I grew up in Southeastern Michigan, where we like to nerdily point out that we live just north of Canada. I grew up on a steady diet of Canadian pop culture as a result of this proximity, and I’d like to imagine you’d find maple syrup in my veins. I think that has had an influence on my style as well, so I got really excited at the opportunity to incorporate some iconic Canadiana into my decor.

I had purchased a pair of black pleather steelcase swivel chairs from someone who’d rescued them off the curb at Kent State for a steal, probably due to their smell. I knew they’d need to be reupholstered, and I knew exactly what I wanted to use.

The Hudson’s Bay blanket I used was a 3.5 point from the early 60’s, and it was still in pretty good shape (just motheaten enough that it didn’t seem too precious to cut up). I found a great step-by-step here (although, again, due to the smell I did have to replace the foam, and we also had to refinish the outer shell from some pretty major scratches), and I only had one mini-breakdown about the edging. So hard to remove, possibly even harder to put back on!

It was worth it for these chairs though, because they reflect my personal history. They’re so stinking cozy and cute, and every time I look at them I break out in (Canadian) song.