You know that saying, “One man’s trash is another woman’s throne”? Well, it should be—because that’s exactly what I found curbside one fine morning: a sad, rickety chair, dumped among the rejects of furniture past. Most people saw junk. I saw potential (and a spray paint opportunity too good to pass up).

Let’s talk about this glow-up, shall we?

There it was in the dumpster by my bank. Alone. Abandoned. Crushed under the weight of broken couches, dusty blinds, and someone’s mattress regret. But that little green chair? She had spirit. I plucked her out of the rubble and took her home like a DIY fairy godmother. I put it up on my picnic table to do an assessment.

The cushion popped off pretty easily.

I then started cleaning it with a wet cloth and then I scuffed it up with sandpaper so the spray paint would stick.

After giving her a good sanding, I then got to work with a vibrant coat of hot pink spray paint. If chairs could feel confident, this one strutted into her new life like she owned the place.

Pro tip: Invest in a trigger handle for your spray paint cans. Your fingers (and your manicure) will thank you.

Mambo Pink for the win!

Nothing ruins a throne faster than a crusty seat. In the next few steps, I replaced the sad, worn-out upholstery with fresh padding using my trusty staple gun. There’s something deeply satisfying about that clunk of a well-placed staple. Therapy, but cheaper.

I looked through my fabric stash that is way out of control, but it comes in handy for these last minute projects. The owls are so cute and I picked a pink contrasting fabric for the piping. I used the same steps as for the dacron batting, but if you have a pattern on your fabric, make sure you line the patterns up evenly from top to bottom and side to side.

Here I am thinking happy thoughts before embarking on making the piping, which is my nemesis. I had my fingers and toes crossed.

I have the piping attachments for my sewing machine, but it’s still daunting.

Time to bring out the big glue gun. I put weights on the chair to hold down the cushion while I was gluing. Tedious, but necessary.

Now, for the final outcome! I love this little chair. So cute and would be perfect in a little girl’s room. There’s something about pink and blue that just pops, don’t you think?

And here is the chair with a picture of a cow above it. A perfect starting point for a child’s room.

So what’s the moral of the DIY story? Never underestimate the power of spray paint, a staple gun, and a little curbside optimism. This chair went from landfill fodder to a child’s room conversation piece—and all it cost me was a few bucks and some elbow grease.

Would you have picked her up too? Or kept driving? Let me know in the comments—and don’t forget to tag me if you’re brave enough to try your own Trash to Fab transformation!

See ya next time.