If you have been following this series, you know that Part 1 (picking the chair) and Part 2 (to paint or not to paint)
Part 3: Picking fabric for your chair re-do project.
Ok...you've sniffed, wiggled, looked, loved, painted....now what??? You've got to choose a fabric that is right for the chair and it's intended purpose. Questions to ask yourself?
1. Will this chair be for looks only?
2. Is this chair gonna get a lot of wear and tear?
3. What kind of look am I going for?
4. How much am I willing to spend on fabric?
5. Should I be bold or subtle?
6. Does the fabric match the chair?
Looks only....No way baby!!! If you live in a palace on a hill, well, sure. But most of us use every part of our homes. I think we should
Wear and tear...Depending on where you are gonna put the chair, durability comes into play. If the room doesn't get a lot of use, you can use light-weight upholstery fabric. Got kids, pets, etc. you really have to get heavy-weight upholstery fabric. Scotch-Guard might be in order. Also, think about texture. Can kitty claws pick and pull and knubby fabric??? Gotta get real here.
Look...Smart, vintage, modern, traditional. How do you want your chair to look?
Price...I'm a go for broke kinda girl! That being said...I love a great deal. I buy better than I can afford. How I do this...the net! There are a number of great fabric resources on the web. Look for remnants! Search designer upholstery fabric remnants
Don't forget your local fabric store...remember your coupon for the best deal!!!
How much fabric? Are you doing the upholstery yourself? Check the web for upholstery yardage guidelines. Are you having an upholsterer do the project? Send them a pic. of your chair to get an estimate BEFORE you buy the fabric. Always buy a little extra (.5 to 1 yd) to ensure you have enough. You can always whip up a pillow with the extra.
Bold or Subtle....This is really determined by your personal style. If your chair is small, it's a great way to add punch to the room with a bold fabric. If you are dealing with a larger chair, remember that you are looking for a punch of style, not a black eye. The larger the chair the more subdued your fabric should be. The look can be changed with pillows, think longevity here. Classic style can always be updated.
Does it match the Chair?...You may fall in love with a fabric, but remember to consider the size of the design/print. Larger prints traditional don't work well on chairs, especially small ones. Fabrics with large designs can overwhelm a chair. Sometimes the design can be so large that it isn't fully represented on the finished chair...bummer. If you can lay the fabric on the chair before you begin to see how it will look. If you are buying the fabric online, then look at the repeat dimensions (the amount of space that each(one) motif/design takes up on the fabric). Quickly measure this out on scrap fabric and lay it on the chair. Does this work for you? Is it too large? Too small?
Stay tuned for Part 4 in this series. I will show some of my before and afters as well and talk about how to mix design styles...chair vs. fabric.
Have a good one,
Robin
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