Have you ever wanted to create something that’s a little “out there”, but you had absolutely no clue how you were going to do it? It seems to happen to me all the time 😀 For as long as I can remember, I’ve had this slightly wacky idea of repurposing something boring and making a mermaid chair for my daughter.

A novel twist on a boring office chair. Transform it into this beautiful mermaid chair. You won’t believe how it was done. Full tutorial at acraftymix.com #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover #mermaid

She’s an amazing young lady and has been working her butt off to qualify for the South African Swimming team. I swear she was a mermaid in a previous life. So I really wanted to celebrate her unique spirit and passion for the water by making her THAT chair.

While wandering around the local thrift store a few weeks ago, I found this rather sad and boring office chair. I’m not sure if it had been standing in the rain for way too long or if someone threw the wildest, wettest party ever. But this poor thing had definitely seen better days. The hubby thought I was completely bonkers when I brought it home.

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

EeeeeDeeee didn’t seem to mind, though 😉 and it was the perfect starting point for that mermaid chair.

What You Need to Make a Mermaid Chair:

  • old second-hand wood chair with a straight back
  • mattress foam
  • quilt batting or a thin foam
  • dust cover fabric
  • spray Adhesive
  • fabric (velvet or velour)
  • plywood
  • 1x2s

Tools:

  • Fabric stapler
  • Fabric scissors
  • Bread knife
  • Jigsaw
  • Drill
  • Screwdriver
  • Needle nose pliers

Dismantling the Boring Chair

The first thing I needed to do was get rid of that old yucky fabric.

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

There were soooooo many staples. UGH!! They’re not too difficult to remove, though. Just a little tedious. All you need to do is pry them upwards with a small flat screwdriver and then pull them out with some pliers.

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

I did think twice before sharing this photo. Look at all that gunky stuff that was hiding in that chair. Eeeeeewww. From now on, I’m going to be very careful where I park this butt of mine.

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

Even the foam was yucky. Everything that couldn’t be cleaned had to go until I was left with just the bare bones.

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

I wanted the seat to be a little higher. Apparently, land-bound mermaids have sensitive feet, so it’s best to have a chair where their feet can swing free when they’re sitting. After adding a dust cover and drawing a template of the seat portion, I cut a new piece of foam with my handy bread knife. I learnt that trick when I built a window seat last year for my daughter. 😉

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

And our sweet little EeeeeDeeee got to test it out, too 😀

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

The foam was covered with quilt batting. I found it easier to start in the middle and staple it onto the underside of the chair every few inches, tightening the batting as I went along. The next thing to go were those oh, so boring wooden legs. I just cut them off with my trusty jigsaw.

Even a boring office chair can be transformed into something that’s unique and oh so different. Come join us as we turn old and blah into Mermaid wow. Full tutorial #DIYHomeDecor #Upcycling #ExtremeMakeover #FurnitureMakeover

Alrighty then. Time to add a little of that mermaid X factor. Head on over to page 2 to see how we gave this baby some new legs and added a mermaid surprise onto the back of the chair.