Last Updated on October 12, 2012 by Kristi Linauer
Remember these dining chairs that I got for John & Alice’s breakfast area?
With some new paint and new(ish) fabric, they now look like this..
Isn’t that fabric great?! I’m such a sucker for stripes, and this fabric couldn’t be more perfect!!
The funny thing is that it’s actually a shower curtain that I purchased from Goodwill for $3.99.
I didn’t set out looking for cheap fabric. I actually searched all over my city looking for fabric that would coordinate with the drapery fabric and paint colors. But after several searches, I had nothin’. Nada. Zilch. I didn’t even find a fabric that might possibly work. Nothing that would even come close.
So the other day, I was on Craigslist, and I saw a piece of furniture that Goodwill had listed. I was interested, so I hopped in my car and headed that direction. The piece of furniture had sold, but the lady said she would call the other locations in the city to see if they had one.
While I was waiting, I decided to look at the other furniture. It was all junk, so I wandered to the next aisle and started flipping through the bedding, drapery panels, etc. And lo and behold, there it was! The most perfect coordinating fabric in the form of a shower curtain, with three shades of blue to coordinate with the wall color and drapery color, the dark brown which ties in with the dark wood mantle, gallery wall, and woven shades, and the white and gray that brings in the kitchen cabinet colors. It couldn’t be more perfect!!
So have you ever come across the perfect fabric in Goodwill or another thrift store, after searching all over in “real” fabric stores and coming up empty handed? Have you ever used a shower curtain to upholster chairs? This was my first time for both of those things.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I hope you’ll join me on my DIY and decorating journey! If you want to follow my projects and progress, you can subscribe below and have each new post delivered to your email inbox. That way you’ll never miss a thing!
26 Comments
Mary McDuffie
June 16, 2011 at 2:49 pmI absolutely love the chair makeover. What was the paint color you used?
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating
June 16, 2011 at 3:36 pmIt's called Arrowroot, a Martha Stewart color from Home Depot.
Angela N
June 16, 2011 at 4:35 pmThe chairs look great. I love the stripes too.
I completely did my daughter's whole bed from GW. All in PB bedding and a custom skirt that matched her existing custom drapes for $10!! I was so excited!! I couldn't even buy the fabric that matched her drapes for $10. It was such a random score! I check the bedding area every time now. I love my local GW!
Jean
June 16, 2011 at 5:46 pmLooks great! Just perfect for the room.
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co
June 16, 2011 at 6:34 pmHUGE transformation on those chairs! LOVE the color and the fabric!!!
Amelia @ Home Decor
June 16, 2011 at 8:09 pmHi Kristi. Why did you changed the chair's cover? I think the old cover will look more stunning with the new turquoise color. The stripes are great too but the old one is the perfect match.
Anya
June 16, 2011 at 8:51 pmWow the after looks amazing! I love that color for the chair and that fabric goes perfectly!!
luckysparkle.blogspot.com~Anya
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June 16, 2011 at 10:45 pmThese look great! I often look in shops for shower curtains or tablecloths to use for fabric but I ga duet to find anything perfect for the particular job I'm working on. Lucky you! Love the back on those chairs too.
megan
June 17, 2011 at 2:17 pmWow! I am REALLY loving those stripes!!
Courageous Designs
June 17, 2011 at 3:26 pmThey were transformed from ery traditional to very modern and chic. Just beautiful.
Tricia A.
June 18, 2011 at 12:17 amWow, I am so impressed by this! I wouldn't have ever thought to paint it blue. Great job!!
(visiting from Tatertots and Jello)
Laura Novobilsky
June 18, 2011 at 2:17 amOoh, so pretty! I'm lucky enough to have a Goodwill practically right across the street and I always scope out the clothes, handbags, and furniture, but I never thought to look at the bedding and curtains for fun fabrics. Great idea.
Vicky
June 19, 2011 at 1:38 pmVery nice transformation I love the of blue that you chose!
nicole
June 19, 2011 at 6:37 pmI love stripes too and that fabric rocks! What a great color for the chairs, I am in the middle (more like staring in mild panic) of a couple chair projects too. I hope mine turn out even half as well as yours!
I came over from Flamingo Toes
Mary
June 20, 2011 at 12:18 amThank you so much for the info. I bought an antique dresser for $35 and I think this color will be perfect.
Jessica Nelson
June 20, 2011 at 1:12 amLove the colors! This chair makeover turned out great!
Shopannies
June 20, 2011 at 2:09 amlove the new look lighter colors makes it a fresher look to me come visit me at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Gina Jordan
June 24, 2011 at 2:20 pmI recognize that fabric…it is the shower curtain I used as inspiration when re-doing my bathroom! I bought it from Wal-Mart about four years ago. I first used it to inspire a very simple makeover for my main bathroom, and kept it this year when we did a major renovation of the bathroom. Here is a link to the photos, if you are interested. I love your blog!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150198551852076.306840.565292075&l=e7619ee645
Katrinka Jane
June 26, 2011 at 3:33 amGoodwills and other thrift stores are my favorite places to scpe out cheap fabric. You can get a lot of fabric for a few dollars (from bedsheet cotton to feltable wool sweaters to men's shirting) to repurpose into something else!
Smith Williams
June 29, 2011 at 10:52 amWow ! what an interesting blog.Thanks for sharing this
information.Your information is really informative for us.
Nice blog on Dining
Chair.
Keep sharing more & more…..
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Mallory B
August 16, 2012 at 2:09 pmI use bedsheets from thrift stores for all kinds of things! I love to use kids’ sheets to make dresses for little girls and pillows for both boys and girls! I’m looking to cover the wicker on my dining chairs, thanks for the idea!
Nita
September 11, 2012 at 10:22 am*blink* *blink* I have that shower curtain. I’ve been using it for the last few years, just changing the coordinating fabrics around it. This year, my bathroom is cream and a light aqua color that perfectly matches the light blue in the curtain. But now I know what I can do with that curtain when I’m through with it. It’s nice heavy fabric, and it’s not like a shower curtain gets a lot of wear….
Renee
January 4, 2013 at 8:49 pmQuestion- how has the chair held up w/the shower curtain? I have a dining room set that I want to reupholster b/c the kids have destroyed the seats and I was thinking of using a shower curtain to save money. Does it clean/wipe down easily?
Janae
April 13, 2014 at 10:07 amGreat job! I have a 2.5 year old and I am looking for a durable chair fabric for recovering. Do these wipe down easily? Have they held up ok? We have been through 2 different fabrics since he was born! Thanks!