Grandad's furniture

I recently bought my own flat, which can be very expensive, luckily my nan and grandad were also moving and no longer needed some of their furniture. Whilst donating their table and chairs to me was a very generous gesture the style was dark and imposing in my light and airy modern flat.

I set about sanding them down and re-painting them in lighter colours. The first I painted messily with white paint, I wanted it to have an antique look, weathered and care worn. I recovered the cushions and made a simple slip on cover for the chair back, this can be easily slipped off and washed. The seat cover needs to be stapled to the seat so that it is secure and stays in place.

I bought lots of cheap tester paints in the local DIY store one weekend, they were only about 50p each and each pot would be enough for at least one chair. The second pot I opened was a shimmery metallic greeny blue turquoise. It reminded me of the scales of a mermaid tail, gorgeous! I wasn't sure that it would work well on the chairs as the paint seemed to soak in to the old wood very easily. With a couple of coats the paints looked shimmery and beautiful. I am yet to decorate the chair with colourful glass pebbles and sequins that sparkle in the daylight.

I suggest looking in charity shops for old chairs that you like the shape of and are sturdy, sand then down and decorate them to fit in with your home. The chairs don't have to match, especially if you want the country cottage look.