Given the charge to design a nursery for the Pasadena Designer Showcase, designer Amy Devault took a long hard look at wooden rocking chairs, and decided they were just not comfortable enough for moms and babies. So Devault had an upholstered armchair altered to make it rock. Craftsman Victor Reynaga demonstrated how he transformed the chair into a rocker, using this procedure:
- Turn the chair upside down (figure A).
- Unscrew the chair legs and remove completely.
- Remove staples from the edge of the fabric that's underneath the chair back ( figure B).
- Glue a wooden side bar one inch below the opening you've made in the fabric ( figure C).
- Attach the side bar to the chair frame more firmly by drilling in several screws (figure D).
- Repeat steps 3-5 on the edge opposite the chair back.
- Place two boards perpendicular to the side bars you've installed, resting their ends on top of the side bars, beneath the fabric. Each should be four inches from the center (figure E). Glue the crossbars to the sidebars first, and then screw them to the sidebars to secure.
- Glue the fabric down once again, completely covering the wooden sidebars and crosspieces .
- Place a rocker mechanism (which you can purchase at an upholstery supply store for around $30) on the upended chair as shown, making sure the spokes are face-up as shown.
- Measure to make sure the rocker mechanism is centered, and that the "leg" is flush with the back part of the chair.
- Drill four screws through the holes in the rocker mechanism, through the fabric , and into the crosspieces below.
- Before turning the chair over again, re-staple the bottom fabric to the chair. Do this last, because attaching the rocker mechanism might cause the fabric to shift slightly
Guests Amy Devault
Interior Designer, Amy Devault Interiors
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
Phone: 310-450-6626
Fax: 310-450-6667
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