Our New Budget Friendly Chairs... {Living Space}

So I finished reading The Nesting Place and I'm looking at our home through a whole new lens.

Rather than waiting on our dream home (if that exists), I'm beginning to appreciate our home for what it is. I'm changing the adjectives in my head: cozy and well loved, rather than small and flawed, and in-progress rather than unfortunate decorating choices made in stone. This adjective overhaul is giving me a lighter approach to every room, and I'm considering budget friendly ways to tweak them so that they serve our family well.

Over the holidays I decided to tweak our living space and provide more seating for family and friends. The more seating, the more comfortable everyone is. Originally, we used the bench as seating but I always thought it was uncomfortable and it serves better as a coffee table.

So the handyman and I set out on a mission, driving all over the city to big box stores and thrift stores to find two chairs. In the end, we went to Yardigans (which was the closest location after all) and perused their antique chairs. We liked these two the best and picked the pair up for just $25.

They stood out to us with their charming, wavy back and their good bones (we gave them the wobble test). Plus, we saw they would be easy to reupholster since the seats could be removed by undoing four screws.

I gave the chairs a wipe down with a damp cloth, while the handyman purchased two pieces of thick foam from Walmart for $7 each, and we picked up some free navy blue fabric from the handyman's grandma (which was perfect because I was envisioning navy blue chairs all along). 

We removed the existing fabric and foam, popping out each staple. It was crazy to see how flattened the cushioning had become over the years.. it was a 1/4 inch thick or so. We used the original plywood, cut our foam and fabric, and using our staple gun secured the fabric to the back of the seat. We didn't have a lot of fabric to work with so we really had to pull it snug, which caused a slight ripple effect, but it might work itself out the more used the chairs get. We don't mind it. 

We're really pleased with the result. We're not professional upholsterers, so they aren't perfect, but isn't there beauty in that? If I really wanted, I could readjust the fabric, but for now we just like sitting in them, or propping our feet up on them. And they came to live with us just in time, we had company over the following few nights, and these chairs were well used. The thick cushion was the way to go for comfort's sake. Plus, they are so versatile.. we pulled them up to our dining table when we had company over for dinner. I'm loving how much that dark fabric will hide. 

I thought about painting the chairs (what do you think?) but we're appreciating the dark wood and all it's nicks and scrapes for now. 

Once again, here's a before and after so you don't have to scroll up:

How cool is that wavy back? It's like a little ocean.. the waves and blue.. in our cozy living space.