Vintage Settee Makeover

3 Materials
$130
4 Days
Advanced


I don't know whats more frustrating.Having a piece of furniture to work on but not knowing which direction to take it - OR - Knowing exactly what to do but not having the time.

It usually comes down to being a time issue for myself. I had this little guy waiting for me in the garage for the past few months and with a little bit of a wintery-mix moving into the valley for a few days over the weekend and nothing else planned, it was the perfect time to really dig in.

It usually comes down to being a time issue for myself. I had this little guy waiting for me in the garage for the past few months and with a little bit of a wintery-mix moving into the valley for a few days over the weekend and nothing else planned, it was the perfect time to really dig in.

One of the first design decision I normal make when it comes to a piece like this is to paint or refinish the frame. I didn't want to do that this time. I wanted to see what that rich color would look like next to a creamy white drop cloth.

Due to lack of tufting (less commitment), I thought I could get it done in a weekend and I would try something a little different from other settees that I had re-upholstered in the past. 

So I did my normal bleached drop cloth thing while I was trying to decided what fabric I wanted on the back. I could have used the drop cloth there as well but... Meh... I wanted a pattern or something else.I am very drawn to the texture of velvet this season and liked the idea of doing a super dark color on the back, creamy white on the front and having that rich, warm wood as an accent.

Day 1 (Saturday and already starting half a day later than I wanted to)This piece did come with a cushion so It was best to knock that out first as-well-as the double welting. Sewing is my least favorite part of these projects and took about a full day. Not much to report on here other then pricking myself more than normal.

Day 2(Sunday)Day two was one part demo and one part putting the piece back together. I got to tear into deconstructing the piece and I always forget how hard it can be on your hands after a several house of pulling and ripping. As a millennial DIYer, I like to learn most things the hard way. I keep putting off getting myself some gloves or some better staple extracting tools.

 

One day I'll learn but I'll continue to keep the medical cabinet stocked with bandages just in case I forget... Again.*Dramatic voice*With swollen hands I began to put the settee back together.

 

Reason #2 why hand-protecting tools are good to have in the deconstruction process: Because you'll have to shove your hands into tight places around the settee frame to pull and secure fabric back in place and if your hands are swollen it will be very difficult to do.


Attaching the fabric back onto a frame of anything is just a slow process of smoothing and stapling. Smoothing and stapling. Smoothing and stapling. Lots of fabric manipulation happens in this step which can be helped with little scissor cuts along the edges of the fabric to ease some tension here and there.

I dont think I finished putting the front face back on until close to 2 or the 3 am... I felt like a turtle moving through peanut butter the whole day so my goal to finish the settee in a weekend was crushed.

I was so close! 

Day 3 and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.I haven't worked with velvet before so I was unsure as of how it would work with staples and pulling.

 

It went on like a dream and the black looks so Lux & rich. Exactly the effect that I was going for.

 

I was able to staple on the double-welting with the staple gun as well. which will add some extra security.

OOOh man. This piece didn't really need much of a makeover. Just a wardrobe change was all.

I paired it was some eclectic pillows that I had sewn out of a vintage carpet hand bag and a torn coverlet. I could see this in anyone's house with a fiddle leaf tree towering behind it.

Check out the YouTube video I made all about the project and make sure you subscribe to the channel for more furniture makeovers!


If you are more of picture person you can check out the links to Part 1 & Part 2 of this makeover over on my BLOG.

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  • Cynthia Cynthia on Jan 12, 2020

    With the bleached drop cloth, did you yourself bleach it? If so how did it not come out blotchy and did it have to be done multiple times?

  • Maria Nieves Maria Nieves on Sep 09, 2020

    The result is amazing. But I didn’t see how you attach the pipping. Did you use hot glue?

  • Susan Susan on Mar 26, 2021

    Has anyone ever painted lamp shades.

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