DIY French style chair reupholstery

About two years ago(!) I posted about my DIY project to reupholster an old dining room chair and transform it into a chic French style bedroom chair. I can finally say I've finished it and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out:

Before:

After:

The total cost of the transformation was under £15 as I had a bargain with the fabric - it was one half of a curtain set from Dunelm that had been used on a display, but the other had had got lost, so the remaining curtain was reduced down to £1 - much cheaper than buy fabric of the same size off the roll. I bought a sample pot of paint from Laura Ashley for just under £3 and the fabric I used to cover the underneath of the chair was only about £2 as it was the end of the roll and the trim was less than £2. The most expensive part was the seat pad which came in at around £5.

Another attempt at something creative...the reupholstery edition

Yesterday I decided to reupholster an old dining room chair for my bedroom. I've been looking for a nice bedroom chair for a while, and found one from Next shown below that I like a lot, but at £199 it's a bit out of my price range at the moment, so for now it's been stuck on my computer "bookmarks" and I'm trying my hand at another crafty project.

Mayfair chair @ Next, £199

 If you've read any of my previous posts (including but not limited to the recent two-tiered leaning tower of cake) then you may be sceptical at my chances of success. I am too. But I'm not the sort of person who'd let something like having no upholstery experience or a history of craft-related failures get in my way. (I wish it would). So anyway I've removed the old fabric - which required taking out about 200 staples (my hands still hurt), and made a start on sanding down the wood with an electric sander (at least my aching hands are super smooth now). I keep asking family members to "show me how to sand" as "I don't think I'm doing it right", but unfortunately no one has fallen for it yet, so no doubt it'll be another day or two of sanding before I can prime it. I'll write a proper post up on my upholstery adventure when (and if...) I finish it! In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the wildlife I snapped in the garden whilst I was sanding...

Laura Ashley Room Refresh Competition!

It's been quite a while since I last posted as I'm in the middle of redecorating which is taking so much longer than I thought it would! So when I saw Laura Ashley Room Refresh Competition, in which you have to pick your favourite items that you'd love to refresh a room with from Laura Ashley, I wanted to enter immediately as I already have a long list of items on my wishlist!

The room I'd most like to refresh is the currently completely empty spare room, it's been needing redecorating for so long now but because it's out of use it's a case of "out of sight, out of mind".


 It's about time it was redecorated and I'd absolutely love to style it with a feminine, but classic, french theme. I love damask prints, french furniture, creams and subtle pinks, so below I've put together a wish list of items that I'd love to refresh the spare room with, to create a gorgeous french boudoir!

My favourite item out of this collection is the Provencale Dressing Table Set, it has a french charm and is so pretty! And of course the matching Provencale Wardrobe would be a must! I'd love to have one wall covered in the Josette wallpaper, as a statement wall, against which i'd put the pretty bed, complete with a lovely off-white duvet cover and completed with the Cameron throw. I also love the pretty little glass bottle, which would sit nicely and add a finishing touch to the dressing table!

Fingers crossed!

Dunelm Sale Bargains

I was in Dunelm this morning and they've started their Summer Sale, with up to 75% off home furnishings. I'm currently redecorating at the moment and picked up some lovely items at great prices.

This lovely canvas was reduced by 75% down from £14.99 to just £3.74! I've been looking for a Parisian-themed canvas for a while and this is the nicest one I've found so I was pretty pleased with the bargain price!

This clock was a bit of an impulse buy, but the vintage roses on the clock face are so pretty and at £3.74 down from £14.99 again it was another bargain not to be missed!

And this trinket jar was £2.39, it's perfect for storing bracelets as my jewellery holder is now overflowing!

I also picked up some gorgeous half-price curtains and duvet covers which had up to 75% off. You can browse the sale on the Dunelm website and reserve things online for instore collection - but these aren't picked off the shelf straight away so if there's something you're after its best to get to the store if you can.

Home Style Updates

Monsoon have just added more lines to their home and interior range, so I've been having a little look at what's available. I love anything with a french or country look, but it's strictly window shopping at the moment whilst I'm saving!  Here are a few of my favourite things i've found online:

Eiffel Tower Canvas  from NEXT, £18

Rose Hooks from Tesco Direct, £2.40 for 2

 
Mahalia Pink Throw from Monsoon, £75

Set of 3 Perfume Bottles from La Maison Bleue, £21.99

Bird Jewellery Tree from Monsoon, £28