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October 30th, 2008
before and after: nichole’s chair


earlier this year d*s reader nichole and her boyfriend went for a walk in their neighborhood and stumbled upon this chair. nichole said, “the poor thing was about to meet its maker and its small scale and simple lines were exactly what we were after. it was fate!” so nichole quickly scooped it up and found the cushions were a disaster and permeated with the smell of stale smoke. so she revamped the cushions with a playful but modern octopus fabric and painted the chair a high gloss black. what a simple, but beautiful transformation- from curbside to cute in no-time flat. thanks to nichole for sharing!

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45 comments
October 30th, 2008 - 11:03 am

Gasp! What an amazing transformation. Bravo!

Vix said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:05 am

That octopus fabric, ahhhhhh! MUST HAVE!

enhabiten said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:15 am

although this isn’t my style, it’s a super redo…very well done and good use of an old piece of furniture.

October 30th, 2008 - 11:16 am

My jaw just literally dropped. Such a delightfully unexpected outcome! The black finish is perfect and the fabric definitely makes an impact!

Kelly said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:19 am

I would LOVE to know what fabric that is! I love it! Gorgeous project!

lauren said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:21 am

i’m with vix – that fabric is insane! lovely work, nichole!

radish said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:23 am

truly stunning – makes me want to run out and buy a sewing machine and just learn how to do these things… really pretty fabric and good eye!

cjh said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:25 am

The after picture is wonderful! I love the octopus fabric next to that “jelly fish” table. All these chair makeovers make me want to redo some more.

dana said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:28 am

i love the table too!

Heather said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:28 am

I love the fabric…could you let us know where she found it (and where I could order it?)
Thanks!

Marieke said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:33 am

agreed: the fabric is beautiful and is so intriguing on that great chair.

Amy said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:34 am

So inspiring!!!

We have a chair we want to refurb. Any ideas for where we might shop for fabric? (Near Carroll Gardens, Bklyn)?
Thanks!

lena said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:34 am

I’d love to know where that fabric is from! Also, that side table is truly fab.

jillian said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:44 am

I love that little acrylic table! Where can I get one???

Oh, also the chair is very cute, congrats! Very nice paint finish.

amanda said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:56 am

red, blue, black: love it! table too. spooooooky.

Rich Ard said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:58 am

Pot is available at Meijer stores in the midwest, my sweetheart is in love with that one.

Kelli said:
October 30th, 2008 - 11:59 am

This is a wonderful transformation!!! I love the red and turqouise with the laquered black! So inspiring!

Loora said:
October 30th, 2008 - 12:01 pm

Outstanding. Really. The fabric, the vision of what the chair could be widh I could do that)… and the table !!

Jezebel said:
October 30th, 2008 - 12:18 pm

The table is like a sweet little jellyfish cavorting next to the octopus- it’s too wonderful.

Carrie said:
October 30th, 2008 - 12:23 pm

so fantastic!! that fabric is amazing!!!

i recently acquired a lovely couch and chair, honestly i’m not sure of the style – made in the 40’s but reproduction of french antiques i think. i am having the hardest time finding the right fabric. i hope to feature them here one day!

October 30th, 2008 - 12:25 pm

The luck! The fabric! That table! I want it!!!

Kristan said:
October 30th, 2008 - 12:44 pm

WOW cool! I didn’t even notice it was an octopus until I read the comments. I just adore the colors against the black.

Jessica said:
October 30th, 2008 - 12:44 pm

PLEASE tell us where to find that fabric! LOVE IT! Fantastic work.

fabi said:
October 30th, 2008 - 1:00 pm

brilliant make over! and with the beautiful sidetable! i love it!

cindy said:
October 30th, 2008 - 1:28 pm

awesome job guys!!

October 30th, 2008 - 1:52 pm

where do i get that fabric? i would be perfect on our couch in the new house when we move.

Danielle said:
October 30th, 2008 - 1:59 pm

GOODNESS! what a great B&A, but tell me please, pretty please where that table is from!

thanks for post.

nichole said:
October 30th, 2008 - 2:14 pm

hi guys! thanks so much for your comments. the octopus fabric is an indoor/outdoor fabric by duralee. you can check it out here:

http://www.duralee.com/fabrics/product.php?pattern_id=13741

and there’s also 4 other color combinations.

the lucite table is called the illusion side table by John Brauer. my boyfriend bought it for me from zwello.com – their customer service is top notch!

October 30th, 2008 - 2:42 pm

oh my word! I think I have to 27th it and agree that your chair turned out redonkulously amazing!!! I’m totally going to go rescue a chair right now! And order that fabric while I’m looking. Gorgeous!

Victoria said:
October 30th, 2008 - 3:28 pm

This looks great, but I can’t help but be a little distracted… is that a lit cigarette sitting on the table?

October 30th, 2008 - 4:06 pm

I love the fabric and I can’t believe it’s also indoor / outdoor! Wow! Also, cadmium and turquoise is such a fun color combination.

October 30th, 2008 - 5:00 pm

When I first read the line about the cushions being reupholstered in octopus fabric I was horrified. Then I scrolled down to see the pictures and what do you know, the fabric and chair are absolutely amazing! Great job :)

nichole said:
October 30th, 2008 - 8:28 pm

victoria – good lookin’! the cigarette is actually a pen. i wanted to “accessorize” the vintage individual ashtrays :) there’s no smoking in this apartment!

kay* said:
October 30th, 2008 - 9:46 pm

i JUST blogged about 2 chairs i found just like this that i’m picking up this weekend – i’ve been looking for before & afters (or just great afters) to use as inspiration and will definitely be bookmarking this! bravo

Johanna said:
October 31st, 2008 - 1:17 am

That table!!!! Simply amazing! Where would one aquire such a beaute!

Claire said:
October 31st, 2008 - 6:55 am

That is so much better ! the zen black and the barocco 1960 octopus, we want to see more ! may e you could do that for people ?

Danielle said:
October 31st, 2008 - 7:24 am

this is definitely one of my favorite before and after’s yet. THAT FABRIC is incredible!

Kristin said:
October 31st, 2008 - 4:12 pm

SO funny. They were showcasing this table on Apartment Therapy the other day and I thought it looked so cheesy, but seeing it staged in a room has totally changed my opinion.

Article here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/hot-or-not/hot-or-not-illusion-side-table-067712

Buy here: http://www.essey.com/illusion.html

November 1st, 2008 - 1:21 pm

Beautiful makeover!

Mary Beth said:
November 1st, 2008 - 9:16 pm

I loved this before and after when I first saw it.. then I realized that I just bought this identical chair at an estate sale recently FOR THREE BUCKS!!! The label says Baumritter. Thanks for a great post.

Sarah said:
November 5th, 2008 - 1:02 pm

Am I thr only one who is a little upset by the fact that the cute teak looking chair was painted black. Don’t get my wrong.. I like the transformation, but I would never do that to teak… sigh….

Amanda said:
November 10th, 2008 - 10:13 am

The link to the fabric doesn’t work. I looked all over the Duralee site, but could not find it. I want that fabric!!

genevieve said:
December 3rd, 2008 - 5:25 pm

http://batonrouge.craigslist.org/fuo/943248422.html

i have this chair for sale in the louisiana area! love this idea, tempted not to sell this chair so i can do it myself!

nichole said:
December 19th, 2008 - 9:11 am

hey amanda,

i just tried the link i supplied and it took me to the correct page. ??? here’s the info on the fabric:

Pavillion II Indoor/Outdoor Print Collection – book # 2596
Pattern/Color: 20851-448
Description: IMPERIAL

i don’t think you can order it directly from duralee but you should be able to find a fabric shop that can order it for you. hope this helps!

mosey said:
April 3rd, 2009 - 7:55 pm

absolutely fantastic!

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