Upcycled Brutalist Inspired Chair
Transform a secondhand timber chair in 30 minutes!
Step into the likes of Clo Studios, 1st Dibs and Tigmi Traders and you’re likely to come across a few brutalist timber chairs. I’ve always loved brutalist architecture and design and have been dreaming of owning a brutalist timber chair for as long as I can remember. I was out sourcing one day and happened to stumble across a beautiful handmade chair with many brutalist features. It was organic, minimalist, the screws were industrial and the timber grain was beautiful. But what I really fell madly in love with the the seat, which was split into two timber panels and the thoughtfully made back detail, which I could tell was carved by hand. And then I got an idea, perhaps I could transform this chair into more of a brutalist design using my jigsaw. It was a big gamble, but it only took 30 minutes and it totally paid off.
To see this project come to life watch this video.
Before & After
Project Details
♻️ Making: Upcycled Brutalist Chair
🕒 Project Time Estimate: 30mins
💰 Materials Cost: Under $20
Materials
Secondhand timber chair. Make sure it has a middle panel as this is the key feature.
Timber stain to match the chair
Clear gloss varnish
Tools
Whiteboard marker
Microfibre cloth
Jigsaw
Clamps
Handsaw
Gloves
Small paint brush
My Inspiration
How To
Step 1: To begin I used the whiteboard marker to determine which design I liked the best. I tried a couple of different designs, which I wiped off using the microfibre cloth. Once I had settled on the final design, I clamped the chair to my work bench and cut the shape out. I also had to get my handsaw out to cut the sides off the back of the chair.
Step 2: I stained the cut sides using timber stain and a microfibre cloth. When the stain had dried, I applied a thin coat of clear glos varnish to the cut sides using a small paint brush. And that’s it!
Ta daaaa!
I am actually blown away my idea worked! As soon as I saw the chair, I knew it had potential for a brutalist revival. The craftsmanship was elevated and intentional, which meant I had the perfect canvas to execute my idea. I hope this project has inspired you to look at secondhand timber chairs a little differently. All you need to keep an eye out for is a chair that has a middle detail and that it’s simple enough to remove the side sections from the back. And while the back of the chair is not suitable to lean up against (in this instance - but yours might be!), it’s still totally usable as a stool or as a decorative chair. I am so in love how it looks - it’s definitely brutalist and even though I can’t afford my buy my own (they can costs thousands), this one is just as good IMHO.
