{renovate} outdoor chair makeover

*Update!: I'm linking the post over to Saved by Suzy's House Party! Make sure you come over, say hi, and see all the awesome projects featured!

Four years ago, this coming weekend, I bought four chairs at an antique fair. Four years seems like eons ago! At the time, I was living by myself in an adorable, and historic, one bedroom apartment. In fact, I had only just recently started dating Chris. Even though they're outdoor chairs, I thought they'd look fabulous in my dining room with this table.

As per usual with this type of thing, the shape was gorgeous, but they needed work. The wire frame was incredibly chipped and rusty.

And, let's talk about the cushions. The vinyl fabric was definitely retro, but it was stained dirty. I thought this would be a simple recovering project, but when I pulled the vinyl off the base I discovered a very old  and falling apart foam and seen-better-days piece of chipboard. I have this problem .... once I underestimate a project, I get overwhelmed and usually put it off. So these lovely little chairs have sat unused for four years, until now ...

So much better right? When we started pulling together an eating area in the back porch, I knew these were PERFECT for the space, and I was so excited to finally use them. It actually wasn't as hard as I'd been dreaming in my head. Thank goodness! Actually, the hardest part was choosing fabric. A simple coat of spray paint covered the rust. We did need to have new foam cut, but we had it done at a small shop near where Chris grew up. It's two-inch thick foam, and super comfy to sit on.

Unfortunately, even though the foam is super thick, it didn't sit well on the wire frame base. It wanted to sink through the chair -- not so good. We didn't want company sinking through their chairs! So I had to cut new bases for under the foam. Luckily we have tons of scrap wood in our backyard, so I found more than enough to cut our four circles. And, in the process I learned how to use a jigsaw!

Have you ever used a jigsaw? They're super cool, and pretty easy with a little practice. The one major tip I have for you is: drill a hole, outside your line, as a starting point for the saw. SO. MUCH. EASIER. Then you have a clear beginning and end.

I securely clamped the wood onto two saw horses to help stabilize it.

And, proceeded to cut along my lines. Easy-peasy!

I LOVE this fabric. I'd actually envisioned green cushions for the longest time, and even ordered a beautiful green fabric online. But something just wasn't right and I couldn't put my finger on it. Earlier this summer I popped into my local fabric store to pick up thread and found this beauty. It was a remnant, but more than enough to cover my chairs. Yes!

After sewing the covers, I slipped the foam and the wood circle into it, and stapled the fabric over the ends, which made the whole package nice and secure.

Aren't the lines on these chairs gorgeous? A little girly, which I love. The rest of the space it pretty masculine, so these chairs bring just the right amount of softness.

From the back.

My willing assistant, always ready to test the comfortability.

So, what do you think of my new chairs? Have you recovered any chairs lately? Do you have projects that have been waiting for love for four years?! Do you, like me, ever overestimate a project in your head and become paralyzed with overwhelmingness? 

I hope you're all having a GREAT week! :)