..

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  19. Wow, what a transformation. Love the pastel palette!

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  20. This is such an amazing transformation, you did a really amazing job. I remember seeing lots of chairs like that when I was growing up and always thought they were hideous. You did an incredible job with them. I love the pillows and cushions as well.

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  21. You did such a great job! I love the pastel colors. They remind me of the summer and the beach.

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  22. WOW this is so pretty! What a great transformation! I wish I was crafty!

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  23. Can I first say that my Mother had that chair (pre upcycle) and I was always horrified by the print. I would have never thought it could become something as beautiful as you created. Lovely! Absolutely lovely!

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  24. This is such a pretty piece, I would love it at my home! Thanks for joining the Link-It To Me Link Party! I hope you will party with us again this week! Pinning :)

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