Lining Furniture with Fabric

Vintage pin cushion and fabric

I wanted to finish up my Boutique Style Armoire series with how I lined the interior with fabric. This armoire was a big job from start to finish, but I think the fabric added the perfect touch to the overall look. I will include a supply list at the end of the post for your convenience. If you'd like to look back on the other posts, they are listed below:
The original interior was unfinished and dirty. Frankly, it just wasn't anything that I would want to put my clothes in.

Unfinished interior of vintage armoire chifferobe

I found this toile fabric called "Spa Day" and used it as my inspiration for the design. I couldn't find an exact link to the fabric that I used, but this one is similar in design and color.  If you click on the link then it will also display similar patterns.

Fabric used as inspiration for design

I painted the exterior (click the link to see that blog post) of the piece before working on the interior. I wanted to make sure that I was happy with how the exterior coordinated with the fabric before going further. Once I was happy with the design, it was time to work on the interior. I gave the entire interior a base coat of Old Ochre.

Coordinating fabric with painted furniture

Prior to cutting the fabric, I measured the interior panels and created my own patterns on pattern fabric. Creating a pattern beforehand allowed me to test out the sizes prior to cutting the more expensive fabric. The panels were different sizes, so I labeled each "right", "left", and "back" to keep things straight in my mind.

Creating and labeling patterns

I taped the panel patterns to the inside of the armoire to make sure they fit perfectly. Next I laid out the patterns on my fabric to make sure I had enough fabric prior to cutting. It took a bit of re-positioning to make sure the layouts were correct. Luckily I was able to play around with the panel patterns enough to get three panels.

Measure twice cut once

I ironed the fabric prior to cutting.

Ironing fabric

Since I wasn't lining the bottom, I covered the area with a piece of cardboard to protect it from any drips from the adhesive. I applied Mod Podge with a brush to one of the panels and then lined my fabric up at the top then unfolded it and smoothed it downwards towards the bottom.

Adhere fabric with Mod Podge

The fabric adhered well and there wasn't much time for re-positioning it. I used painter's tape to help hold it in place until the glue was completely dry.

Using painters tape to temporarily hold fabric in place

I started with the back panel and then repeated the process on the left and right panels.

Fabric applied to back panel of armoire chifferobe

Here's a photo of where the back and left panels meet. The bottom of the back panel had a piece of trim molding which I didn't cover with fabric. I later filled in the nail holes with wood filler and painted a final coat of paint for a smooth finish.

Fabric meets at corner of left and back panels

Here's the wardrobe section with the fabric peeking through. I love the new boutique style finish. It's so much better than the old dirty finish!

Beautiful fabric lines the interior of the armoire chifferobe

The supply list follows this one last look at the before and after. What a difference paint and fabric can make! Thank you so much for following along with this project.

Before and after photos of armoire

Supply List:

Below are the supplies I used for this project. Some links are affiliate links.

How to add fabric to furniture.

Best before and after ever. I will show you how step-by-step.

I wasn't sure what to do with this Goodwill find.

Comments

  1. great project. came out very nice. have you considered using felt for the shelves? i think that would finish it nicely

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks J. I had not thought about using felt for the shelves, but that is a fantastic idea.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this project! It turned out beautiful. I just picked up a small occasion table at Goodwill. It's particle board with a veneer.. round, 3 "shelves" between 2 rows of "columns." At first I thought about painting it but then I thought fabric would look amazing! I just wasn't sure if Mod Podge would work well as an adhesive and as a sealant? I want to be able to put drinks down on the table and not worry about coasters. Do I need some other sealant?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't used Mod Podge as a sealant, but it can be used over the top of fabric. I would suggest you test it on a swatch of fabric over something small (like a coaster) and give it a try to see if you are happy with the results and to make sure it doesn't yellow. Your project sounds fun and I bet it will turn out amazing!

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