Thrifted Antique Chairs Revived

During my weekly thrifting trip last week I spotted these 2 beauties at my local thrift store and they immediately caught my attention.

Not only are they antique solid wood frames with gorgeous nailhead trim completely surrounding them but the upholstery was in perfect condition…just absolutely filthy.

The biggest concern for me was whether I could bring back the fabric.  You can’t see in this pic but up close there were lots of small dirty spots and weird drips of things.  As I was looking it over I removed the seat cushions and could see that it was actually a very pretty pink fabric, it just needed some serious love.

The question was, could I actually revive them to their original luster and color?

For $30 a piece I decided it was worth a try.  So I loaded them up and did a bit of research, the fabric is of a more delicate nature so I wanted to be sure I was using safe products so I didn’t completely ruin it.

Turns out many recommendations were to use a dish soap and lukewarm water mixture (you could also use some laundry detergent or baking soda mixtures depending on your preference).  I figured dish soap was as safe as I could get and mixed it up.

I have a little handheld Bissell upholstery cleaner.  It works amazingly well and is super easy, one side is for your cleaning mixture and the other collects the dirty water.

Here is one of the chairs after 2 passes with the upholstery machine still wet.

Oh my gosh so much better.

Here is how nasty they were.  This is just a portion of the gross water mixture, I spilled over half of it on the ground before I could get a photo.

No wonder they were a different color (insert horrified cry face at the grossness)

Crazy enough THE day after I found these at the thrift store I spotted a fabulously unusual table on FB marketplace.

This is the actual listing photo

And it was love at first sight.  What’s really funny about all this is that I had no idea what I wanted to do with the pink chairs.  I just knew I loved them and wanted to try and bring them back to life.

When I spotted this table I immediately wanted it in the bedroom and well, the universe made magic happen.

I can’t get over how much I love this

I was able to get those chairs back to their original pink color and remove the weird spots and drips. The luster is back and boy do they have a gorgeous sheen.

This photo so perfectly depicts the elegant curves of the arms, back and legs.  And peep that nailhead trim detail!

The backs have tufting with all buttons intact with a lovely rounded curve to lean back into.

They are surprisingly comfortable too!

And a full shot with the bed.  The chairs brought a warmth to the room I didn’t know it was missing and the table.  Le sigh, dark and mysterious yet lighthearted fairytale vibes for days.

You know its so crazy, as I was walking through the thrift store I never expected to see 2 antique pieces.  Even when I saw them I hesitated because I was worried I might not be able to bring them back.  I’m so glad I dove in and gave it a try.  Lesson learned, always buy the thing you love because it could definitely be that diamond in the rough.  And even if you don’t have a spot for it, the universe knows what’s best for you.

And the table, gracious sakes I am in love with these little bronze mermen from Italy. ❤️

What do you think?  Have you ever tried to revive old furniture and end up with crazy results?  I always love to hear from you so hit me up in the comments!

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XOXOXO