Interesting blog post title, right? Well, I will get to that in a bit, but first I want to show the newest living room addition.
Pretty, right? Well, it didn't always look like that! I quickly sent a picture to Luke when I found it at Goodwill. $20 later and I was packing it up in the car.
Finding the right fabric to get it upholstered in was not so fast. I looked everywhere for a good fabric and I had a hard time (mainly, finding one in my price range). I knew I wanted to stay around $10 a yard because I needed about 8 yards.
I finally posted this picture on Instagram of the fabric choices that I had narrowed it down to. The middle coral one won. It's by P Kaufmann and I bought it from this seller on Ebay. Highly recommend the seller... shipping was fast as were the samples.
Anyways... so, before I took the chair to the upholsterer I snagged a picture.
I picked it up yesterday and here she is:
Looks pretty good, right? I love the fabric and I think it will be a great addition to our living room. Well, back to the blog title "Expectations...". Hmm, I'm not at all impressed with the upholstery job. I had been to this uphostler a few times and checked out their work. I thought their work looked good. Well, when I took my chair in, I specified that I wanted to downgrade the amount of buttons (to have three rows of three). I also said that I wanted them to make sure to align the buttons exactly (with regards to spacing and how the fabric pulls). Hmm, I picked it up and I have 2 rows of 3 buttons and 1 row of 2 buttons. I also have misaligned buttons within the rows. Say what? Do you think I'm crazy for being upset and disappointed? I seriously can't believe that they would not put in the attention to detail if they are going to upholster. Long story short, I let them know that I was dissatisfied and will not be back. Moral of the story, double-check and triple-check upholstery shops before you have a piece done.
I can live with the chair. However, when I'm paying to have something done I expect it done right and to my exact expectations. Grr...
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Laura
You are more understanding than I would be - I would have made them fix it! Or at least required a discount. There is nothing more frustrating than paying someone to do a crappy job.
On the upside, the fabric is so cheerful. It's going to be a great spring addition to your home!
Ashley Mayes
It's so funny. I used to be so blunt/demanding when things didn't turn out the way I wanted them to, but now, I'm too mellow. It really bites me in situations like this! Glad to hear that I'm not crazy. Thanks Laura!
Charlotte W
Aw, I'm so sorry you were disappointed in the upholstery job! I think it looks great, I love the color! What a fun choice! And I'm so impressed with your vision, I don't think I would have seen the potential in the original chair!
But I can definitely understand your frustrations, having something reupholstered is not cheap and you should absolutely get what you asked for!
Is there any way you can adjust the buttons without the original holes showing?
Ashley Mayes
I'm not sure about readjusting the buttons. To be honest, the way it sits in the living room... the buttons are kinda camouflaged. The fabric is some sort of a linen blend, so I would be afraid to move them. More than anything, it's a I paid for this... so I expect perfection. =) I guess you will get to see my disappointment in person soon! I'm excited that you guys are coming!
Amy W
What a bummer! Well from afar the chair looks AMAZING. Sorry it didn't turn out right though. That's really frustrating.
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Amy. Live and learn.
Kathy
Awe, you really should return it if they did not do what you paid them to do. They should fix the buttons. Now having said that no one else will ever notice it but it just the fact that you didn't get what you paid for that is frustrating. You just can't beat Goodwill!
Ashley Mayes
I totally agree! Thanks Kathy!
Brynne@TheGatheredHome
Yay! It's so fun to see the finished chair! I love the midcentury lines! It's a bummer that the upholstery place didn't follow your instructions - I would be pretty annoyed/angry too. 🙁
Ashley Mayes
Kinda fun that we both have finished chairs this week! Thanks Brynne.
Jennifer @ Brave New Home
Looks great! What a fantastic find. I'd be disappointed, too (depending on what I paid for the re-upholstery job). In my experience working with tailors, etc. it's pretty typical that they take more creative freedom than I would have liked.
Ashley Mayes
You hit the nail on the head. I'm definitely not one to leave big or small things up to whoever is doing them. I'm super specific on almost everything (it can get a bit annoying!), but I guess that just goes to say that I need to be super picky about who I pay to do things. I paid $185, which I think it probably the going rate.
Julia@Cuckoo4Design
I love the chair with the fabric but I would be upset too if it wasn't to my specifications. Upholstery jobs are expensive!
Ashley Mayes
Thanks Julia! They are definitely expensive, but when done right, I completely understand why.