“These bib overalls were his favorite for a time…they were his work pair, but he also had dress overalls that he would wear to the fair.”
-William McKale
I gave a couple of our new (old) dining chairs a little makeover this weekend.
(The front door is behind those drapes. They provide privacy at night, and shielded the sun so I could snap that pic!)
Two of the eight that will sit full-time around the table. My mom had covered the seats in this vibrant floral…
…but I wanted to go with something a little more casual.
I started by prying off the seat bottoms my mom made…
…and got my first-ever glimpse of the original, caned seats:
Such a fun surprise! It always amazes me to see they didn’t usually use any kind of support underneath that kind of delicate, woven seat. I sure would like to have the bottoms professionally restored at some point. Surely they could add something to the underneath the seat to make it studier, don’t you think? For now, I decided to go with aged brass nailheads, and a super-soft, blue jean type of fabric. I love it for a couple of reasons.
1) It’s a nod to my Great-Great Grandpa August, the one who first purchased these chairs. He was a farmer, so I’m thinking he was no stranger to denim. 🙂
2) Navy blue is one of my favorite colors and it’s going to look great with the farmy-meets-fancy (meets-food friendly!) fabrics I’m using on the captain’s chairs at each end of the table.
…and hey, I figure, if the blue jean starts to fade here and there, that’ll look pretty country-cozy too. And if not? I’ll just re-cover them with new blue jean…you know, the kind you’d wear to the fair. 😉
PS- A couple of the side chairs won’t be upholstered because they have sturdy wood seat bottoms, and I’m going to pick out a coordinating fabric for the other two “August” chairs today. Be back soon with a post about what I went with soon…wish me luck at the Land o’ Too Many Choices fabric store! XO
LOVELY. Watch out for white pants – some denims transfer colour 😉
Love it. I thought about dye transfer too but love the idea of them fading like an old pair of overalls.
Very nice makeover! Brittney Bernfeld
Me too! And any white-pants people can sit in the chairs that aren’t covered in blue jeans. There are four of those around the table too! 🙂
I too love the idea of the denim wearing to a soft unique look. Perhaps a follow up post down the line would be good and then you can let us know about the transfer worry. LOVE your home.
Thanks, Sian! Kevin just took an old white t-shirt and rubbed as hard as he could on one of the chair seats. Some of the blue dye did transfer, but it was a very light blue, so I think they’ll be okay. When we laid the t-shirt across the seat and sat (squirmy) on the seat, nothing transferred. 🙂 And again, there will be six other denim-less seats to sit in for folks who might be sporting white pants. 😀
Yay! Let the (dinner) party begin 🙂 Thanks for the feedback. I’ve been desperate to cover a couch in denim but my Mum keeps reminding me about the transfer thing. I think dining chair are probably a better place to do it. Enjoy!
I have those chairs too! My great grandfather made them. Some of the caning is in great shape, others not so much. Now I wonder if he had a fancy pair of overalls….
This was so precious! With a great result! Love following your life through your blog!
Chairs look great. Nice to preserve family furniture. Where did you purchase the light fixture?
Thank you, Rhonda! 😀 The light is from Ballard Designs.
I wasn’t expecting the denim but, it looks great in that room. Thanks for sharing.
Layla you are one blessed girl for sure .so much history and legacy left to you there girl.wow!!! I love the denim idea .it is perfect .and yes I come from Tobacco farmers in my family and I can tell ya they did wear overalls .how perfect for your .g.g grandfather August chairs .I bet he is smiling down @ you and saying ,way to go baby girl.how smart are you ??:)
I have recently purchased pressed back chairs very similar to these with the cane seat, and want to upholster over it just like you did! I would love to know how you attached the upholstered wooden piece to the chair. Your blog has been inspiring me so much, especially these chairs and your beautiful gallery wall. Thank you!!
Absolutely ADORE the new seats!! 🙂
PHENOMENAL!
(ot that i expected any less. you have marvelous taste and style, layla.)
not. NOT that i expected any less.
sheesh. monday has gotten to my fingers! sorry!
That is so cool! Great idea.
I have a denim sofa that started out looking just like your denim, and we haven’t had any trouble with dye transfer. The fabric wears and fades just like a pair of jeans would, so I’m guessing your seats will do the same. I don’t love the look so much for my sofa (it just makes it look kind-of worn out), but I think the “patina” will be perfect for your antique chairs! 🙂
Oh Layla! I am OVER the moon about your denim seats. Love!! (Please don’t ever paint those chairs. Or the table. You’ve got a treasure there!)
While I like the fabric seats, you should know the woven seats are a pretty easy DIY. They are not something you would have to cane or weave yourself, but rather are the kind that requires a piece of pre-woven material and a new spline to hold it in place (chisel the old one out). Van Dykes Restorers is a good source. Yes, they are more delicate than the denim seats will be….all the better for a little one kneeling or standing on the seat. Been there, done that!
Love this touch! My grandpa was a farmer who wore bibs everyday. He had a nice pair to wear to restaurants.
You’ve got a beautiful table full of memories!
I love the denim and your dining room is gorgeous! I love the way you separated it from the living room. One question, do you use your front door or another door for guests to enter? With the drapes over the door, I would have never known that was your font entry!