Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Costless DIY Armchair Upcycle | Pastel Inspired ♥

My love for upcycling has grown in leaps and bounds ever since my shabby chic chairs upcycle. 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, 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 Graham & Brown 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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23 comments

  1. Oh my it looks so much different, I never would have thought it was the same chair to be honest with you. You have done a great job x

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  2. I love this DIY project! The summery colours are beautiful and you did a great job x

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  3. I am no good at this type of thing but absolutely love what you've done with your chair. Especially like the fact tat you used a duvet cover as these projects usually cost so much that it puts me off. Maybe I should have a go at some point in the future.

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  4. The chair look amazing. Completely unrecognisable! I dabble in a bit of up-scaling too and would like to do more. Its just so very satisfying to bring something back from the brink of hideousness!
    Great post and lovely pictures, Anna

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  5. It's a really gorgeous chair now. It makes me want to try a bit of upcycling!

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  6. I'd love to have the skill (and patience) for things like this. It really is beautiful.

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  7. I'm so impressed by this, it's like a totally different piece of furniture. I'd have never thought to do this as I'd instantly think re upholstering the cushions would cost too much and be a faff, however I love your single duvet idea. You can't even tell that's how you've done it. I think if the chairs are going to be kept together then maybe they should be done similar to one another? Same colours but maybe different pattern? Xx

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  8. I really love this DIY project. I love the idea of up cycling old pieces of furniture. My hubby is so much better at it than I am. I really need to trust myself and give something ago. I love the finished look, the colours work so well together.

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  9. I cannot believe you turned that ugly old chair into that gorgeous pretty piece of furniture so easily. It looks amazing and it's something I would definitely buy in a shop

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  10. Love Love Love this look!
    I'm not much of a DIY person but this is so inspiring :D
    I know what you mean about fabric - If you head to the markets they usually have pretty nice fabric for great prices.
    Thanks for sharing hun
    Charlotte x

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  11. Wow... you wouldn't mind coming to mine and do some upcycling. I love the diy work you do. It's so pretty.

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  12. I am in love with your pastel chair particularly as I have a penchant for all things pastel! You always write such informative and helpful posts too so thank you looking forward to reading your next post.

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  13. This is fab Fi, you did a brilliant job what a transformation but I don't envy the six coats of paints. I did the same in caravan i used duvet covers to cover the upolstery and then stapled the material together at the back.

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  14. Fi, what a transformation! it is soooo pretty! and agree, a million times better than the old version. you are quite inspiring me, although I wouldnt call myself artistic. well done, it really brightens up the room. If you're doing the other one why not pick up a single duvet in pennys of a different contrasting design. they're really inexpensive.

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  15. wow what a transformation! That looks so pretty and I can't believe that it is just a duvet cover , what a clever idea. The colours and patterns work so well together xx

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  16. I love this chair my fav part is your idea of the single duvet genius. I love upcycling one of my first blogs was about my upcycled kitchen chairs. Don't you get such satisfaction when it's done x

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  17. I really would have thought that chair was beyond help, but you've turned it into something really lovely. Six coats of paint though, I don't think I would have had the patience! Xx

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  18. I'm amazed that all you did to reupholster it was put a duvet cover over it! It looks really great, I'd be ecstatic with the result if I were you x

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  19. I see the same type of ugly old furniture at thrift stores all of the time but would never have thought to completely re-do it. Such a great idea! I love how it turned out and that you used a sheet for the coverings. So easy to clean! I think the other one should be a deeper color just to save on the amount of coats it takes. Maybe purple? :)

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  20. Oh wow this is amazing!!! I can't believe the transformation and the cushions are beautiful, so you!! I would be proud to have this in my home, its such a feature piece! xx

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  21. Wow! What a transformation. It looks amazing. I love the pastel theme too. Great job :)

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  22. Oh my, this looks amazing. Love how you have transformed this chair. It looks great :) Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays..

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  23. Can you stop being so Creative or I can't stop featuring you!? Hehe, no seriously, amazing make over :):) Thanks for joining us at Creative Mondays last week. You are one of this weeks features. Love your chair :)

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