Nursery: A Chair With a History

Thank you everyone for your sweet comments on our Adventure Accent Wall for our little Sweet P! 

We wanted to share our favorite part of our nursery... the upholstered rocking chair. Not only are we in love with this transformation, but we love the history behind it. This solid wood rocking chair was in my nursery 32 years ago, and the same chair belonged to my grandparents and even my great-grandfather before that. It's a sturdy piece with beautiful lines. I was so excited when my parents sent it our way... but of course, I wanted to update it a bit and make it more comfortable for our use.

The original oak finish has held up quite well throughout it's lifetime. But it was a little more orange-tinted than we wanted. I sanded the finish down to the raw wood using a orbital sander (and the orbital sander attachment on my multi-tool to get into the tighter areas). The edges had roughened up over time, so this gave the wood a nice, smooth finish as well.

After sanding the wooden frame down, we fell in love with the raw finish. But all wood needs to be protected... and even a clear poly finish will turn orange over time. After a few test spots, we decided to stain the wood with Minwax Weathered Oak water-based stain. Then we used a thin layer of Minwax's White Pickling Stain (brushed on thin and wiped off quickly) to achieve the final finish. This gave the chair the raw, weathered finish we were seeking.

We DIY'd and thrifted most of the items for the nursery, so we splurged and sent this baby out to get professionally reupholstered. And I'm so glad we spent the money to do that. This chair will fit in great with the rest of the decor in our house (after we're done using it in the nursery) and it'll last for several more lifetimes.

We asked the upholsterer to add foam and batting (since much of the original had worn down over the years). And we wanted the fabric to wrap over the top of the chair. Because laying a sleep-deprived, new-parent head against a hard, wooden surface doesn't sound comfortable at all!

Justin and I picked out the fabric (from JoAnn's) and left the rest up to the pros. The details are gorgeous and we are so happy with the final results.

The nursery has become our favorite room in the house. Even though we're not rocking a little one in the chair quite yet, we do love just sitting in here and thinking of the future. Our arms will be full very soon though!

 

More nursery updates will be coming soon!