Wingin' it

A few months ago I bought this wingback chair at a local Goodwill for something like $19.  I really like the long, narrow wings, and I assume it's super comfortable based on the fact that I left it in our living room for a couple days and during that time it was constantly occupied by my preschooler and/or my dog.  The fabric itself was pretty threadbare (as evidenced by the rip in the cushion), but the frame was very solid and stable, so I was going to reupholster it.

In working on the office redo, however, I decided that a slipcover might be a better option, so instead I was going to be taking off the old upholstery, adding new batting and "innards," stapling on a new muslin fabric, and then sewing a slipcover.

That kind of makes me tired just listing all of those steps.  Maybe that's why this project is creeping along so slowly!  I found the pink linen fabric in the photo above, which I think will coordinate well with the yellow couch in the office (it has several pink flowers on it).  In real life, the couch appears less golden, and the pink fabric is a little brighter.

Here's what I've done so far:

The chair has been (mostly) stripped down to the foam, although I still need to work on the right side and the seat, and I have something like 2,000 staples I need to go back and remove.

When I was ripping fabric off the chair with pliers, my son ran up and said in shock, "Mommy, what are you doing?!  Oh no!!!  But it was so lovely!"

I guess we don't share the same design genes after all.  :)  I have to admit that right now it looks much less than lovely, but I hope to have the whole thing finished by the end of the summer.  Here are a few photos that are inspiring me as I work:

Canadian Home and Country

Decor Pad

Decor Pad

I do have a dilemma about how to treat the slipcover skirt:  Should I add pleats?  A ruffle?  Make a straight skirt?  Or should I add velcro and attach the bottom of the slipcover to the underside of the chair for a sleeker look?  With a linen slipcover, it's probably not going to look too tight or formal anyway, so maybe I should just embrace the slight slouchiness.

For more images of wingback chairs, see:

My post on wing chairs and desks (here)

Jenny at Little Green Notebook did a great post a couple years ago on wingback chairs too (here)