I Just Bought What Are Perhaps The Ugliest Chairs Around

I know, they are ugly, and look at that material! When I showed up at the auction and saw the chairs in person I had a moment...okay, it was several moments...of doubt.

It was the lines of the chairs that had caught my eye while viewing the online catalog, so now I had to look past the absolutely dreadful fabric and do my best to have the winning bid. And yes, I was successful! My hope was that the chairs would fail to inspire others and the competition would be slim. I ended up bidding against just a couple other individuals, so walked away with the chairs for less than my limit. What fun!

Now the real work begins. First thing this morning I loaded the chairs back into the car and headed over to Kepler's Upholstery & Custom Furniture, Inc. in Tigard, Oregon. This company has done stellar work for decades, I have a pair of chairs they made for my grandmother over 40 years ago. They are still in great shape, though overdue for a makeover to bring them into the 21st century...another project down the line! This is not an inexpensive route, and will make up for the extremely low price paid for the chairs. In the end, however, I will have a better quality pair of chairs than most new styles I could find for a similar price. Best of all, this is much more fun and the pair will be completely unique.

Kepler's carries an outstanding selection of fabrics. A durable velvet in a pale turquoise was what I was hoping to find and they had it. This fabric, along with simplifying the seaming and tufting, will transform their appearance. Prior to reupholstering the insides of the chairs will be refurbished: the springs will be re-tied, filling and padding replaced and additional foam placed on the seat to bring up its height.

The shop is currently removing the old upholstery, then I'll be picking them up to refinish the frames myself (to save a bit of money). Afterwards Kepler's will work their magic. Here is the final product that I envision...how pretty! One will go in the 'Girl's Dream Bedroom' and the other will fill the space awaiting a chair in the 'Family Room Redesign'.