Remember this chair? The one I bought two months ago with grand plans of tackling my first upholstery project? No worries if you completely forgot about it. Apparently, I did too. Well, over the weekend I decided it had been taking up space in our garage for long enough (yes, that's actually my garage and not a crack den I'm working in) and finally got to work. I only got as far as removing all of the original upholstery, but that's progress. As you can see, the seat back's webbing is still in good shape, but the seat's webbing (not pictured) needs to be redone. I'm planning to sand and refinish the frame before I get to that, though.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by what I've taken on, but - perhaps foolishly? - still optimistic. I've got a million little tacks to remove, so that's next. Wish me luck! 

My fabric samples from Tonic Living arrived on Monday. Narrowing my choices down to four was hard enough; now I have to commit to just one. I'm planning to refinish the wood in a medium tone, slightly lighter than the current finish. You can see the full "before" and my rocker inspiration here.

Which one would you choose?

Clockwise, from top left:

Billow, coral
Casablanca geo, citrine
Carpet ride, radish
Soho, kiwi

You guys are the best. Seriously. Thanks so much for your advice about my outdoor table dilemma. I'm going to try your suggestions this weekend, so I should have an update for you next week!

In other news, this was delivered to my house last night:

seller's photo

I've been itching to try an upholstery project, but I needed something low-risk (ahem, low pressure) for my first go. This chair seemed like a safe bet - let's hope I don't end up regretting those words!

I thought about painting the frame, but after searching for inspiration on Pinterest, I'm now leaning toward refinishing the wood (ugh). I'm also drawn to bright fabrics and bold prints (although the neutral rocker below is pretty sweet). Here's some of what's inspiring me:

Clockwise from top: 1, 2, 3, 4

 

What do you think?

P.S. If you've ever tackled a home improvement project with your significant other, this will make you laugh.

Happy weekend! xo