Little Changes...

...make a big difference.

Last year, my best friend gave me her old outdoor dining set. She had recently moved, and it didn't work with her new yard. The original marble top had been broken in the move, so I bought a round of plywood and had a hole cut in the middle for a drop-in propane fire pit. After a couple coats of paint, it made a nice tabletop. The chairs are an odd shape, so they have custom cushioned seats. The seats were sturdy enough, but the fabric was several years old and pretty drab and stained.

I didn't do anything with them last summer, because between caring for the puppies, getting the pool remodeled, building the deck, replanting the yard, and refurbishing the table, I just ran out of steam. But last week I brought the chair cushions in before a storm and decided I couldn't live with them anymore. A few minutes and a little online clicking later, I had new fabric on its way, and this morning I recovered the chairs.

An hour and a half and $14 later, they went from this:


To this:

I love the fabric. It is a Waverly outdoor fabric which is supposed to be resistant to water, sun, mildew, etc. Red is my favorite color, and I use this particular dark red as my main accent color in the garden. The beige tones match my umbrellas and the cushions on my lounge chairs.

On the off chance you've never done it, recovering seats is super easy. You just cut a piece of fabric large enough to wrap around the seat and use a staple gun to fasten the fabric to the wooden seat bottom, sides first, then ease the corners, like wrapping a package, and staple them. Cut off any excess fabric, and you're done!

And check this out:

Huge difference for my outdoor dining area!