Renewed Vintage Desk Chair

I got this chair frame a while ago: a nice structure in solid beech, probably from the 70s but a perfect reproduction of the classic Thonet-style desk chairs that were so popular in the 1930s offices.

It was in mint condition, without even one slight wobbly bit, but it was missing the seat and needed a general sanding and look 'uplift'.

So I cut to measure two old, thin but solid pinewood skirting boards taken from my reclaimed wood stash, and applied a dark stain to them, the back rest, a couple of back slats and the two front legs, leaving the rest of the wood to its original distressed red oak tone. As I usually do, the whole piece was then varnished and polished to get a smooth, satin finish.

And there it is: a solid, comfortable chair with an interesting mix of fresh and old looks!

Measures: total heigth 78cm, seat heigth 46cm, seat 41x 40cm.



The chair, from every angle:

And some close ups:

The chair before its transformation, and sanding the structure

Several coats of stain in the back rest, a couple of back slats and the front legs (not shown)

Once the structure was varnished and dry, it was the time to make the seat: getting the template on a thin piece of cardboard, sanding the old skirting boards

Drawing the shape of the seat, cutting the boards and making the adjusting touches

Finally, staining the seat boards once the brim got sanded -(fastening to the chair and final polishing of the whole pice not shown, but I'm sure that you get the idea)