One girl's medieval is another girl's treasure

I'm a rescuer by nature. I was always the kid who brought home stray kittens, and I was a lifeguard in high school. Actually, I once brought home a box of kittens from my job as a lifeguard, but that's a story for another day. 

This time, I rescued chairs. Not just any chairs. I rescued what were arguably the Collier family's worst heirlooms: the faded, cheesy "throne chairs" from Oma and Opa's house in San Antonio. 

Aren't they just fit for a (has-been) queen?!

I'm not sure where these fairytale beasts came from, though we think they were purchased when my grandparents still lived in Alvin. Of course when I was little, I thought they were magical, velvet-covered (it's probably velour) status symbols that proved that somewhere in the Collier line was royal blood. (There isn't, unless you include my sister's and my reign as Comfort, Texas, royalty on the town court...)

So when my Oma had passed away and it was time for my Opa to move out of their house several years ago, our family went through their belongings to decide what went where. Oma's China and several pieces of furniture were divvied up between the three kids and their offspring, but nobody wanted the throne chairs. When my mom told me that they were going to the neighbors or Salvation Army, I convinced her that a little elbow grease, some paint and some new fabric could take the thrones from the girl at the beginning of She's All That to the girl at the end of She's All That. (Seriously though, how did Freddie Prinze, Jr. NOT see that she just needed to lose the glasses and get a haircut?) It should be noted that I never would have made that suggestion were I not the daughter of an interior-decorating genius. 

So off went the throne chairs to live in my parents' storage unit for about six years. Originally, there were going to go in my parents' new house, but these babies are giant, solid works of art that need their own special place. Also, my mom is a chair hoarder so it was just overkill.

The decision was made a few months ago that the medieval monsters would take another trip, this time south to my house. They again sat in a storage shed while my mom and I plotted and planned and mustered the courage to get the party started. We wanted to paint them white or off-white, and recover them in a navy or coral-colored, textured animal print. Alas, none was to be found, so we decided to go with a white, distressed look on the wood and this blue cabana stripe on the cushions, along with a blue ticking, to give the feel of a Nantucket cottage. 





BUT THEN my crafty cousin Kelly over at Life in the Middle sent me a photo of some dusty blue leopard print from Fabric.com. That fabric was too muted for what we were looking for, but it inspired us to look at something a little more funky. After all, I'm 25 and single and one day I will be married to someone who will channel Kelly's husband, Kevin, in asking me why I "can't just buy a stripe".

After a little perusing, my mom discovered this fabulous, bright, salmon-colored flamingo print.

(This photo makes the color look much more orange than it truly is. The photos of the finished product are better representations.)

It made me want to sing Copa Cabana at the top of my lungs, so it was the obvious, adult choice. Six yards of flamingo fabric were ordered and there was no turning back. 

Manu Ginobili wasn't impressed with my find, but she's a cat and I don't care what she thinks.

 

Apparently the gimp was originally the same color as the fabric, but had faded to a cream color except where covered by nailhead trim. I got to work ripping the old, shedding "velvet" off of the chairs ... I'm sure I'll be vacuuming red fuzz for months ... and discovered a lovely padding substance that reminded me of a mangy sheep underneath. When I peeled that back, I was expecting to see a thin piece of wood that formed the back of the chair, but it was actually burlap.

When all of the fabric was gone, I started taking staples out with needle-nose pliers. Let's just say I couldn't make a fist for a few days when that was done, and my right forearm has taken up Popeye proportions. 

Then the brains of the operation (Mama Collier) stepped in to finish the job. Over the course of a couple of weeks, we finished these suckers.

Some of the decorations on the arm rests had come off, so we popped the rest off with a screwdriver and sanded the chairs down. Then they got a thorough wiping with a damp cloth and were ready to paint.

Before and after a coat of white spray paint.

After painting the chairs white, we rubbed them back with a soft sandpaper to make them less stark. Most of my furniture is a little distressed. After sanding, we wiped them clean again and clear-coated them. 

The guest room became Mama C's workshop, where she used her magical powers to create templates and patterns. She also used a staple gun and air compressor to affix the fabric to the base of the chair after a layer of batting was added on. (I was in my air-conditioned office most of this time. Did I mention I'm the youngest child?) 

Mama C would like to let everyone know that despite her extreme natural ability as an interior decorator, she does not want to help you with your projects.

A few layers of batting on the front and back of the chair backs were glued on before the fabric was pinned in place and stapled around the edges. (The fabric is also not hot pink, as shown in this photo.)

When it came time to add the gimp, the white trim looked too sparkly like a little girl's room. Mama C tried to return it to the fabric store but they wouldn't give her even a partial refund (on 40 feet of gimp!!) because she had cut a small area off where the trim was stretched. So like a true mastermind, she dyed it in a pot of tea. I kid you not. Mama C went Little House on the Prairie on that gimp. (Fun fact: Mama C and I both pronounce gimp "giyump", but say limp and pimp like normal human beings. Also, Mama C wants to know why I would ever say "pimp". She needs to get with the times..."cool beans" is out, "pimp" and "swag" are in.)

The original cushions were actually in pretty good shape and just needed some extra batting, so while Mama C sewed the flamingo fabric into a box cushion, I fattened up the old seats. As you can see from these photos, I was a little over zealous, but the cushions will even out and flatten down after a little use.

My other jobs were to glue on the freshly-dyed gimp and tack on the nailhead trim. I obviously got the easiest tasks in this project. Again: youngest child, talented Mama, lucky me.




The finished product turned out better than I could have imagined. I'm so excited to show off my "new" chairs this fall! And I can't wait to pass them down to my kids - they're already three generations old and sturdy as can be! I won't be offended when they hate the flamingos and want to change the fabric.

The rest of the family abdicated, so we're claiming our thrones! (Mama C always dresses to match her furniture...and yes - I'm really wearing my Miss Comfort Princess sash.)

Mama C in all her color-coordinated glory. I'm so lucky to be your daughter!!

 

Papa C was thrilled to be included in the photo shoot. Aren't my parents precious?! (Mama C wants to point out that since she's wearing the tiara, she's obviously the one in power...which makes Papa C Prince Phillip.)

These former eyesores look perfect in their new spot in the world.

Photobomb! Manu approves.

Here are some parting shots...

 Before...

 ...and after!

 It's good to be queen.