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Kilim Rug Upholstered Furniture

Ever since this project that I did for Domino, I’ve been obsessed with upholstering furniture with flat woven rugs. It’s surprisingly easy to work with the thicker material (especially if you have this amazing staple gun) and it just looks so unique. Not to mention it is super hard-wearing and stain-resistant! I’m in the middle…

Ever since this project that I did for Domino, I’ve been obsessed with upholstering furniture with flat woven rugs.

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It’s surprisingly easy to work with the thicker material (especially if you have this amazing staple gun) and it just looks so unique. Not to mention it is super hard-wearing and stain-resistant!

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I’m in the middle of two different rug upholstery projects that I’m excited to share with you soon. I’m hoping to start a third rug upholstery project right away too, since hunching over is getting more and more tricky these days! I just need to find a good (and cheap) kilim to use. I found this curvy headboard for almost nothing at a junk store here locally and I think it would look so great in a pastel, washed out stripey kilim for one of the girls rooms. I’m thinking white linen for the welting.

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When I first stumbled on the headboard, I thought of this super-cool ikat version that Amanda Nesbit used in this House Beautiful room makeover:

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It’s not quite the same as mine – but I like the concept of a really interesting ethic textile on the upholstery paired with pretty, simple bedding.
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I’m sort of thinking of more of a stripe at this point for our curvy headboard, sort of like this one:

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Costas Picadas

I’ve got some ideas up my sleeve, but in the meantime, here are some of my favorite inspiration images for kilim-upholstered furniture pieces.

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Wisteria  //  Safavieh  //  Anthropologie
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Fab.com  //  Andrew Martin
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West Elm
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Have you ever used a rug to upholster a bench or a chair? I’m thinking I have my work cut out for me with the curves of that headboard. It might end up being a job for my upholsterer, but I’m willing to try first. He gives me a deal when I’ve stripped off the old fabric for him anyway. :)

(PS I wish Wisteria still made that black and white settee. It was so pretty!!)

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19 thoughts on “Kilim Rug Upholstered Furniture

  1. Haha, Heather! Yeah, I guess it's not really a junk store, but it's also not really an antique store either? Just sort of random stuff? If you're local its in Chandler on Alma School and Warner. :)

  2. Haha, Heather! Yeah, I guess it's not really a junk store, but it's also not really an antique store either? Just sort of random stuff? If you're local its in Chandler on Alma School and Warner. :)

  3. Stretching a striped fabric over a curvy edge is gonna be tough. I'm anxiously waiting to see how you do this. But if anyone can, you can!
    Happy Thanksgiving.

  4. Wait – your upholsterer gives you a deal when you strip off the old fabric?! I have a chair that I stripped all the fabric off of intending to reupholster but then just lost motivation and it's been sitting in my bedroom bare for a long time (like more than 1 year sadly). I called around and a couple of upholsterers actually said they would charge me more because I had already taken off the fabric, even when I told them I had all the old pieces labeled and could pin them to the frame so they knew exactly how it was put together. Anyway, I'm local and I now you probably don't want to reveal your upholsterer's info, but is this routine practice for upholsterers to charge more or should I keep calling around?

    Love your blog by the way – it is my favorite by far!

  5. Hi Jenny,

    Where do you find kilim rugs to upholster with? I've been wanting to make a pillow like those sold out on Barrington Blue but I haven't figured out the best place to get a rug that has a good pattern and isn't too expensive. If you have any suggestions let me know! Thanks, Robin

  6. We recently bought a kilim bench (from Overstock) for the dining room, and it's just so surprisingly good. The rug material is sturdy as anything, and it just has the look of something that has been in the house for years and will make sense forever. Such a happy buy. Love all the inspiration pics here, too!

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