Before and After: Carver Chair

I confess, I am a bit of a wimp. In order to add to my ever growing stock I have started checking out auctions, but I have not yet plucked up the courage to go in and bid (I know, very pathetic). I am not really a competitive person (probably a bad sign when you are trying to run your own business!). I think I would probably give in and let someone else win. However, I did do an auction the cheats way. Before I went away to Japan I left a commission bid for a lovely carver chair and I won!

The chair was in a bit of a state. The seat pad was torn and some of the padding missing. The wood seat pad was broken. The struts were loose and had come out of their slots. The varnish was dark and scratched. Basically it needed a complete over-haul.

And this is how it looks now, after about 3 weeks of hard work. I hoped that I would be able to strip the wood and wax it, but unfortunately it was too rough underneath the varnish layer so a coat of bright paint livened it up. I then created a new wood seat pad, added some foam and wadding, and covered in a gorgeous embroidered fabric. I have to say I am very happy with the results. What do you all think?
xx