From the curb to the office: desk chair makeover

Years ago we bought two black padded desk chairs like the one shown below for our kids. The chairs managed to survive junior high, high school, four years of university and a week on the curb in the back alley when we were ready to get rid of them forever.

Nobody picked them up, so we put them back in the garage. My husband had a brilliant idea (he’ll like to read this). He suggested removing the back rests (which were falling apart) and using the rest of the chair as a sitting stool.

The bottom halves of the chairs were still very functional — amazingly, after all those years. The seat-height adjustment worked perfectly and the wheels were in great shape. With a bit of time and less than $40 for the fabric we gave these chairs a brand new life.

All you need for this easy makeover:

• Less than a yard/meter of fabric
• Thread, scissors, a sewing needle and fabric needles

How we did it:

• Place the stool upside down on a table that you’ve already laid your fabric on.
• Determine how much fabric is needed to cover the seat.
• Cut the fabric to fit the seat.
• Fold over the fabric and pin it to make it easier to sew it into the old black fabric.

I keep the funky stools in my office and they are perfect for impromptu meetings with team members. They take very little room and hide under my large table desk. I just have to wheel them in and out as needed. I love the fabric we picked and the new stools add a pop of color to my office.

P.S.  A big thank you to Ashley and Shelly, our sewing experts. Within an hour they had the stools covered and ready to be used.

Find more DIY projects on our Pinterest board.

Liette Tousignant

Co-founder of Under The Roof Decorating