DIY: How to reupholster your desk chair

Green Doors Team
Aug 3
3 min read

After several years of snacks, makeup, and homework, my teen's desk chair was in need of a spa day. Read on to see how I updated this basic office chair with custom, upcycled fabric for many more years of use.

I was already knee deep in organizing and updating her room over Christmas break while she was staying with Grandma.

I had scored the perfect pair of pink linen blackout curtains at the kids' consignment shop where I've been offloading her outgrown clothes. Down came this bird print pair of curtains, and a free project was born! Just call me Maria von Trapp ;)

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The chair is the Ikea Orfjall swivel chair, but you can pretty easily transform any basic office chair along these lines.

My technique was probably a bit more complicated than necessary, but the Orfjall's back rest is fully upholstered, so does require some sewing. If I were going to do it again, I would use the original zip-off cover as a pattern to make a new one, with no hand-sewing.

Materials and tools you need:

All you'll need to reupholster your desk chair is:

approximately 2 yards of heavy fabric with a smooth weave (upholstery fabric is best for durability) - pay special attention to large repeat patterns, or placed prints that you want to feature
sharp fabric scissors
staple gun (no need to invest much - borrow one, or get a light-duty one for crafting)
needle and thread, or sewing machine
zipper (or use velcro)

Choose vintage or secondhand materials to repurpose or upcycle

Look for heavy vintage fabrics like tablecloths, or heavy drapes.
Add trim to the seams of the back rest for a detailed, custom look. Ruffled ribbon, fringe, or piping, or pleats.

Safety first

A staple gun uses high pressure, and will send you (or a bystander) to the ER with staples embedded in places you never intended.

Keep little kids and pets away from where you're working.
Never hold the pieces your are stapling on your lap - always place them on the floor or a work surface.
Always point the staple gun at the floor or away from people (watch your feet!), especially when inserting more staples.
Use any and all safety features on your staple gun.
Remove staples when not in use.

Basic steps for your reupholstered desk chair

Flip the chair over to rest on a table or another (non-wheeled) chair.
Use a screwdriver or hex key (aka Allen wrench) to disassemble the seat and back. On the Orfjall, these easily come out of the tube metal frame.
Use masking tape or small containers to keep the hardware organized for re-assembly.
Press out any creases in your fabric before starting.
Lay the cushions on your fabric, matching patterns or centering designs as you wish.
Roughly measure out a very generous allowance beyond the edge of the cushion (I did 3-4 inches) to give yourself enough to pull taught and hide the staples on the bottom.
Before you cut, lightly mark the center of each fabric edge to help you align it while stapling.
Cut out your fabric pieces (one for the seat; 2 for the backrest)
Staple the seat fabric to the wooden base, pulling taughtly on all four sides. Gather and staple the corners last. Be sure not to cover up the screw holes for re-assembly.
For the back rest, use the Orfjall's original zip-off cover as a pattern to stitch up a new cover - leave extra fabric to overlap if you are using velcro instead of a zipper.
Re-attach the seat and the backrest securely, using the original hardware.
Admire your new semi-custom desk chair!

Follow along with these videos

Since I neglected to document my process, I've gone ahead and vetted these two videos for you to follow along and complete your chair.

For an intermediate, slightly more experienced crafter, try this one from our partner OnlineFabricStore.com: How to Reupholster an Office Chair
For a more detailed, step-by-step video to follow, try this one: DIY: How to Reupholster a Chair