Since I upcycled a mid-century dresser into a cocktail cabinet, I’ve been itching to upcycle a Lloyd Loom chair. I bought the chair secondhand about fifteen years ago and I’ve repainted it several times over the years to match my decor. Both items are in my dining-kitchen, a space where like most families, we spend a lot of time. The walls are painted white, so it is the perfect blank canvas for adding colour and texture. The light fittings and sockets are copper and I have teal and terracotta accessories. Teal and copper is a stunning colour combination which I guess is because when copper weathers, the resulting copper carbonate, (verdigris), is a gorgeous blue-green shade.
Step-By-Step Guide: How To Upcycle A Lloyd Loom Chair
To upcycle a Lloyd Loom chair, all you need is paint, half a metre of fabric and a staple gun.
1. Clean with sugar soap to remove grease and dust.
2. Remove the seat pad and paint the chair.
In the past, I used eggshell paint and a paintbrush. This time I used spray paint which was much easier. I gave the chair two coats of copper. The photograph shows it after the first coat. A little bit patchy, but the second coat evened it all up. (I used Rust Oleum in Elegant Copper)
3. Re-cover the seat
Lloyd Loom nursing chairs have a removable seat pad so it’s easy to re-cover. I removed the old fabric and the positioned the new fabric in place. It only needs about half a metre, but I bought a metre because I wanted to be certain that I’d get the main part of the pattern on. Fix it into place with a staple gun.
The fabric is “Lost World” by Emma J Shipley. It’s quirky, unusual and absolutely fabulous.
And that’s all there is to it.
The paint cost less than £8 and the fabric cost £45 (for a metre). It took half a day, including drying time. I now have another unique piece of furniture which adds colour, texture and personality to my new-build home.
My previous upcycling projects:
Step-By-Step Guide To Upcycling A Tall Cupboard
Upcycling A Mid-Century Dresser Into A Cocktail Cabinet
7 comments
Liz it looks SO pretty, I love the contrast of the warm copper with that fabulous jungle-y fabric. I bet it looks fantastic in your place, you’ve done such a good job!
Catherine x
Elizabeth, the chair makeover is stunning! I love the zebra jungle fabric you chose.
I came to your blog from Catherine at Not Dressed as a Lamb. I would like to invite you to share your creative endeavors at my weekly party, Creative Compulsions. It publishes every Thursday. I also co-host another party, Traffic Jam Weekend, also on Thursdays – but starting at 3:00pm PST – in which any topic is permitted.
Michelle
http://mybijoulifeonline.com
Hi Michelle. Thank you so much. I will definitely head over to your link ups. They sound great xxx
did you immerse it in a bath of diluted sugar soap or clean it in patches
Hi Deanne, I cleaned it in patches.
Lizzy: Love the copper look. Stunning. I’m interested to see that, before you sprayed it with the copper paint, you didn’t spray it firstly with a primer. Is it not necessary? Marian.
Hi Marian, thank you so much- no I didn’t prime it. If I were to do it again though I would prime it to get a smoother finish. Up close it does look a little patchy! xx