Friday, February 5, 2010

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!

12 comments:

kate said...

Very lovely!!

Becky said...

I love it! brightens everything up.

At Home Mommy Knits said...

Gorgeous!! Love the red. Makes me want to add some more color to my yarn. Great fabric.

Strickmuse said...

I love the red too, the chairs look really nice now. and great job on the table top.

marit said...

Wow! This looks great! Our outdoorarea is covered in snow...

Anonymous said...

Awesome! I'd like to stop over for drinks after work, 'kay? You weren't planning on doing anything, were you? ;^)

I recovered the seats on our old dining room chairs once. It is amazing how easy that is!

Suzanne said...

Wow, that looks great! When I looked at the first picture I just thought it was an outdoor chair covered in snow! That's what it would look like here! Ha! That fabric is truly beautiful! You did a great job!

caknitter said...

OMG, the chairs are beautiful!
nice job.

Knitting Out Loud said...

And what a beautiful patio! Love your garden!!!

Unknown said...

Stunning!

Steph B said...

Looks great! Enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

Very creative & I love the print.