How to Give a Chair Country French Style

First, I have a confession…I don’t have any real antique French chairs. I know (hanging head in shame)…can you believe it? But my house is small and every chair needs to be able to earn its keep, withstanding the attentions of my grandsons...who have been known to jump on furniture... and two cats.



Owning one has always been a dream and I have to admit that when I took my then ten-year-old grandson to Paris, I demanded equal time at the Musée  Carnavalet and we lingered over the fabulous antique chairs for just as long as we studied the miniature guillotines! ;-)

And, although it’s not French, I think I came pretty close with this one! No jumping allowed on it, however, since it is an antique Stickley & Brandt. It does earn its keep, though, as my desk chair. You can get all the details on its little transformation here.

But the chair I want to share with you today was a more involved process…an evolution, really…over several years. I first spotted it at an antique mall, painted a sort of mottled grey and not looking very French at all. But I fell in love with that pierced vase shape on the back and knew I had to have it! I never saw its original finish, but our CEO Miss Ozzie suggests that it probably looked something like the photo in the inset (source).

It’s actually a vintage shield-back Hepplewhite style chair, with a set of unusual turned legs…a sort of flirty English gal hiding under all of that original heavy stain. I gave her a drop cloth seat for a country finish and painted her ivory with a grey wash to bring out her pretty features. You can read the story of her transformation here. I always intended to  give her a flippy slip-covered skirt…

 …but then she sat…just like that…in my master bedroom for four years! Yikes! Sooo…it was about time to do something about it!

First, I measured, allowing for the arms. Of course, if yours is not an arm chair, you would have one simple measurement. Mine was 11 inches on each side and 26 inches across the front.

Then, using more drop cloth (super cheap, durable and no need to iron) I cut the three pieces, doubling the width for extra ruffles, and allowing 9 inches of length. Another great thing about drop cloth is that if you make your cuts wisely, you can take advantage of the fact that it’s already hemmed! So I had two pieces at 22” x 9” and one at 52” x 9’' and only had to hem the sides! Finish them off with a long stitch and gather and adjust to the original measurements.

Next, I cut a piece from the drop cloth that was roughly the size of the seat, allowing a 2 inch overhang all around and making cuts to allow for all four legs.

Then pin the ruffles to the seat cover, right sides together, adjusting and spacing the ruffles evenly. Repeat for all three sides. You can then trim off the extra fabric and stitch. Next, trim the seams and press toward the seat, turning under the clipped sections at the legs and trimming off the excess. Then simply topstitch all the way around to hold it all in place.

Finally, stitch ties at the back corners (I made mine out of drop cloth, but you could use ribbons) to secure the slipcover to the chair and…

…taaa daaa…here she is…looking as I had always intended her to look…a proper English girl at heart with a flirty French exterior! I am so happy that I finally took the time to finish her!

And just in case you missed any of my posts on previous topics in our Country French Design series, here they are…

My Favorite Tips for Adding Country French Style

Collecting…Country French Style

Country French Style…My Vintage French Favorites

Dining Outdoors…French Style

Decorating with Country French Fabrics

Using Vintage Silver in Country French Décor

Remember to pin it!

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