09/02/2026
Some of you may wonder how upholstery became my passion. It started with this chair. 🪑
I bought her in Belgium, about twenty years ago, when I lived there. She was in terrible shape — springs sagging, fabric torn, horsehair poking out everywhere. A genuine antique, and it showed. Most of the copper inlay that gave the frame its detail was gone. But she spoke to me anyway. I just fell in love with the style.
From Belgium, I moved to other countries, then a few different US states. I kept that chair the whole time. I never really had a vision for it; I just loved it.
Then I had time on my hands. I wasn't working full days anymore, and I wanted to do something creative. I looked around for a while — I've never been a crafty person — until I found an upholstery course and couldn't get it out of my head.
I thought of her right away. My little sad chair from the brocante.
I leapt all in. I bought the supplies, bought the tools, and had no idea if I'd even like this new hobby of mine. That's me though. It's all or nothing.
I stripped what was left of the copper inlay and used gold leaf instead.
The fabric on the seat is actually an apron I found online. I'd hoped to track down the fabric it was made from, but couldn't find it anywhere, so I decided to just make the apron itself work. Happy with how that turned out too.
For a first attempt, I think she turned out well. She still sits in our house.
She reminds me how far I've come in this journey, and how a hobby you love can turn into a real business if you've got the passion for it.
See Etsy link in my bio.
