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How to Recover a Bergere Chair

Bergere chairs have exposed wooden frames with a padded, upholstered back and seat. The design of the chair originates in 17th Century France and is still popular in modern homes. Professionally recovered bergere chairs in good condition can be expensive, so look for secondhand bergere chairs in need of some repair in secondhand and vintage shops. Recover the chair yourself to achieve a great-looking chair for less money than buying a flawless antique.

Things You'll Need

Upholstery material
Iron
Pliers
Tailor's chalk
Fabric scissors
Staple gun
Edge trim
Fabric glue

Instructions

- 1
  Choose the new upholstery fabric you want to use to recover the chair. Fabrics with a high thread count will wear best over time. Press this fabric to remove any wrinkles or creases.
- 2
  Remove the old fabric pieces from the chair using pliers. Do this slowly and gently to stop any rips or tears forming in the old upholstery fabric pieces.
- 3
  Flatten out the new upholstery fabric on your work surface. The right side of the fabric should be facing down. Lay the old upholstery pieces on top of the new upholstery fabric. Draw around each old fabric piece with tailor's chalk.
- 4
  Lift the old upholstery pieces off the new one drawn on the fabric. Cut around the chalk outline of each piece.
- 5
  Place each of the new fabric pieces in place on the chair. The right side of the fabric should be facing up. Pull the fabric tight over the chair̵7;s padding. Staple the fabric onto the padded areas of the chair. Make sure you staple in a straight neat line around the edge of each fabric piece. All of the padding should be covered by the fabric.
- 6
  Glue your chosen trim around the edges of each recovered part of the chair. The trim should cover the staples.
- 7
  Leave the glue to dry before using the recovered chair.

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