One of my longtime life lists items has been to learn the art of upholstery. There has been so many moments where I’ve been thrifting and have come across beautiful vintage chairs that totally deserve a makeover but I left feeling unskilled enough to take on a project like that. Amazingly, one of the speakers that was at Alt Summit SLC last year was Amanda Brown, the founder and owner of Spruce – an upholstery shop in Austin, Texas that specializes in custom upholstery, retail furniture and a workshop with classes. I recently got the opportunity to review her new book all about this amazing subject – Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design. Over the holidays I got a chance to thumb through the book thoroughly and I am so excited to get started on my first project. The book literally teaches you how to start from a raw piece of furniture, much like the chair on the cover, and turn it into something absolutely beautiful.
I got super inspired after reading the book and started browsing Kijiji Calgary for some awesome vintage chairs to turn into something magical. I pulled together six amazing chairs with six bright and poppy fabrics from IKEA. I didn’t end up buying any of these chairs so they are still available for the taking! I highly recommend that you pick up the book if upholstery is a skill you want to add to your resume. The book is jampacked with great photos showing every single step in making your upholstery project a success. Amanda also provides plenty of inspiration to get you excited about buying old furniture and envisioning what you can do with it.
Gold Leaf Upholstered Chair + Algort Moose Fabric
Midcentury Naughahyde Chairs + Margareta Logs Fabric
Vintage Slipper Chairs + Angsfly Table Fabric
Vintage Accent Chair + Tastrup Giant Button Fabric
Antique Eastlake Chair + Vipmalla Chair Fabric
Vintage Green Upholstered Chair + Julita Illustration Fabric
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All fabrics via IKEA. Images via Spruce.
