Get a designer look on this IKEA chair

A salvaged IKEA chair gets a bold makeover by Marcie K

The power of ideas to build on each other is what keeps the world turning. So, in my own way, I decided to pay homage to J-Lo’s iconic green silk Versace dress – as seen at the Grammy Awards in 2000 – on an IKEA chair l picked up for £5.

I loved the sleek lines of the seat but less so the scratched-up plastic, so I layered up colours with Guild Lane Jubilee paints and added my handmade stencils – hopefully banishing the ‘granny’ image some of you still may hold of stencils. The 90s did give craft a bad rap – although I’m probably not ready to roll out a bunch-of-grapes stencil quite yet.

Step 1

Clean the chair thoroughly – a must, as it helps the paint adhere. Take the chair apart if you can and store the screws in a container for safekeeping.

Step 2

Start by adding a base layer of Jubilee paint in Pale Roundel Blue pretty much all over, then while this is still wet add Oxford Blue to sections (Image A and B). Using a cross-hatch brushing technique, blend the blues into each other. Finish off by blending with a clean, dry brush to soften the joins (Image C).

Step 3

To create the leaf stencils, Google free printable jungle or tropical leaves and print them on card or photographic paper. I used a mix of palm and fern leaves in different sizes.

Step 4

Using a craft knife on a cutting mat if you have one (if not, be sure to protect your table with some thick cardboard), cut out all the leaves (Image D). As this is a stencil, make sure you don’t cut into the middle stem section yet, as you want a separation between the leaves. When finished, turn each leaf over and try to cut a thin spine through the middle. lf this is tricky you can add it on later.

Step 5

Practise positioning the stencils on the  chair to get the look you want, then attach them with masking tape. Start with British Racing Green to add depth. Put a small amount on a brush, then dab most of it off on some kitchen roll, which helps stop excess paint bleeding under the stencil. Keep adding the fern stencils and layer them over each other, in different directions (Image E). As there shouldn’t be much paint on the brush, it doesn’t take long to dry between layers (Image F).

Step 6

When you have covered the surface with ferns, start adding the palm-leaf stencil using Bunting Green, again, dabbing the excess paint off on a piece of kitchen roll (Image G). Keep layering up the different sizes – I started with the larger ones first. Then add Bunting Yellow to the smaller palm leaves (Image H). When this is dry, repeat on the back of the chair.

Step 7

Paint the chrome frame and rivets with metallic gold (Image I). I also used it on the edges of the chair and added some to the palm-leaf stems. When dry, screw the seat back together. To finish, spray with varnish all over. If the chair is going to be used a lot, I recommend at least three coats.