Modernising a wooden chair: ideas and colours for a perfect makeover

How to modernise an old wooden chair?

In almost every home there is an old wooden chair that most probably needs a makeover. This is useful both for modernising it and adapting it to modern furniture, but also for transforming it into a completely new piece of furniture.

There are many ways to do this. You can repaint it and decorate it with handmade cushions, or even using the decoupage technique. With creative recycling, you can do this and much more! You give new life to old chairs, and you can incorporate them into the furnishings of your home in an innovative, sustainable and above all elegant way that is in harmony with the rest of the environment.

The perfect restyling of the wooden chair

Many people find themselves with one or more old wooden chairs in their home, often forgotten in the attic gathering dust. However, as anticipated, there are many ways to recover them. Painted wooden chairs are basic pieces of furniture in any home. In fact, they manage to give a unique touch to the environment, especially if modernised by following simple and practical tips!

Those who do not have them, but nevertheless wish to include a unique and inimitable piece in the furnishings of their home, can seek out pieces of particular charm at flea markets.  Wooden chairs with elegant, clean lines or handcrafted details and refined shapes are a guarantee for successful restyling. In fact, it is the details that make the difference. And they can be simply lacquered or coloured, with specific varnishes for wood, which preserve the grain and allow it to breathe. A perfect idea for any environment and furnishing style, from the romantic shabby chic to the more modern and essential style.

Choose model and type of wooden chair

It is of course possible to modernise any wooden chair. However, there are some models that lend themselves to creative recycling better than others. Thonet and Bistrot chairs, for example, guarantee an impeccable result that will leave friends and relatives speechless as they admire the end result. Also perfect, however, are the chairs typical of country furnishings of the past, characterised by the handcrafted straw seat.

Ideas and colours for a perfect restyling

The wooden chair represents an extremely elegant piece of furniture. However, it tends to wear out quickly, especially when used outdoors, where it shows low resistance to atmospheric agents.

In this case, but also in more serious cases, leaving aside the possibility of upholstering the seat with new and lively fabrics, and considering only the structure of the chairs, it is possible to take inspiration from various ideas for colouring them. In general, the advice is to use chalky matt colours in shades of blue, mint green and lemon yellow in different gradations. The new hues will unify the set, filling the house with colour and light. Another idea is to use contrasting colours such as black/white, grey/yellow. Or you could opt for a white or pickled finish. Following this technique, it takes little to transform the wooden chair into something new by reassembling it, such as a do-it-yourself bookcase, shelf or towel rail.

The first thing to do is to clean the chair of dust and then sand it down with wood abrasive paper, so that the entire surface is sanded down well. This way the chair, after all residues have been removed, is ready for any kind of work.

Restyling the chair in the style of Berlin cafés

Another very interesting idea is to renovate the wooden chair in the style of Berlin cafés and trendy pubs. In this case, the advice is to be as creative as possible and try to have fun with coloured elements, such as the feet, the backrest, or the armrests if present. This particular decoration is even more effective if the seats are placed against neutral walls so that they can stand out even more in the decor.

Renovating a wooden chair with stencils

Another technique that ensures a flawless and ultra-modern result is the use of stencils. Today, it is possible to find all kinds of stencils on the market, in a variety of shapes and sizes that can meet any aesthetic taste. The end result is an extremely customised piece of work that preserves the uniqueness of handmade, where small imperfections are transformed into virtues and peculiarities.

Wooden chair modernised with decoupage

In the marvellous and varied world of chairs, one could not miss the operation of refurbishing using the decoupage technique. Also in this case, before moving on to the actual decoration with paper, it is necessary to pass a first coat of varnish, to create a uniform base over the entire surface. At this point, all you have to do is choose a type of paper that best suits your decorating needs and glue it on with decoupage glue. The last step, once the glue has dried, is to pass a coat of protective varnish and the chair is ready!