How To Upcycle A Lloyd Loom Chair

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