I Love This Vintage Fabric So Much, I Used It 6 Times in My Living Room

I’ve heard over the years that vintage drapery is one of those thrifted finds you should never pass up. When I came across a woman selling a striking set of vintage curtains (10 luxury drapery panels plus balloon valances, with corresponding fringe) on Facebook Marketplace I wasn’t doing custom drapery of any kind, but I did know I’d stumbled upon a gem — so I decided to send a lowball offer. 

I politely asked if she’d be willing to sell three of them. That’s all I needed to cover the bay window in my petite condo at the time, but six months later I bought a house. When I moved into my house, the thought of giving up my beloved drapery panels, which I’d just found and been so inspired by, seemed so sad to me. I scrolled back months into my Facebook Marketplace chat archives, found the listing still active, and reached out to the same woman.  

Ultimately, she and I are both glad I did. She sold me all six of the remaining Nina Campbell panels, plus valances, for just $100. (They’d been headed on a one-way ticket to the donate pile, and I snagged them just in time.) I didn’t necessarily need all of that fabric, and I also didn’t need three large garbage bags of vintage drapery taking up an entire closet in my house, but I came up with the perfect solution. 

I decided to dress three windows — plus three matching chairs — with the fabric. Visions of vintage-inspired pattern galore hit me. After all, maximalist upholstery seems to be everywhere on Instagram these days. Take this pattern-covered bedroom designed by Rachel Chudly, this bedroom decked out in Helene Blanche patterns, and this retro-looking living room by Asom Home and Emily Henderson, for example. 

In particular, a recent trip to The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia had me feeling inspired by a wall-to-wall, matchy-matchy, patterned retro look. All the vintage furniture I’d been collecting for my home needed to be reupholstered at some point, so why was I bothering with fabric samples when I had everything I needed sitting right in front of me?

I was brand-new to the world of custom upholstery, but through a vintage-selling friend I found an upholsterer who could do a significantly better job than my initial hack attempt, so I was off to the races — in six spots in my living room. 

I used three sets of panels for the windows, and then I brought back to life an inherited set of chinoiserie chairs that my husband and I had hauled back to DC from Texas. My desk chair, a 1980s reproduction of a 1700s style, got a makeover worthy of its sophisticated silhouette — especially when I went over-the-top with a thick taupe cording. 

With each project, the upholsterer only needed to use a valance or two of material, so that $100 worth of fabric truly is the gift that keeps on giving — I have plenty left.

Next on my list: lumbar pillows for the sofa and, perhaps, if I get a wild idea, a bench for extra seating. The possibilities (and the fabric), for the time being, feel quite endless. Which is to say, next time I have an update I might be reupholstering my sofa, all thanks to a Hail Mary Facebook message.