HomeStyle: Chairspiration

For some reason unbeknownst to myself, I'm not getting dressed today. It's already after lunchtime, and I'm still in some semblance of my pajamas. I'm not even sick or anything. Just have too much to do...or nothing at all, but I'll never tell. Plus, I haven't worked out yet. So I'm holding off awarding myself a shower until that happens.

Could be a stinky few days...

But. To tide you all over, I wanted to show you a recent reupholstery project I did. Saw this sad little number on craigslist a while ago and thought it had potential. I also thought, after I scored it for a mere $10, "Sweet, I can pick up some fries for the drive home." Nevermind the fact that the drive home was about 5 minutes. I just love fries, okay? 

What would you do with a chair like this? A few things about it: it reaked like smoke and other weird smells, the frame was terribly scuffed up, the rattan-type siding was starting to fall apart, and the velour was aging in an undignified way. Oh, and also? The thing was extremely comfortable and well-built.

I'd originally intended this chair for my girls' room, which already had lots of pink and pattern, so I wanted the new look to be fairly neutral and in-the-background. After scouring the Internet for fabric, I finally found this awesome greek key-esque print at (surprise!) JoAnn's and snatched it up. eBay supplied me with some nailhead for the finishwork, which helped to ground a chair that would otherwise be pretty floaty-away-ish. (Feel free to enter term that into Wikipedia.) 

I used the tea candle method to distress the frame as I spray-painted it (Heirloom White, I think) for a kind of French provincial effect, and I padded up the tufting for a more modern look. I also completely gutted the rattan (does anyone know what that stuff is actually called?) to make the chair more contemporary and, let's be honest, good-lookin'.

Here's a little Before & After for your viewing enjoyment:

 I like how it turned out. But here's the deal: I scored another beauty of a chair (translation: hideous piece of furniture with exceptional potential) from craigslist and now am on the hunt for a look I love. Anyone have any ideas? I think for the next one, I want the print to be a little bolder, and it needs to fit into my living room scheme (where I normally take my outfit shots).

I'm not afraid of boldness; as proof, here's one of a set of old boring office chairs I redid for our basement:

I'm not afraid of bold statements. Just, y'know, a time and a place.

So. I'd love to hear your ideas. What color combos on furniture do you love? Like? Hate? Or...if you don't care anything about chairs and want to see photos of my pajamas, I suppose you could leave a comment expressing that sentiment as well. We're all friends here.

Happy Monday!