Fabric Selections For Living Room Chairs (And My Crazy Loveseat Idea)
Y’all, I’ve finally done it. It took a while for me to get here, but I finally made my fabric choices for the living room chairs. These are the chairs I’m talking about…
The last time we talked about this topic was a little over a month ago, and I had (or at least I thought I had) narrowed it down to two fabric options.
One linen-texture upholstery fabric and one velvet upholstery fabric. But even after reading all of your comments, I just couldn’t seem to make myself click that “buy now” button on either of them.
So I waited, and I mulled it over, and I tested out some other swatches. Nothing seemed to give me that oomph that I wanted for those chairs.
And finally it hit me. The perfect answer. I decided to use the floral fabric that I love so much (but have been having a hard time figuring out how to use it), which is this P. Kaufmann Paint Palette in Puch on the backs and sides of the chairs, and then I’ll cover the rest with a coordinating solid velvet fabric. And since the backs of the chairs with the floral fabric will be facing the entryway wall, here’s a peek at how they look together…
For those of you who already thought my entryway was way too busy, I’m sure your heads are about to explode. 😀 But I love it. I’ve had these fabrics draped on one of the chairs for about a week now, just living with it to see if it felt right, and I love it more every day. It just feels like “me.” Flowers and birds. The only thing that could make this better is if I could fit a tree in there somewhere. 😀
That velvet fabric looks kind of dark in the picture above. It doesn’t look that dark in the room, especially during the day with the sunlight spilling into the room. It’s more of a pinkish magenta color, and it goes beautifully with the living room rug. It’s called Lux Velvet in Azalea, and it’s from Tonic Living. Here’s one of their pictures of it…
Isn’t that pretty? And it goes so beautifully with the floral fabric.
And the floral fabric has the living room drapery color in it (the light purple), so I think it’s perfect.
I know the question is going to be, “How does that velvet look with the green loveseat?”
Well, that’s not going to be an issue. I decided to move it somewhere else, and as soon as I told Matt that, he said, “Oh, can I use it in my [game] room?” So that’s where it’s going.
And what will go in its place? Y’all are going to think I’m crazy (if you don’t already), but I’m seriously considering building a loveseat from scratch. I have searched and searched and searched for the perfect loveseat with the right style, the perfect shape, the correct size, and the perfect fabric (or the option to find the perfect loveseat and do a COM order where I send them the fabric that I want to use). I have searched until I can’t search anymore. Oh, I’ve found companies that will do COM orders, but the two or three that I’ve found that would actually work including the fabric, would be $2500+. For a loveseat.
Obviously there are people willing to pay that kind of money for a loveseat, but I’m not one of them. I’d consider paying that for a really comfy sofa to go in a family room where I’d be using that sofa every single day, but never for a loveseat in a front living room.
So I started mulling over the idea of actually building one from scratch. I’ve built a wingback chair from scratch…
(You can click here to see how I built and upholstered that wingback dining chair.)
…and I learned a lot during that process that I could use to build a loveseat. And what I want is very simple — something like this…
via Apartment TherapyI mean, the shape of that is so simple. Seriously, how hard could that be to build?! And as far as color, I’m thinking dark purple. 😀 JoAnn Fabric has this gorgeous dark purple chenille-type fabric in stock, and I drool over it every time I’m in there. I think it would be gorgeous with the chair fabrics, the rug, and the light purple draperies.
Anyway, yes. I’m probably crazy. But I just think building from scratch is the only way I’ll actually get exactly what I want in the right size, shape, style and fabric. And of course, I could build it for waaaayyyy less than $2500. And really, how hard could it be? 😀
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.
Oh love that floral! Did I miss the information on where you got it?
Oops! I forgot to mention that. It’s P. Kaufman Paint Palette in Punch. I can’t remember where I got mine (possibly Ebay), but you can find it all over. Tonic Living actually carries it, too.
https://www.tonicliving.com/products/paint-palette-punch-fabric
All it is is three chairs joined together with one of them armless. go for it looking forward to the post
I am in total love with that fabric and can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Beautiful! Your houses, your rules! Enjoy!
I spit out my coffee laughing when you mentioned about people’s heads exploding!!! It’s your house love! You do you!! I can’t wait to see it! It may not be my style and I don’t care. I love looking at everything you have done ALL BY YOURSELF and your incredible “work arounds”. You never cease to amaze me woman!! Have a wonderful day!!
Exactly! Cathy took the words right out of my mouth.
“How hard could it be?” Love that attitude 😀👍🏻
Famous last words!
I was seriously looking for birds in that piece of flower fabric until it clicked in my head and I thought – of course, you mean the pictures on the wall 🙂 I think the combination is daring but very you, so I’m sure it’ll work!
The picture with the magenta cushion was a surprise for me, because the pattern on the other cushion is something I made a very simple shirt from recently (in two blues, not white and silver) and have been wearing a lot as I simply love that pattern. Weird to find it on something completely different and in such a faraway spot (I live in Germany).
I’m very curious about the process of building a loveseat – if it looks at all feasible I would give that a try myself because like you I can never find one that has the right combination of fabric, form and price tag for my liking. So: please go ahead and let us follow down that road!!
Your talents amaze me. I wish I could do 100th of what you do. I love your house, and can’t wait to see the finished chairs and love seat. Love the fabric.
I have been reading your blog for years and you are so talented and your taste is outstanding.
“How hard could it be?” Sounds just like something I’d say. Love your spirit. Can’t wait to see your new loveseat! ;-;
So pretty! Although “how hard can it be” always ends up being way too prophetic at my house!! Can’t wait to see the finished products
For what it’s worth, I built a functioning couch during high school for one of our plays. I mean, it was a stage prop and I was 16, so it was a little rough around the edges (who am I kidding… It was a lot rough), but! It worked for our purposes, which included people sitting on it. I am 100% confident that you can build the loveseat of your dreams.
Love the floral. So excited to see the chairs. I can’t wait for you to build a loveseat. I have been thinking of building my own. Well actually, I was going to cut a full size down to the size I needed. I live in an old house and new furniture is so big. Can’t wait to see tutorial to make a loveseat from scratch.
I love the floral fabric! I’ve been waiting to see where it would land. I’m so happy it will get more room to shine than just as a pillow!
That couch will look beautiful too!
How hard could it be? For most of us it could be very hard. For Kristy not so much.
Years ago I bought the fabric to recover a sofa. The sofa is long gone, the fabric I love is still here. It will be awesome to watch you make a love may end up using that fabric after all.
That first paragraph was exactly what i was thinking! I know you can do it Kristi. I loved the wing backs you built.
I LOVE it! Great Color. Great Images. Great FUN design. So Cheerful. As someone already said: You do YOU.
I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact you are going to build a sofa! A salute and applaud you! I can’t wait to see how you dive into this project. I sure am prepared to learn a lot.
I love the new fabric!!! All your colors get along so well together. It’s nice you have your own cheering section ( the Hubs )
Doing the ‘dance of joy’ as I have loved that floral fabric since you purchased it and I keep hoping you’ll find the ‘right’ place for it. I’m so happy you will be using it in your living room! And if anyone can build their own custom love seat it would be you!!
Well I love it. But it’s more important that you love it.
Oh my gosh, I loooooooove that floral fabric. The palette is just perfect. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t already sewn my roman blinds in the kitchen (also out of a floral watercolour fabric, but just not nearly as pretty as that one. 😒).
Also, I don’t think building your own couch is that crazy. My husband and I were actually considering doing it too at one point this summer!
Love it! This feels so “you!” And, I like that the bold floral pattern will be on the same side of the entryway as the floral art in the music room (I love when you carry themes and elements from room to room!)
I have a hundred percent faith that you will build a perfect loveseat. Maybe after some frustration and redos, but it will be perfect in the end. It always is!
Love the floral fabric. 🤫 I secretly didn’t like it when you had it draped as a pillow. But I love it now, seeing ALL the colors in it. While reading the post, I thought she’s gonna want to change the loveseat color with all this saturated color, sure ‘nough😄 I see that you’re adding a few more modern, less traditional elements to your design. Love that style of sofa!!
That first paragraph was exactly what i was thinking! I know you can do it Kristi. I loved the wing backs you built.
Those two fabrics go so well together 😉
LOVE The chairs! Have you considered asking a local upholstery shop about the loveseat? It would definitely be a lot involved, especially for the spring system underneath the cushions. The loveseats you are looking at for COM are probably eight-way hand tied, and that’s definitely expensive
I just want to say that I’ve loved every iteration of your entryway, but this final version is off-the-charts fantastic! There is so much going on there, but somehow it seems very calming to me. I think it has to do with the symmetry, but also with how the whole space is opened up by having the entire wall painted the same dark color. I love the plan for the chairs and can’t wait to see them finished.
You’re amazing! I love the fabric choices! You’ve probably already passed on this, but have you considered the farlov loveseat from Ikea? I don’t know if the dimensions work for you but the lines are really similar to the loveseat you posted: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09192405/
Love love love the floral fabric….. Because of you, I have been willing to expand my color choices and not apologize for my love of the busy aesthetic as well. Keep up the great work.
Very cool! And I have no doubts at all that you can build that loveseat.
Oh my goodness! This is nearly the exact same thing I want to do in my bedroom! Similar floral, with deep purple or maroon accent. My heart is in a quandry though, because while it excites me, I still feel a sense of peace when I walk into my bedroom and see the blues and white. So I dont know whether to keep the blue and white theme, or jump into a more colorful vein.
Just a quick question.
Have you considered looking in the thrift stores and modifing a love seat frame?
Or are frames even made to modify?
I enjoy your creativity so much. The fabric is beautiful.
Thanks
As soon as I saw that fabric, I said…..Now THAT is a fabric I could wrap myself up in! It makes my head swim….I feel giddy just looking at it…..and of course I’m wiping the drool from my chin as I write this. It would be a gorgeous compliment to the entry way….in my humble opinion. hahaha, I had to laugh at you, making that exploding head remark, because I’m glad you are comfortable enough to joke about what was an emotionally painful subject for you not so long ago. Growing pains are the worst, no matter how old we become. You go girl.
Love it, love it, LOVE IT! I believe I had a sample of this fabric for my living room—maybe in a different color way. I decided (I think) on a floral with fewer colors. I may use it in a different room. I struggle to balance good taste with my love of color and pattern. Your blog is a huge help. I would love if you could post a video of your reupholstering.
Question—one blog I read suggests putting knit backing on fabrics before upholstering. Do you do this? What is your opinion?
I’ve never heard of doing this just as a general rule, but there are circumstances where a fabric would need to have a backing added before upholstering. Many (most, if not all) fabric companies, like Kravet, Fabricut, etc., give the option of ordering fabrics with a backing to make them appropriate for upholstery. For example, a dupioni silk on its own wouldn’t be good for upholstery, but you can order it with a backing to make it thicker and sturdy for upholstery. If I ever found a fabric on the thinner side that I wanted to use for upholstery, I’d probably just use the thickest iron-on interfacing I could find to add to the back of the fabric before using it to upholster. But for the most part, I really do try to stick to fabrics that are made for upholstery, especially for the areas where the wear and tear really happen (seat, back and arms), and if you’re working with an actual upholstery fabric, there’s no need to add a backing to it.
Thank-you! I ordered my fabric from fabric guru and it was listed as a sturdy upholstery fabric. To me, however, it is thinner than other upholstery fabric I’ve ordered. I may try your interfacing idea. I’ve never upholstered anything and may end up taking it to a professional.
Ok, Kristi! I would totally buy that flowered fabric… might even do so! I love it! You will rock that love seat as well…it even looks simpler than the wing back you made and upholstered. Looking forward already to see your processes.
That floral fabric is GORGEOUS! Love how it ties all the other colors in your home together. As to building your own loveseat, gosh, girl, if you can build a wing chair, a loveseat with the simple lines in your photo should be very do-able. Rock on, Kristi!
Love it!!! Those fabrics are gorgeous. And can’t wait to see you build a loveseat!
I have been waiting for 2 years to have my husband help me build a couch from a mid century modern couch frame. I am working 7 days a week until the end of the year but after that I am taking up your attitude. How hard can it be? Btw. I simply LOVE that fabric and would smile every time I walked past those chairs. Bravo Kristi Bravo
Well…..if you’re crazy, then I’m crazy…..and we are NOT crazy. It’s in our blood and how God created us. This creative mind that keeps us up at night, thinking of our next project.
Your are my “kindred spirit”. When others see my projects and love them, I just say I’m “crazy” and they always want what I’ve done 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Kristi, you are amazing and always do what makes your heart sing 🎶
I think it’s just lovely!
Glad you just made the decision and didn’t subject yourself to other people’s comments that reflect their taste and not yours!
I think your house is a wonderful reflection of you and I enjoy how you share the build/ creative process.
Thank you!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! I absolutely LOVE that loveseat!! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HOW YOU BUILD IT!!!
I WANT ONE!!!
Go big or go home! LOL! I love the floral with the bird pictures and love the lines of the loveseat that you want to build. I’m having trouble visualizing all of the pieces together, but I’m sure you’ve got a plan!
Well, my head didn’t explode, but my eyes did pop out of my head. (I put them back in)
I absolutely salivate at your color selection talent. You really know how to get the right tone in your color mix. That’s what I need to work on. You inspire me to decorate for ME and not what other people’s style is. Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort (boring) zone.
Yes! Love that floral fabric!!! Those chairs are going to be perfect!
Kind of glad you are trying your hand at a different loveseat. The other one never seemed quite right?
I have 100% confidence that you can build it, with NO problem😁
Have a great weekend.
Blessings to you and yours!
Eeee! I LOVE it! It’s going to look amazing in there. And a scratch built loveseat…you rock! You have me wondering if I might be better off recovering/modifying our current furniture rather than buying new. The frame is in decent shape, but it looks…rough. lol
Gonna ponder that one!
Kristi, OMG, if anyone can build a custom love-seat, you can!! You built the wing back chair. Love the fabric choices and I can’t wait to see those armchairs upholstered in such beautiful colors, that are SO you!!! You really are on such a roll with this and all the updates in your music room. Go Kristi.
I have been infatuated with that floral fabric since you first showed it, so I’m glad you finally found a use for it! And I love the inspiration for the loveseat. The other one was okay, but I somehow knew you would tire of it for the living room. Give me a sofa or chair with skinny sloped arms any day! So much more comfy and stylish, I think! I know you can make a loveseat. Just waiting for a reveal!
http://www.rogerandchris.com/product/108/gracie-midcentury-sofa
I am certain you can do anything you set your mind to- including building a loveseat from scratch! But I wondered if you’d ever looked at Roger and Chris Hazard-Stout’s collection? The Gracie reminds me of the shape you want for your love seat and they have a boatload of fabric choices.
I KNOW whatever you do will be beautiful! I LOVE that chair fabric. It reminds me of the fabric I used to have on my couch and chair until it simply disintegrated from so much loving use. I am a color girl, too so you’re making me happy.
I have no doubt you can pull this off. If you can build a chair younsurely can build a loveseat!! My next house is going to have a color pallet like this!!! Just loving this!
Love the floral! I’ve used it in my house for over a year. Never get tired of it…
I picked my own fabric and had my sofa made by this company and then arranged my own shipping. Got exactly what I wanted. The next year I found a very colourful fabric in the USA and had them make up a chair and ottoman. Less expensive even than purchasing what I didnt like, from a store. And great quality.
http://www.stylussofas.com/stylegallery_details.php?styleid=794&categoryid=3&issectional=0&issofabed=0&subcatname=
I had to laugh when I read “The only thing that could make this better is if I could fit a tree in there somewhere.” I definitely question some of your choices, but I love it when you do a blog post! Have hoped that I’d run into you sometime in Lowe’s or somewhere, so far haven’t managed it! I live south of Waco, but Lowe’s is one of my favorite stores! I used to do a lot more DIY than I do now, don’t know how you have all that energy!
Your talents are beyond my comprehension. Is there anything you can’t do? That wing chair is gorgeous.
This is way I love following your blog.
Color! And colors!! And even more colors!!! Bright happy florals, Andy glorious rich jeweltone solids!!!
You have worked some real magic here. The only way I could be more pleased would be if I were getting all those glorious colorful pieces.
‘How hard can it be?’… you’ve obviously never watched Top Gear lol!
I’m sure no matter how hard it is, you will produce something beautiful 🙂
At 1st I was lost about this fabric with your green sofa & beige chair. I’m thinking one side is going to be boring. Then you said purple love seat. That makes sense. Only thing is I know you’ve got a lot more projects ahead of it so I have to wait to see it.
Now that is perfect! I think you hit the nail on the head with your choices! This is going to look stunning in there!
Go for it girl! Can’t wait to see!! 😃
May I ask where you got the wall sconces in your entry way? I love them! 😍😍
They’re from Wayfair. You can find all of the entryway sources at the end of this post: https://www.addicted2decorating.com/my-finished-entryway-before-and-after-and-all-of-the-in-betweens.html
But it didn’t come with shades. I made those out of cardboard shipping tubes. You can see more about that here: https://www.addicted2decorating.com/diy-wall-sconce-shades-made-from-cardboard-mailing-tubes.html
You’re awesome! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. 💕
Whatever. You know what works for your home. Looking forward to seeing the results, Kristi.
Oh my word. It is absolutely P-E-R-F-E-C-T! It brings the space together beautifully.
I just wish I had something that needed to be recovered so I could use some of that gorgeous floral in my house.
Hmm, maybe I should make a throw pillow or two.
I can’t wait to see the chairs once they are finished!
Looks fabulous! Can’t wait to see it all together and your loveseat build! Keep on keepin on!
Exactly what I was thinking 🙂 This will be fun!
I love everything you have done so far. I’m a lover of color, too, but you would never know it looking at my house. That’s probably why I’m not in love with it. The fabric is fabulous!
Oh my gosh! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that fabric! Can’t wait to see how everything comes together! Waiting with bated breath 😂
I have LOVED that fabric ever since you shared it with us! And I love how you are going to use it on your chairs! You inspired me to make changes in my office and bedroom and I can’t wait to watch you make more magic in your house!
So I started typing something up and noticed I was talking about myself too much. But the gist of what i want to say/share is… Believe in me that Believes in You!
The love seat you like is essentially a stretched out arm chair with taller arms. Not sure how the support will be done. You’d want it to be more substantial – plywood covered in foam/batting then fabric with a cushion on it can do it, but it’s not comfy in the long-run.
Check out http://www.besthf.com for a loveseat and find a local dealer on their website. They don’t have a ton of choices for stationary loveseats but if you find one you like you can do COM pretty inexpensively. Probably in the $700-$1000 range depending on your dealers markup. Of course it’s cheaper to use their fabrics and they have lots of fabrics to choose from. Made in Indiana and takes about 4 weeks.
Oh my goodness I love love love that fabric, I mean I love that fabric! I HAVE ALL THE FAITH IN THE WORLD THAT YOU CAN MAKE THE LOVESEAT FROM SCRATCH! NO DOUBT, but I have to say that I loved the one you had in there as well!
Just one more thought, maybe you could find a used loveseat that fabric is bad but has frame that you could modify! I love those pillows as well!
I LOVE your plan for the chairs! If I ever saw something like that in a store, I would immediately want to bring it home 🙂
As for the loveseat, purple sounds like a great idea and I’m exhausted just thinking about building it from scratch – but I know how accomplished you will feel if you can make it happen! Good luck!!
Love the fabric but What about the rug? I can’t see how they work together…
Oh.my.word! You never cease to amaze me! Just…WOW!
I love it! When you posted about those two fabrics I had the exact same suggestion! I love that floral fabric.
Have you also looked at any flea markets or garage sales for used love seats? That may be another option since you’re a pro at upholstery.
you sneaky bunny I think it is great that people can see the backs of the chairs from your front door very clever
YES, YES, YES!
My head is exploding! But not because your of your choices, it is exploding with your willingness to tackle so many difficult tasks. You have the energy of six women and mad carpentry skills. You never take the easy way and embrace each new challenge with grit and determination. I think you have super powers and are possibly from a distant planet .
Building a love seat isn’t crazy at all! And I’d LOVE to see a tree in your entry room. xx
Oh, I really do need that wing-back chair, Kristi, and thanks for the heads up about the purple fabric at Joanne’s. I am going to have my sofa recovered and I am thinking a dark purple would look good but haven’t found the one that hits my trip wire yet.
Your fabric is gorgeous. And, after all, a love seat is just a chair with a longer seat!
Oooh, more color! I love it! (You should see me almost clapping with glee! 🙂 )
Of course you can make your own love seat from scratch! Can’t wait to see you pull that one off. You got this, Kristi!
Sometimes I don’t have anything constructive to say or to add to the conversation. I just want to send you hugs and hearts and flowers and birds. There needs to be a flowers and birds button!
So here I am…sending you hugs and hearts and flowers and birds.
How hard could it be!?!?! 🙂 For you…not hard at all, darling!
1) This is perfectly “you.” I like it.
2) You’re not crazy to build that couch. If I were local, I’d volunteer to come do it with you cause it looks like tons of fun.
Where in your house is the wingback chair you built? I don’t remember seeing it.
I actually gave it away. 🙂 I built it as a dining chair back when I was trying to decorate with the bright colors. It wouldn’t really work with this direction I’ve done now.
So perfect and absolutely gorgeous!!!!