$5.29 No-Sew Sitting Room Re-do

When we first saw the house plans to our home, hubby and I just knew it was perfect.  It had some really cool features that were on our list of “musts” and even some things we didn’t even know we wanted but then fell in love with once we saw them on paper.  One of those things was the addition of a sitting room on our master bedroom.  At one point I would have said a sitting room was silly or superfluous, but in our house plan it just makes sense.

For one, our master bedroom is the first room at the top of the stairs.  If there wasn’t a sitting room, those big double doors would have led directly into the bedroom, which I think would be a bit awkward.  Instead, the sitting room is a nice, relaxing place that transitions from the bedroom to the bathroom and then to the hallway. 

Or, at least I hope that one day it will be.  It also tends to collect stuff, be used as storage, and get overlooked as a room that could use some decorating. 

We finally got some cheap chairs at Target a few months back and the sitting room was starting to take shape, but I still hated how functional the space needs to be with a bookcase, some storage for special things, and as a landing spot.  So, I decided to do something about it.  Instead of getting all new furniture, I decided I would instead update the pieces to hide the unsightly and make it a little more regal and put-together. 

First in line in my redecorating was a cheap bookcase fix that repurposed some café curtains that didn’t fit our windows and were just taking up space in the linen closet.  By adding a springloaded tension rod purchased for $.50 on clearance at Big Lots, I was able to hang the curtain to hide all of the non-pretty soft cover books.  While it could be hemmed up for an even better fit, I kind of like the flowy look and think I’ll wait a bit to see if I change my mind. 

Next on the list was hiding the boxes I use to store special items I want to scrapbook for the kids.  I have one box under each chair and it has been working pretty well as a storage for the keepsakes before I get to putting them in books, but even with buying fancy boxes that matched our décor, it still looked messy to me and I’ve been searching for a better solution.  While I was buying curtains for my nephew’s nursery I realized that a valance would be the perfect fit and came up with my easiest DIY ever – the valance chair skirt. 

Items needed:

• Pre-made valance in coordinating fabric {these can be found at Target, K-Mart, Fred Meyer, home improvement stores and discount stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls.  I found mine at Big Lots for $2 apiece}
• ¾” Thick Elastic {I used a yard and a half for each chair}
• Or, alternatively, you could use ribbon, just get enough to wrap around chair with enough left to make a bow
• Scissors to cut the elastic or ribbon

The valances I got were kind of stiff and wrinkled, so the first thing I did was wash them up so they would soften and the wrinkles would release a bit.  Once they were washed, I simply inserted the already cut elastic into the middle sewn-in pocket of the valance and tied it into a knot to create a large “skirt” and it was ready to be put on the chair.

Because the valance was longer than my chair is tall, I simply folded it under so the overhang was hidden.  You could also fold it the other way to add some dimension to the skirt, but I liked it better with the extra fabric hidden on the inside. 

Note: the valances I got were rather short in width {probably why they were on clearance} and they don’t circle the chair entirely, but this isn’t a problem since we have them positioned against the wall and you can’t see the backside anyway.  If they hadn’t been positioned this way, I would have simply gotten two valances for each chair instead of one apiece.  If I had done that, I might have created some pleats in the fabric to help gather it nicely instead of just having it cinched, but it’s all about preference.

So, what do you think?  Worth $5.29?

This post is part of an ongoing series of DIY Home Improvements we are doing around Rave Central.  It is not a sponsored post, a paid post, or compensated in any way.