Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted a study in my home like you see in the movies. Inside a room full of old books, hand carved wooden bookcases, and all sorts of bourbons in crystal bottles. You know, real high-class kind of stuff. No lounge would be complete without the perfect chair for the owner. Now you may be thinking, a chair is just a chair right? It doesn’t have to be anything special. Well the chair that this guy bought on Craigslist might make you rethink that. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a chair more in my life!
This is the chair that he purchased on Craigslist for $50.
It’s definitely seen better days, but it wasn’t ready to be thrown out just yet.
It’s actually a replica of a vintage Herman Miller Eames lounge chair. The originals of these chairs sell for thousands of dollars apiece.
He started the refurbishing process by stripping the original finish off.
Then he lightly sanded the pieces of wood with 120 grit sand paper.
He then added a new finish with Danish Oil. The first coat served as a flood coat, with the second being a wipe in. Wipe one more time and let dry after that.
He taped the tops of the legs so they would stay chrome, using flat black spray paint to cover the rest of the legs and the base of the chair.
He assembled the frame back together. It already looks much better.
He then tried upholstering for the first time. It was ok, but he wasn’t totally happy with the results.
After some personal research, he discovered that the correct way to fix this chair is to start with the buttons. This allows the upholstery more texture, which in turn allows the buttons to be set deeper into the foam.
Once those were attached, he proceeded to staple the edges.
He pulled the corners next.
Piping the underside of the fabric helps eliminate wrinkles on the top.
The first two cushions are finished. They look surprisingly good.
He stapled the fabric of the chair arms next, though he wasn’t happy with the way they turned out. He made note he will most likely fix them in the future with the extra fabric he has.
The finished product. This is a great looking chair.
He spent $269 total on this thing. Not bad for a great looking chair.
What a great Craigslist find!
I’ve actually really fallen in love with this chair. When I was off work yesterday I actually started looking up what an original would cost….and boy were they a lot. The cheapest one I found was well over $2,000! That’s an insane price for a chair. Maybe I’ll just buy a replica and be happy with that.