A set of damask, delight and delicious demure

Obviously my big weekend news has left my mind far from diy projects. I've temporarily traded my staple gun, spray paint and sander for bridal magazines, venue searching and flowers.

But since it's difficult to make serious plans without a designated date, I'll post my before and afters to get my mind off the amazing engagement ring I've been missing. Since it was in desperate need of resizing, my finger barely had 24 hours to get used to the extra weight before we had to return it to the jewelers for work. I'm counting down the days until I get it back, but in the meantime I'm going crazy and I need something to get my mind off the sparkle.



I finished this set of chairs shortly before Labor Day weekend. I stumbled across a matching set of these lovely dining chairs and had no choice but to buy both. The problem with thrift shopping is the fact that you rarely find sets because people won't sell both, or one will be sold seperately from the other. So when I found both chairs in excellent condition with an even better price tag, I almost ran to the register.




Once I got them home and started stripping them of their worn out and faded purple fabric, I found purple wood glue had dripped down all four legs. Originally the legs were covered in fabric to hide the glue mess, but I was insistent on clean, smooth and fabric-free legs. It took a lot of sanding, but they turned out good as new with enough work. (See right)

In an effort to recover our living room armchair, my mom had purchased an enormous amount of gorgeous maple-colored damask fabric. After some thought she decided the damask would not match the style of our living room, so the fabric sat unused for some time before she offered it to me.

While brown is usually not my go-to color, I immediately fell in love with the elegance of this fabric. It fit so perfectly with my matching set of dining room chairs, I immediately got to work.

This type of chair definitely requires more fabric than previous chairs I have redone, so if my mom hadn't provided the fabric, I might have spent $60+ just in fabric cost. Thanks mom!

I am so happy with the natural elegance of this color and style. Since it is such a modest and neutral shade, these chairs could easily fit in many different color palettes.

These chairs introduced me to new challenges that I had not previously confronted. Adding trim is simple, but if not measured absolutely perfect, you could get in trouble fast. Also, since you are overlapping fabric, my staple gun struggled to make it through each layer.

Another detail that lends to the beauty of this chair is the fanned curve of the side profile. This is difficult to master because folded fabric doesn't always lay smooth and stay put. We tried to staple one fold at a time to make it fully anchored, but you can't staple through padding, so we had to lay it out and then pull it tight to staple on the wood.

Corners are another challenge, because they must be sewn to perfectly hug the curve of the chair. A lot of times this becomes a guessing game of where exactly to sew. If sewn too loose you'll have to do it again, and if sewn too tight you'll have to unpick each stitch and get it right.

With about a week of work and roughly $30, I created a matching set that would be beautiful in a small dining room. But with more thought, I imagined these surprisingly-comfortable chairs in the sitting area of a master bedroom. With a small table between them, it would be a perfect place to relax and read near a large window or a warm fireplace. Can you just see it?

I am absolutely in love with this master bedroom. Most of the emphasis is on the incredible bed, but in the back you can see the sitting area with a couch, table and chairs. That is where my set would come in. With a simple sitting area, a place for sleeping suddenly transforms into a mecca of peace and relaxation. I can't wait until this picture can one day become a reality.

Thanks mom for helping me with this beautiful set!