Makeover: Dutailier Glider

We don't have one, but by all accounts Dutailier gliders are well-made and comfortable. They're also rather plain and, in some cases, verging on ugly. But when Jennifer sees a good deal, she doesn't let aesthetics stand in the way.

Here's the scoop from Jennifer:

I found this amazing maple Dutailier glider at a baby consignment store for $140 (new it is $600, what a find!). It was definitely not my style but it was a great deal and I could see potential! Someone gave me a free gliding footstool as well, and even though the wood didn't match I knew I could find a way to tie them together.

I saw this fabric at Ikea and it just popped at me, it was perfect. I wanted something very unique and modern, not babyish, something that I could put in any room of the house. We have a 1 and 2 year old so it gets a lot of use!!

To fully appreciate the transformation, here's a "before" of the mismatched glider and the footstool.

If you're inspired by this glider makeover, Craigslist is a great place to start looking for a used Dutailier. Brava Jennifer!

Comments (17)

What a wonderful result for something that is usually so hideously ugly! Those are my least favorite chairs but so comfy for nursing or cuddling. Great idea.

posted by patois on March 17th 2009 at 5:22pm
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This SO perfectly exemplifies how a little innovation can make stylish parenting do-able. This looks great and, Jennifer, I'd like to imagine how your creativity shows itself in your parenting!

Margaret
bonbonliving.com

posted by txranchgirl on March 17th 2009 at 6:49pm
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NICE!

posted by mere1975 on March 17th 2009 at 8:48pm
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I agree, well done. I love that fabric.

posted by flickchick on March 17th 2009 at 8:51pm
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We received a free glider from my grandma and unfortunately the cushions look very very "grandma-ish" so you've inspired me to find my own cool fabric to recover those cushions.

posted by jensational on March 17th 2009 at 8:59pm
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Does IKEA still carry this fabric? I live about an hour away from the one in MI, and I don't see it on the website...

posted by Miss*Lisa on March 17th 2009 at 9:42pm
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I have a Dutailier (also a CL find) in my daughters room which would benefit greatly from this sort of makeover. My sewing skills are limited though. How hard was this to make?

posted by missuswayne on March 17th 2009 at 10:42pm
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I also have a gilder, which had UGLY and BORING lifeless cushions on it. I found an amazing vintage fabric, and made removable (so they could be washed) covers for cushions. Wow, what an amazing transformation and now it is a unique piece!

posted by mrsvioletleigh on March 17th 2009 at 11:51pm
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Question - did you do the reupholstering yourself, or did you have it professionally done? If so, how much was that?

posted by paperpusher on March 18th 2009 at 9:14am
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Miss Lisa, I've seen the orange version of this fabric on Etsy. Just search in the fabric section for Ikea.

posted by BambiJo on March 18th 2009 at 9:48am
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Have a dutailier. Yes comfortable, no, not well made. Warning: the nuts and washers fall off after much use. We grabbed one out of my son's mouth the other day. We've had to exchange the undercarriage 3 times.

posted by pmg1704 on March 18th 2009 at 10:44am
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Oh please please please will you tell me how to make this slipcover? Or did you take it to an upholsterer? I have this exact same glider, and I was going to kick it to the curb . . . but I would keep it around if I could liven it up a bit!

posted by elfitzy on March 18th 2009 at 12:40pm
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Thanks so much for the compliments!!

Miss Lisa ~ I got the fabric last summer @ Ikea and have not seen it there since, so it may have been a 2008 print.

Missuswayne ~ It wasn't nearly as hard as I imagined it would be! I have more info on how I did it on my blog, I bumped the post to the top: http://kenjiandjen.blogspot.com/

Paperpusher ~ I did this project myself, I'm an avid sewer, but this was the first chair I've ever done.

posted by jenthepeach on March 18th 2009 at 12:51pm
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Elfitzy ~ If your glider also has the cushions that "snap" to the frame, recovering it should be do-able! I posted more of how I did it on my blog, I bumped it to the top for those who want to see: http://kenjiandjen.blogspot.com/

posted by jenthepeach on March 18th 2009 at 1:45pm
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It looks great - another SUPER easy fix that I did with a light beige Dutalier glider is I just threw on a cream sheepskin I had bought at IKEA over the top portion - comfy and makes it look a *little* more cool.

posted by babymama on March 18th 2009 at 3:32pm
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I've been wanting to do this with my glider! Now I know it's possible and it looks great!

posted by kitjule on March 18th 2009 at 5:20pm
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Great job! This gives me hope that I'll be able to repurpose my glider someday. I love it, but even the nicest looking ones start to look really worn and dumpy after a while.

posted by AmberM on March 20th 2009 at 12:16am
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