Wydeven Designs: Councill Chair - Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Miracle

On my usual round of estate and garage sales, I found several WONDERFUL chairs last winter that a homeowner in the la-ti-da section of Buckhead (neighborhood in City of Atlanta) was reluctantly letting go for a very reasonable price because their oversized dog/puppy had taken to chewing on the arms and legs of the pieces. The damage was not great but noticeable and, as I discussed (haggled about) prices, the aforementioned "puppy" escaped down the road and the whole family took off after it - one reason it has been hard to convince my husband to buy a dog!

One chair was made by Councill (or Council - I've seen it spelled both ways) and I had several Councill chairs several years ago but don't see them often. They are really nicely made and very pricey! link to company website You can see their furniture in a lot of magazines but it is just not a household name like those great American manufacturers Hickory Chair, Baker or Sherrill. This particular chair had a lot of trim woodwork giving it a decidedly modern French flair - the original woodwork was a nice distressed pecan finish unfortunately scarred by its ill treatment!

The chair languished at my upholsterer's shop for some time while I was deciding how to deal with the woodwork problems.

As I became more confident of my skills with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (ASCP), I decided that the paint was the solution for me. I selected a neutral color - Old Ochre - and used wood filled (with slight sanding) to touch up the woodwork and even out the grain. It took several layers and sandings to get the smooth finish I was looking for. It did work!

Councill Chair (front) amongst other projects in my garage!

Detail - Woodwork on Councill Chair

I selected a heavy Robert Allen seafoam (aka wythe) blue - a HOT color for 2012 - to reupholster the piece. I was looking for a nice contrast with the ASCP old ochre neutral finish I had selected (with clear wax). I got the chair back from my upholsterer this last week and am stunned at how well it turned out! I LOVE this chair and am wandering around my house looking for a place to keep it - it is however available for sale on eBay and soon on my website - wydevendesigns.com.