is this a DIY?

if not, ask an upholstery professional for fabric suggestions.

if they will be doing the work, they can recommend the appropriate fabric to achieve your end goal.

Nope. Not DIY. I will certainly ask the pro who will be doing the work, but I often ask questions of the pros here first because I like doing my homework, and honestly, I usually trust regulars on houzz more than most professionals I hire. It’s an expensive endeavor and I want to get it right.

Why not Crypton?

I had 2 chairs recovered in this fabric. You might want something more exciting, so look at what other pattern/colors they offer. Very durable and good quality fabric.

Kendrah aren't you in NYC? Go browse the Design Center. There are amazing indoor/outdoor fabrics these days and you are lucky you can see them all under one roof! Your upholsterer should have access to anything you see at the Design Center.

I have never had any issue window shopping at To-the-trade design centers. They just won't give you samples or pricing. I just take photos of the fabric and any labels, and then source them through a store/designer/upholsterer/etc.

Chispa - You have a good memory, I do live in NYC. I didnt realize that consumers were able to browse the Design Center. I thought you could only visit with a designers. This opens a world of potential possibilities. Do you think there are showrooms with fabrics in my price range though?

I looked at books of Crypton at Mood and another fabric upholstery warehouse and what I saw had a lot of yarney weave and feel to it, like the pic you posted. Nothing wrong with them but not the look or feel that I like.

My first thought was gold, and then saw your inspiration -- so go with antique gold. Sorry I can't recommend a fabric but most people have pets and upholsterers charge a fortune. I'm sure if you ask them to give you something nice that will last they can.

I normally don't recommend torchiere floor lamps but I think in this case it's almost a must. I don't think you need a side table. Just a nice brass tray at the corner of the chest for setting down a cocktail.

No casual cocktails going on here. My husband guzzles massive cups of Dunkin Donuts iced coffee while curled up in this chair working for hours on end. He really needs the little table for his drinks. (Hence the durable fabric. Some weekends this is command central for his work and this chair will take a beating.)

The uplighting in the room is fantastic. The wall sconces light the entire room at night, and also give some downlighting too, so no need for a torchiere. A reading light is needed in this area though. I really don't love the black one that is there now, but he does, so I may have to cave in and keep it. I'd much prefer a less noticable little pharmacy lamp or skinny little floor reading lamp that comes right to book height.

Try Inside/Out performance fabric.

I have the berry colored siblings. Check Etsy for fabric. Most vendors will sell you a sample.
I’ll be doing mine after I find a rug.

You may want to look at Maharam. You can order samples online, and it's mostly contract grade fabric, so some of it is not that expensive, because a commercial concern might need hundreds of yards of it. Maybe Knoll Textiles too, you can order samples and fabrics directly.

This is Maharam Firma @ $78 a yard, maybe not as refined as the 1st dibs. I was going to suggest Designers Guild, too for some linen like fabric that has good cleaning properties but I don't think that's going to come in at your price point.

This may be a little too tweedy/hopsacky but it reminded me of the general look of the1st dibs chair.

After you find a rug? I adore the blue one you have. Hope you can use it somwhere.

Are t wingbacks great?

Or Knoll Boundary might do and it's cheap, for your budget, at $45 a yard.

https://www.knoll.com/knolltextileproductdetail/Boundary

@Palimpsest - Thanks for the link. Had never looked at Knoll before. I'm in love with Boundary. I'm a sucker for nearly any fabric described as menswear style. Plus it is 80k rubs. Amazing. I have a few other pieces I need to upholster and can imaging going nuts with these.

It is acrylic and the cleaning code is "W-S Bleach:Clean with water or solvent based cleaning agents, or diluted household bleach." I know nothing about cleaning codes. How does the compare to a Sunbrella type fabric? Is this pretty easy to clean?

If he loves the floor lamp he should keep it. (On my screen the shade looks blue). Maybe he can be persuaded to a more wonderful side table for the iced coffee.

https://www.wayfair.com/Everly-Quinn--Aarsh-Frame-End-Table-with-Storage-X122566824-L442-K~W011455713.html?refid=GX646375425767-W011455713&device=c&ptid=2010244624480&network=g&targetid=aud-1614881128940:pla-2010244624480&channel=GooglePLA&ireid=242333946&fdid=1817&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9fqnBhDSARIsAHlcQYQzi2tEthJYvybsl1JJdi2b3M6TNzkSsP2V8Y57jEEp5wz5vAx5yZkaAoKrEALw_wcB

Well I feel like anything that can be cleaned with water based products is a bonus. I would order a couple samples to feel it.

The side table is a Hitchcock piece from a huge set we got from my grandparents. The rest is sprinkled throughout this room, our foyer, and our bedroom. We like it. We have a coffee table and another tiny cocktail table in the room too.

The lamp shade is black. I got it specially made for this lamp 10 years ago and it is good quality. I just wish I liked it more.

@Kendrah, the rug was under the wingback berry chairs when I moved all the dining room furniture into the Great Room, but then decided to use that rug with my white table and chairs. That leaves the front of the Great Room rug-naked, which is where the wingback chairs are.

Here is the new rug (which I am totally in love with ) in the dining area.

I think you’ll like the lamp more after reupholstering the chair. It looks great with everything else in the room.

Love your inspiration chair. I’m a big fan of wingbacks, too.

I’m trying to remember where I got upholstery fabric when I lived in NY. Orchard and Allen streets on the Lower East Side used to have fabric stores. Check online to see if they have upholstery grade.

Calico75 (previously calico corners) may still have a store in Scarsdale. Again, may be worth a call.

@Jilly, good call on the lamp with the new upholstery.

@RedRyder - It is so sad, online businesses have really destroyed the retail upholstery fabric stores here in NYC. The Lower East Side has 3-4 stores left, many are 1/4 the size they used to be. I've shopped them a few times looking for fabric and not come up with much.

NY is no longer the place to go when you are looking for specialty shops of any kind. First it was big box stores, then Amazon and other online retailers, not to mention insane real estate prices, that have really destroyed the charm of this city.

Yes, I remember the stores closing one by one while I was still in NYC. I used to buy my entire wardrobe down there and slowly the best stores were gone. Not surprised it's also true about the fabric places.

I'm finding some fabrics for my wingback chairs on Etsy and those sellers tend to be more helpful. Every single one I've needed to communicate with was responsive. I did find a custom slipcover person on Etsy (who responded right away) and I'm seriously considering that since a "real" upholsterer might not be available. The one person I used, when I moved here, no longer answers his phone.

I know of only ONE "real" fabric place in the Nashville area so I will also go there when I'm ready to do my chairs. I LOVE wingbacks and mine are smaller than normal because I've already tried the premade slipcovers. It looked like a little kid in her mom's clothes.

Thanks again for the Knoll recommendation. I went to their showroom today. The boundary fabric is so beautiful but incredibly itchy. As the sales person said, it should be used to cover a bus seat. None the less I got many other lovely samples to try.

I like this dark one with the lifht color behind as the piping. However, they too are a bit itchy.

First photo: Is the third one from the bottom itchy? It looks like a velvet and is really pretty. I know you're going for a nubby fabric but the smooth ones look elegant.

Are the two bottom photo ones better? Itchy wingback chairs sounds like an oxymoron.

Great buy...yesterday Iwas following a post Diana Bier started about Mitchel Gold going out of business. Of course one thing led to another and RedRyder was her lovely self even when someone wanted to pick a fight. Why do people want to correct your comments when they are directed to the OP?

Anyway...I have good luck with Sailrite. Take a look at the offerings, good prices, and variety of tough fabrics. The samples are a pretty good size and you can order all you want. My dear friend move to N C and decided to start anew with furniture. She gave me two older Ethan Allen wing chairs and I chose a Magnolia fabric. Very happy.

Jill - can you post your reupholstered chairs? I never even thought of Magnolia fabrics…

This might sound weird, but what is your husband typically going to be wearing when he sits in the chair? The reason I ask is because our LR growing up had a wool crewel on linen sofa and a loveseat upholstered in wool mohair. Both very itchy course fabrics. But we used the living room mostly in the winter, and didn't really sit in the living room bare legged and such, and when my parents entertained people maybe had their arms exposed. I never really liked lying on the sofa to read if I had shorts and a t shirt on because it was itchy, but if I had pants and a shirt on, and the only thing that was touching the upholstery was my forearms, no big deal. The loveseat, I may be taking, but I am not sure whether I keep the mohair or not. If it goes in a bedroom it will definitely get reupholstered in something softer.

I did a sofa in Designers Guild Manzoni Cotton/Linen Fabric, which is "washable". It's says it is a "linen union" 65 cotton 35 linen. It' a UK company so their website is not navigable in the same way US sites are, so I don't know off-hand what the cleaning characteristics are.

It's got a great feel. Unfortunately it is above your budget, it's more like $110 yd., discounted. But I would take a look

https://www.designersguild.com/us/fabric/designers-guild/manzoni-fabrics/c552

Jill - I too like Sailrite and have looked extensively at their site. The thing I love most is they show their fabrics on a chair very similar to a wingback. Makes it so easy to imagine what it will look like!

Palimpset - You are right on the money with asking what he'll be wearing. Sometimes very little! (TMI I guess!) He often sits in the wingback chair in shorts and no shirt when he is on his laptop for hours on end. He also has a medical condition that sometimes necessitates him sleeping upright in this chair, in which case PJ shorts and no top. He tested the fabrics and they are all too itchy, except for the green, which I love. The rust and camel felt heavenly but we determined they are indeed a fur magnet and would get pretty clammy to sit on in the summer. (We don't have central air.)

Tomorrow I'm heading to the upholsterer to see their fabrics. I'll take the Knoll samples just as an idea for colors.

I have a sofa upholstered in what looks very much like the Designer's Guild fabric, but it is 100% poly, and still very soft. I got it a Hancock fabrics for $12/yard over a decade ago. Insane.

Jill Graham, another Jill here who likes Sailrite. I ordered fabric from them to reupholster two armchairs and am so happy with what I got. Very good experience!

Kendrah, can’t wait to see what you decide! I really enjoy your projects. :)

Thanks Jilly. I'd love to see pics of your chairs if you feel like posting.

I wish I had finished chairs to show! My first upholsterer flaked out on me, so I’m currently in line with another. There aren’t very many in my town.

But I can show the fabric. Long story, lots of pics … you may be sorry you asked. :D

(I posted my project-to-be a while back, Pal and others were very helpful!)

I found these three vintage chairs on FB Marketplace — the pair from Anteks furniture and one Baker — all for $75. I saw proof later that the chairs from Anteks originally retailed for $995. each.

The Baker chair is perfect, I’m not changing the fabric. It’s thick and nubby, but soft.

The Anteks chairs have rips in the seats.

So I found this fabric at Sailrite:

I ordered it and liked it even better in person. It’s like tapestry, is super soft, and the colors are more vivid than the picture on the Sailrite site:

My plan is to use it on the front, with faux emu on the seat, and rust colored velvet on the back. I have all my fabrics in hand, just waiting!

I currently have the chairs in a little sitting area with my medieval pillows (from The Lady and The Unicorn tapestry, c. 1500) —

I’ll change out the pillows, or not use any, if these chairs ever get reupholstered. :)

Holy smokes, those chairs are stunning and what a steal! Your fabric choices are beautiful, and your in between unicorn pillows are a great fix. It is shocking to see the difference between the Sailrite photo and the actual fabric and makes me wonder how many things I'm passing up because of how the color looks on my screen.

My parents have a chair quite like your Antek chairs. It belonged to some relative from many generations back and was covered in orange 1970's velvet my entire childhood. Sometime in the 90's they recovered it in a stunning burgundy flame stitch fabric. It is so handsome and really comfortable to sit in. I saw many chairs like it in my craigslist search but my husband prefers the wings - that way when you nod off while reading you've got something to prop you up!

Thank you so much!

I prefer wings, too. My dad has one in an awesome southwestern fabric (original from the ’80s) and I claim it when I’m at his house. :)

I’m always on the hunt for a vintage one in the style of yours. Can’t wait to see how it turns out … I love your style and know it’ll look great!

@kendrah This is why I am going to the main fabric place in our area. I also wonder if I'm not "seeing" what the fabric actually looks like when I'm shopping online.

@Jilly, the tapestry fabric does look prettier in your photo! That will be wonderful on your chairs.

We could probably start a whole different website on reupholstering furniture. I think we're all stuck trying to find "the right fabric" for different items since there are so few fabric places nowadays.

Thank you, Red!

I’ve always had good luck ordering fabric online, but I agree with you — I do prefer seeing it in person first, if possible. Especially with large patterns, a swatch isn’t always helpful.

I bought so many West Elm velvet swatches in solid colors, I could make a quilt with them. :D

I ordered the faux emu from Perigold; they sent the wrong color. I emailed them pictures and they immediately sent the right one and told me to keep or give away the other. Great customer service.

My main thing is how it feels! I cannot bear itchy or stiff cloth fabric.

But to reupholster commercial banquettes and so forth, you really have to know what you are doing, because hundreds of people are going to sit on it. And the owner has more leverage if a dozen things aren't done right than a client with one chair not done right. But you may wait for them to do 24 pieces until they squeeze you in.

OMG Kendra! That piece of fabric looks so different close up! You’re right, it doesn’t work on the chair at all. Very deceptive from the closeup.

I have found 2 upholstering companies to call, but it’s easier to reupholster your freaking CAR SEATS than a wingback chair around here. A search for “upholsterer” got me more auto people than anyone would ever need. Who knew?

Yes, I found lots of car seat upholsterers in New Jersey. Luckily, not such a big thing in NYC. Have you looked in the far suburbs of your city? When I lived in Philadelphia, many upholsterers were outside my county but they did pick up and delivery. Have you asked antique dealers who they use?

All of the upholsterers I contacted seem to have very quick turn around - two weeks. And many of the reviews online from individuals with vintages pieces say they were completed on time or early. I've emailed them pics and they have returned quotes within 24-48 hours. I presume because they do commercial volume and also work with a lot of designers, they have the staff and set up to make things happen.

I found a guy in Yonkers who doesn't do commercial, is just a mom and pop storefront location, same place for 40 years, and I think it is only him, no staff. I had a rambling 45 minute phone call with him. He said it would take at least a month or more to do one chair. He couldn't give me an exact quote but his estimate was $500, others were $1000 for labor. He also doesn't do pick up and delivery, whereas everyone else does. In someways, this old school guy could be the best. But, I also imagine communication and timelines taking forever and becoming a part-time job for me just to get my furniture back.

My traditional style furniture upholsterer is in the western suburbs but has clients in Manhattan.

Based on the two areas where I found the upholsterers I am expecting different quotes to reupholster two wingback chairs. The equivalent would be a person in Scarsdale and another in Yonkers. Both pick up and deliver.

I am working with a Persian rug store owner on finding something to complement the DR rug, so my urgency around the chairs is not too high. I’ll probably do a tone on tone ivory fabric but I would consider something else if I actually HAD the rug these chairs will sit on. How many yards of fabric are you needing? Everything I read says 6-7 yards per chair depending on the fabric.

Pick up and delivery seem an important service to me. If you don’t own an SUV, how do you get the wingback chair to them and back home?

Would love to see your rugs. Hope you can find a good one.

I have a Mazda crossover. The cargo space is really small. My husband managed to jam the craigslist chair in to the back, but it was a challenge, and I would not want to do it with a newly finished piece.

All of my quotes said 9-10 yards for a wingback.

I visited the upholsterer yesterday.The workshop was clean and calm with seven people hard at work. I got to see samples of what they were working on and chatted with the owner who knows his stuff. Bummer that he was leaving to take his daughter to a doc appointment and I got a rushed 20-min flip through of Kravat books. His fabric manager is out this week. Stinks since I battled an hour of traffic to get there. Today Im heading to Kravat showroom at the design center. If I have to up my price for yardage to get the right fabric, I can afford to. I’m eager to get this started.

When shopping for fabric to recover your Sherrill wingback chair, you're on the right track considering durability, ease of cleaning, and comfort. Here are some additional criteria to consider:

1. Color and Style: Choose a color and pattern that complements your decor. Sunbrella offers a range of options and is known for durability.
2. Texture: Look for a fabric with a smooth texture if you want to avoid dog hair buildup.
3. Wyzenbeek Rating: A high rating indicates durability. Sunbrella typically has a good rating.
4. Flexibility: Check if the fabric can conform to the chair's curves without creating a stiff, puckered appearance. Sunbrella is known for its versatility.
5. Cost: Staying under $80/yard is a good budget. Explore various fabric brands within this range, like Crypton, Ultrasuede, or performance fabrics from reputable manufacturers.

By considering these factors, you can find a fabric that meets your needs and recreates the stylish look you desire.

Yikes. 9-10 yards each? I have two chairs….

I think I’ll call the upholsterers and see if I can visit them. That sounds like a good idea.

One upholsterer, seeing photos of the chairs, said 7.5 yards of fabric, labor =$575 each. Not bad, except they don’t pick up. I’ll have to ask a favor of a friend with a truck or SUV.

RedRyder, that is a really great price. Who wouldn't want to help you take advantage of that by lending a set of wheels?

Yes, I probably can get help, which I would need since I recently hurt my back (for the first time - ever). I’m going to call the other upholsterer to see their pricing because they DO pick up and deliver.

1. Are there other factors of durability I am missing? I've only been considering how they are cleaned and how many rubs. I found a few Kravet upholstery fabrics that I like, but am not sure I love. Although they are performance and have 50K rubs rating, they seem quite sheer. There is a very thin acrylic layer on the back, but much thinner than other fabric samples I have seen. Will this sheerness impact the wear and tear or life I can get out of them?

2. Has anyone shopped at Calico Corners? Considering setting up a free design consultation. I feel like I'm still a bit lost in the woods with fabric shopping.

I have noticed on some furniture reviews of various brands that some complain that the upholstery pills prematurely. I suspect it is the fiber combo, maybe cotton and polyester, but I have no proof of that. I just know it would be annoying.

Do the free consultation! You certainly have a list of good questions to ask, in addition to letting them make fabric suggestions.