Worn and Weary Chair Gets The "Royal" Treatment

UPDATE- A lot of you have had questions about the possibility of dye coming off on your clothes.  I am happy to report that Tim and I have taken the white shirt challenge and there has been no transfer! :) The fabric has a burlap texture and was worn and therefore was very absorbent.  I don't expect any problems since things are coming up clean already. . . but if you choose to try this on a different type of fabric/chair you can try setting the dye with a vinegar bath (brush vinegar on with a paint brush), using a hair dryer to help set the dye further, and/or using a scotch guard product to prevent any bleeding that could occur.  You could also test the dye on an inconspicuous area to further ease your concerns.  I did this on the fabric that wrapped underneath the chair before having the guts to do the whole thing.  I also want to mention here that Rit does not claim that their dye is ideal for upholstered pieces, so DIY at your own risk. It's just an idea I had that worked out well for me.  Hope this new info eases concerns and inspires you to try out the idea!

Today, I am sharing what I think is a great idea!  I had been looking for a couple of accent chairs to use in a client's living room.  I was excited when I finally found a couple that had a great shape that fit my client's taste perfectly. The fabric on the other hand was not perfect.  The fabric on the inside of the seat was very worn as compared to the fabric around the outside of the seat.  You can see the difference in the photo below.



The arms were worn and yellowed as well.

So, what do you do when you need to reupholster a chair but it's not in the budget?



I called on my trusty standby- Rit Dye!!!  The idea was simple.  Freshen up the fabric by deepening and refreshing the color.  My client loves purple so instead of keeping the fabric blue, I went with the royal color.  I think it worked well because blue is by purple on the color wheel.  I would not try to turn a blue chair red or a green chair orange.

I simply mixed a 1 1/2 cup of hot water with a cap full of dye and painted the mixture on with a paintbrush.   I am putting on my second "coat" of dye in the photo below.  I wanted to color to be very rich.



So, here's the BEFORE. . .



And here's the AFTER!



I decided to leave the "outside" seat fabric in tact.  I love the two toned effect and that it's an unexpected touch!

In this photo you can see how the worn, yellowed arms are now a beautiful, rich purple.  No one would ever suspect that the color change was a cover up.



How about a side by side comparison. . .



I'm thrilled with how this project turned out and I can't wait to show you guys how the chairs look in the room when it's complete!

So, what do you think?  Was this a great save or what?!