May 01, 2012

7 Chairs need Repair and Upholstery

These chairs are our dining chairs. We have three pairs - plus one. Two of them cannot be used at the moments since one is totally unstable, and one just got its backrest broken. The others are in a not much better condition.




In fact, since we got them, they were supposed to get a makeover, repair where needed and new upholstery. But so far we had no time. Since we could sit on them, we used them last summer and this spring. It had its charm. But now, it is really time to focus on them, before more brakes apart or people land on the floor.

Angelo will take care of the repair. Not sure, if he can do it by himself or if he is going to give them away. And my job is to look for suitable fabric.

Now, that sounds like another fun project. Since the chairs are all different, we were first thinking of different fabrics for each chair, or maybe for each pair. We could go with blues and yellows, or with purple as a contrast to the yellow wall. We could choose one pattern in different hues. Or one color in different pattern. - But don't we have enough "noise" in the dining and living area? I remember, I counted once six different colors on walls alone. And then my crazy, stunning, tile mix in the kitchen.


But why musing, when I can find out what fabrics are available at the biggest Jim Thomson outlet in only 10 minutes! (While Thailand and myself are suffering from the heat and I cannot enjoy Italy's spring right now, why not check out the cool air conditioned JT outlet with its friendly and well English speaking young salesmen? But the 10 minutes drive are generously calculated when there is no traffic in Bangkok. )

Fabric paradise, pattern delight, silk, cotton, linen mix, stripes, prints, pattern in all colors...

My choice were the more simple and durable fabrics - here some of my swatches of "beach sea sky" colors, some cotton, cotton/rayon, cotton/polyester and silk/linen:


Or we could go more colorful with only one pattern:


But that means no more table clothes - so far we use colorful table clothes from the local markets (I took it off for the picture above).

After all, maybe better to choose a light blue fabric that caught my eye first. It is a linen/silk mix, not ideal for dining table chairs though, a bit delicate as the salesman said. The texture has a bit of a rough, natural touch from the Thai silk, and the calm light blue would match our interior.


If we wanted to add more diversion, this fabric is available in different shades.

Or how about this waterproofed blue/golden cotton/polyester mix? It is impregnated by a special coat on the back and it's on sale. 290 Baht/m (about 7 Euro/meter), with a width of 140cm it gives upholstery for two chairs per meter. Ah, too much choice!


Prices are not bad at the outlet, and Jim Thomson stands for quality. I have a sofa upholstered with a creme white cotton fabric by JT. It is over 12 years old and survived many guests and kids. After each machine washing it looks like new! So, I might carry some fabric from Thailand to Pizzo in my travel bag this summer.

But now, I wait for CC to return from a business trip. Let's see what he thinks... he might not like any of the swatches. Or his mother will skype and say she just found some cheap and beautiful fabric in the market, and that's why she bought it already for us...

competent JT staff cutting and labeling a fabric swatch

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Jim Thomson - Outlet Store
Sukhumvit Road Soi 93
Bangkok - Thailand
open daily from 9am - 6pm

5 comments:

  1. Hello Suzie:
    We are confused! As indeed you may be also. With so much choice it really must be difficult to make a decision but we are sure that, whatever fabric you finally decide upon, the dining chairs, once repaired and given a new lease of life, will delight you and your guests well into the future.

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  2. When things are confusing, I post the options we have on my blog and wait. Over time and comments I see more clear. But I also learned that when you wait for the best solution you might never finish.

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  3. FiorellaMay 01, 2012

    Hi dear,
    tough eh? as usual when you have too much to choose from.Me too, I'm leaning for a sky/sea blue but if possible not that mix of blue/gold shining fabric. In my opinion a simple plain fabric should be better.
    Of c ourse all chairs should be covered with same fabric. It's the best solution if you want to express your creativity then with colorful table cloths. Of course these are my two cents of opinion, but I know we match our taste quite often, right?

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  4. I have the feeling that the light blue will make it. The first one I spotted. It is often the first one, that is the best (same when I take pictures). Funny.

    No, no need to express more creativity in these rooms!! I need to calm it down. ;-)

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  5. No matter what fabric you choose, they are all beautiful, but because the chairs are all of a different style, it would be best to cover them in the same fabric. You will then be free to choose different colored clothes and settings on your table. Can't wait to see the chairs all finished and covered...

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