The chair as I got it. $50 on craigslist

It's a vintage Herman Miller Eames lounge chair replica. Not exactly sure who made it, maybe Selig

The recline mechanism, 4 leg base and exposed bolts are all giveaways that it's a replica

Started by stripping off the original finish

Then a light sanding with 120 grit

Finished with natural danish oil. First coat is a flood coat, then a second coat wiped in. After that, wipe again and let dry

I sanded then sprayed the base with flat black spray paint. Masked off the areas that are to be left chrome

Assembled the plywood shells together

My first shot at reupholstering. I pulled the leather tight then stapled. It didn't look right to me

I did some research and the correct way, at least for this style chair, is it add the buttons first, then staple the edges. This gives the upholstery more texture allowing the buttons to be set deeper in the foam.
Stapled the cord for the buttons into the inner shells

Then stapled the outside. Started with the sides

Then pulled the corners

To get wrinkles out, create piping on the underside.

First two cushions done

Stapling the leather over the arms. I'm not too happy with how these turned out, but I have enough leather left over to redo them in the future.

Done

$50 chair
$20 staple gun and staples
$180 for 45 sq ft of leather
$4 spray paint
$15 stripper and danish oil
$269 total

Finished shot

Yes the room is a mess, it'll soon be stripped to the studs.

Finished shot first