Deck chair makeover

So you might remember that I was on vacation a few weeks ago. I was lucky enough to be able to take a beautiful cruise to Bermuda! This particular cruise gave us about 3 days at sea, which (for me) means finding a quiet corner (away from all the families swimming, partying, and generally obnoxious crowds). This week I'm recreating the lounge that became my private little nook for reading, knitting, and overall relaxing. In this post I'll explain it all; including shopping, finding, and creating everything that went into my new favorite summer spot ;D

To begin, I want to show you the inspiration piece (yup I spent 3 days in this spot!) It was a love seat sized wooden frame, covered with these heavy and dense linen cushions as well as those velvety under stuffed throw pillows for a pop of color. Not only did I love the comfort, but love the casual look as well... don't you just want to lounge!

Planning and gathering supplies

So you know what I'm going for here... I'm going to turn these 2 chairs into one large lounge!

Ok so it's not going to be exactly like what they had on the cruise, mine will have a few enhancements. 

The inspiration piece is an indoor piece, and mine will remain outdoor. As you can see in the photos, the inspiration lounge was deep, but not as deep as my chairs; I'm going to use the extra platform at the end of the chair as a table. And finally, mine won't have arms... but I'm cool with that.

Before!

First things first, I need to prep my frame. Just so happens I've had these 2 old wooden lounge chairs for about 10 years. Over the years I've purchased different cushions for them, but never really ended up using them very often (or ever). So it would be great to actually get some use out of them, and not buy anything new! They're in need of repairs, a few of the slats have broken, but nothing I can't fix! 

Next I need to find fabric for the cushions. Since my version would be an outdoor piece, I originally started looking for outdoor fabric, but couldn't find anything I liked. Outdoor fabric just didn't have the feel I was looking for, so I went with an upholstery fabric I found at my local Joann's (on clearance ;D) $7/yd!!!!! The compromise here just means I can't leave the cushions out in the weather; I can live with that.

That just leaves a few other outstanding odds and ends to collect; an old comforter for stuffing(I'll explain), a couple 30 in zippers reclaimed from some old sofa cushion covers, and a couple yard sale throw pillows(laundered of course). We're on our way ;D

In case you're keeping count... Total costs: $32
$28 (fabric), $5 (yard sale pillows), $0 (chairs, reclaimed zippers, old comforter, and cushion cover fabric)

Time to get sewing 
I started with the seat cushion, and decided to make a simple, single, boxed cushion that would lie across both chairs (about 45" wide, 36" deep, and 5" high). There is a small gap between the two chairs, but with this cushion that's not going to be a concern. The reclaimed zipper goes in the back, and is big enough to make it easy to stuff in the old comforter! This is the best stuffing for this type of project for a couple reasons; (1)it's easy to take the comforter out for washing! and (2) it provides both the cushion and weight that this seat needs!

With the seat done, I'm already in the home stretch... now I just have a handful of throw pillows to put together. The largest pillows are going to be in the main fabric, same as the seat cushion, and about 30' square. I've chosen to leave off the piping, giving it a more casual look, that also matches the rest of my outdoor furnishings. These also have a large zipper at the bottom, this allows you to add a pillow inset as well as a heavy piece of fabric to act as an "anchor". Let me explain! Where I live it can get windy in the summer, and these pillows are like sails ;D So to keep them from sailing into the neighbors yard, I like to take some old heavy scrap fabric (yes I keep that on hand), roll it up (so it's easy to remove), and add it to the bottom of my large outdoor pillows.

The rest of the throw pillows are there to add both color, and comfort. I've chosen a dark contrasting espresso for the accent, and love how that color deep looks against this light colored fabric... but I'm sure this will be the first thing I switch up to "refresh" the patio either later this season, or for next year ;D

What are you doing to your outdoor space this summer? Are you ready for a patio re-do? Maybe just a refresh with a couple new accents? I'd love to hear about it! so feel free to comment here...
If you're just looking for inspiration, stayed tuned @ dawntoussaint.com for more on my patio decor through the summer!
If you're looking to get some of the items you've seen here, on twitter, or on my boards, check out my etsy shop!

After

these pillows are so comfy!

From this angle you can see the simple boxed corners on the seat cushion.