I have to admit, I’ve fallen sick for the “re-upholstering item syndrome”. It’s absolutely amazing seeing the before and after shots after a chair or bench has been upholstered with a modern graphic, especially if it has a more traditional style/frame.

A couple weekends ago, Jason and I visited the Strathcona Antique Mall in Edmonton and set off to check out the furniture like we always do. But now that we have a house where we can put our purchases, it’s a lot more fun buying rather than envisioning what could be.

Immediately, I was drawn to a bright tangerine coloured chair in the back all by it’s lonesome. And as any wedding professional or interior designer would notice…”It’s in the pantone colour of the year!!!!!”. I squealed this with excitement as jason face-palmed still standing and wondering what the heck I was thinking in wanting this piece of furniture. In fact, when we purchased the item, we realized it didn’t fit in our car and had to drive home to pick up my dad’s van to get it. And the damage for this chair? $55. I thought it was steal.

Well, here it is!

It’s got nice lines. It’s clean, sleek and sort of mid-century modern-ish, which I love. I can say that what immediately drew me to it was it’s resemblence (or rather, the other way around) to the green truss chair from the latest line by Gus Modern. A piece I was eyeing for a while but couldn’t quite muster up the $1000 for something so simple.

The fact is, the wooden frame is still solid with minor cuts, but it just needs some TLC, oil and a new uphostery finish. Actually the foam itself has probably given way, but it’s still quite cushy and aside from the colour, the fabric itself is in good shape and all it needs is a good clean.

The bottom of the chair states that it was made by the “Global Upholstery Co. Ltd” which is based in Downsview, Ontario. We believe it was made in 1969 based on the label.

Now the debate is whether we can incorporate this tangerine chair into a colour scheme of one of the rooms. My guess is that it won’t, albeit a coworker of mine insists I should keep it the way it is. But I can imagine that it would be quite the stunner if I added a bold black and white stripe fabric..or yellow/white chevron pattern. Oh the possiblities.

And while I’ve tried to learn how to DIY the box foam upholstery myself, I think I’ll leave it to the professionals. But the question is, will the cost of upholstery end up costing us more than buying a new item on the market? Guess we shall see!

In other news, Jason’s really catching on because on Valentines Day, he bought me tangerine dyed roses and proclaimed “they’re pantone color of the year!” Oh love.

This entry was posted Sunday, March 4th, 2012 at 5:02 am and is filed under Furniture. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.