After a long hiatus from upholstery, I’m returning to it with something small—a little antique stool with a long history.
I found this piece for $2.50 at a community yard sale last fall. I was there with a friend who is an antiques valuer and appraiser, and she insisted I “break the bank” and bring it home to give it a new life. It’s a charming oak footstool from the late Victorian period, dating back to the late 1800s.
At first, I thought it was stuffed with horsehair and considered cleaning and reusing it to honour the history of the piece. But when I peeled back the fabric, I discovered it was actually filled with hay—a reminder of how resourceful earlier makers were. So this one, like all the others I have done, will be taken right down to the frame and built back up again using modern materials.
I’ve pulled three fabrics from my stash—one bold and colourful with a more modern feel, and two that lean more traditional. I haven’t decided which direction I’ll go just yet. Since I’m leaving the wood as is, I’ll probably lean toward something a little more unexpected in the fabric. We’ll see. Let me know in the comment section below if you have a preference on the ones I’ve selected or if I should rethink my choices. Choosing and placing the fabric is always the fun part!
While this will be my next upholstery project, I’ll also be spending time on other things that bring me joy—working on my home, planning the garden and outdoor spaces, cooking nourishing meals, and reading.
All of these things work together to create a beautiful life and a home that welcomes friends and family.
As some of you may know, my home was built in 1875 for the first schoolmaster of Almonte High. Like many historic homes, it’s filled with character — wide moldings, antique glass windows, plank wood floors, high ceilings, and paneled doors.
It also comes with its quirks — different types of wood underfoot, light switches in unexpected places, stone walls in the basement, cisterns, and harvest doors. But in all of it, I feel grateful to live in, care for, and slowly beautify a place with so much history.
I will be sharing more lifestyle posts on my Instagram feed: my home and garden, the rooms I’m working on, the fabrics I’m drawn to, thrifted treasures I find, simple nourishing meals I cook, and of course, my chairs and upholstery projects.
If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, I’d love to have you follow along on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sittingprettychairs/
I hope to see you there!
Lisa
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