Patterned Kitchen Chair Makeover

Psssst… this post *might* contain affiliate links: see my disclosure here.

Updated Kitchen Chairs with Fabric

using fabric to update furniture

It all started with these chairs from Anthropologie, I saw them. I loved them. I couldn’t afford them… so I DIYd them.  I’m slowly beginning to unveil our kitchen… slowly. You can see how that space looked when we moved in here. This past summer, we had our painter come through and paint the cabinets white. Best money I ever spent. (I mean aside from like the kids tuition or something.) I know myself when it comes to painting and… it’s not my strong suit. It would have taken me weeks and no question there would have been places that I didn’t prep right or the paint dripped or something. Point being… now that my kitchen looks a little more updated, I shifted focus to our eating area which meant a pair of new chairs. (Source list at the end of the post!)

using patterned fabric to update furniture

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Step 1. Chair selection

Choose the right chairs! It’s important to find chairs that have a smooth backrest. I’m sure you could thrift something for this, but I purchased these ones from Amazon (affiliate link.) They were super affordable (two for $100) and I liked that there was a separate back piece with smooth wood.

choose the right chairs

Step 2. Cut and place fabric

Choose which part of your fabric you want to affix to chair. Find center point of the chair to align with center point of the fabric.

center fabric on back of chair

Step 3. Glue fabric

I used this furniture Mod Podge for these chairs, but I’ve also used Polycrylic. Both work the same way so I’m not sure whether it matters which you choose. I’ve used Polycrylic before on this dresser and this nightstand and it holds up great. I’ll keep you posted as to whether or not I have problems with the Mod Podge over time. Brush a liberal coat of glue onto the chair and place the fabric ontop. Go back over the fabric with the glue and saturate. Let dry and repeat. I gave these chairs 5-6 coats of Mod Podge.

paint mod podge onto chair

Step 4. Edges

For my chairs, I had to trim the fabric as I glued it to get around the vertical backrest piece. I used brand new razor blades to slice the fabric to fit around this wooden piece.

use a sharp blade to trim fabric around back rest

To trim the edges, I waited until the glue was dry. Then I used sewing scissors to slowly work my way around the edge going back to trim as needed.

use sewing scissors to trim edges

go back and trim edges as needed

Tip: Pay special attention to the edges when brushing on the Mod Podge as this is where the fabric is most likely to fray or pull away from the furniture.

apply 5-6 coats of mod podge

SOURCE LIST

(Affiliate links…)

anthro inspired kitchen chairs

updating chairs with fabric

These chairs are only a few weeks old, but so far, so perfect. I’ll obviously update this post if anything changes, but I’ve been super impressed with the durability of this ‘technique’. It also helps that I only put the fabric onto the back of the chairs… hopefully it won’t get a ton of wear and tear back there!

fabric kitchen chair update

kitchen chair update

For a video tutorial of the project, see below!

pin-me-pin-me

how to update kitchen chairs with FABRIC!

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10 Comments

  1. This is a stunning diy! And actually, I think yours are even nicer than the inspiration chairs. Really looking forward to the full reveal!

  2. Timely post meant for any one with a house. the post shows a method of making otherwise common furniture unique and stand out in the house. The tutorial is simple and resources needed to make the piece are readily available and the fact that a piece of cloth is being used make it easy to try different designs according to individual tastes.

  3. L❤️vE your kitchen table! Looks like mY table, but mIne is old, white, and covered with permanent Marker art from 10 years ago🤦🏽‍♀️ Do you have a tutorial for the table or should I just go at it with laint?

    Also, the top is white square Tiles, would love to make it bright, bohEmian and FUnKY! Ideas?!?!

    1. Haha! I’ve had that table also! Just have at it with the table… not tutorial. Why not replace your square tiles with something with more color or pattern? They make SO many adhesive tiles… must be something fun you could use?! Good luck!