I’ve been intending to write this post for a long time, but I’m only now getting around to it. Better late than never I guess. Since my first apartment in college, I’ve had possession of a pair of chrome and blue velvet chairs that once belonged to my grandmother. Somewhat hideous and in otherwise tattered condition, they are probably one of the most comfortable chairs you’ll ever plant your ass in. Despite their terrible appearance, I could never bring myself to get rid of them. I even attempted (in vain) to make slip covers to hide the stains and nasty blue upholstery. They’ve been sitting in the den since we moved in.
I’ve added other furnishings of a similar time period to the room: A hand-me-down couch and a teak coffee table from the in-laws, and a walnut side table I bought on Craigslist. Given my recent interest in mid-century modern furnishings, I decided to do a little research on the history of these chairs. To my great surprise, I found that they were designed by the famous american furniture designer, Milo Baughman. In addition, I found they’re worth quite a lot of money on high-end antique sites. However, my chairs needed work: A LOT of work.
With a little extra freelance money, I hired an upholsterer to re-do them. I made a tough decision to change the way they were upholstered because the semi-attached tufted cushions didn’t really hold up very well. And most of the buttons had torn away from the upholstery over the years. Yeah, I realize that they’re probably not worth as much, but that’s not what’s really important to me. So here are the all re-done! I think they’re fantastic. The pictures don’t really do them justice. My only problem is now I feel like I have to repaint the basement a more interesting color to make them stand out more. Quel dommage!
