Try thinner fabric in the same color? Try metal buttons?

If the snap back don't work, can you just gather it with hand sewn stitches? That's how they used to be done in the old days.

https://makeit-loveit.com/sewing-tips-making-cover-buttons-without-a-kit

Or you could try painting the buttons.

There used to be places where you could get buttons covered with your custom material. Googling came up with this one https://www.homefolklore.com/shop/custom-covered-buttons/

Here's another one: https://www.fabricfarms.com/product/9-16-inch-dime-covered-buttons-size-22/

But there seem to be a few out there yet.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I'll check them all out, but first I'll see what I can do with Annie's sew-it-in yerself method since I already have all the buttons. I think there will be glue involved...

I'm trying to recreate the original look of the chair which was tufted velvet. They've been redone with a flat seat before and it just isn't the same. :)

Is my chair not done yet?! What have you been doing!

.

(If there was a Houzz block button, Fori would put me on it.) 🤣

No. No buttons no tufting. No tufting no chair. Also, my chair.

If you have enough velvet to experiment, you might cut a round of velvet just the diameter of the upper button "dome" and then, with a narrow zig-zag, stitch it all around onto a thinner (no-nap) fabric that will fit into the button base. Deep inside the diamonds of the tufting, I don't think you'd see under the curve of the button where you had the stitching. You could try it on both button varieties you have and see how it looks. That might be more durable than the hand-sewn style.

Ohhh clever, Smiling. Trick the buttons! :)

Mail me the buttons....my husband can do it. :0) Seriously....I'm offering....

Nicole, he should give lessons, or do a youtube tutorial. I have never been successful with covered buttons. That doesn't sound like me, actually. But there has always been another alternative. Now I feel compelled to cover some buttons just to claim victory! LOL

Haha! I have some tricks to try now but I will keep Nicole's husband in mind. (Gee I hope that didn't come out wrong. :P )

Here's a photo of my husband in a tank top. His tutorial would read: do 100 sit ups with a ten pound weight behind your head. Run 5 miles 3x a week. Work construction every day until your hands can tear a phone book in half. :0) Now you can press velvet into buttons. :0)

Yes....I'm kidding...but this really is him....

That is truly the gaze of a buttonsmasher.

Nicole, please stop distracting my chair upholsterer!

laughing......yep.....The Buttonsmasher dude! ♥

I'm guessing professionals have a button press for smashing thick fabric. I just have to make do. :0)

OK ok i'm working on it...:)

I have covered buttons successfully. I have experienced, though, the the standard covered buttons one buys in sewing stores simply don't hold together when used in upholstery. No matter how hard they clicked together on the table, how sturdy they were when handled, the constant stress they were under on the couch popped them apart. Maybe I got a bad batch, but I suspect what's sold for the home seamster aren't a great choice for the project. In fact, someone called me when I was working as a seamstress from home and asked me to do this and I turned it down because of my experience. I would take the fabric only to an upholsterer and pay for it to be done with whatever product he or she found appropriate.