apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

If you want white chairs it would be a lot easier to buy ones used on craigslist. Sell the ones you have and get a different set. It will save you the headache.

those chairs are awesome!!! great find!

when i saw the picture- before reading the question and text i thought those chairs would look good in white. i have a thing for white dining chairs too, so i say go for it!

the stain on those chairs is already a bit odd... and i the white would definitely tie in better with the other things- the bookcase and the light fireplace and would be a better contrast to your wood table.

The chairs as-is look AWESOME. I can understand that you might be sick of the look right now, but the white/black furniture thing is being done to death right now and will probably look very dated very soon. The finish currently on the chairs suits them perfectly, and the chairs have passed into that age where it probably won't go out of style. The 2 colors of finish also seem to coordinate wonderfully with your wall color and the stuff in the room - if anything, I'd say the dining table is the piece that needs a new finish.

great chairs! awesome find!

before i even read the question or the text i thought to myself that those chairs should be white. i love white dining chairs though.

i say go for it. the stain on those chairs is a bit odd (in my opinion) and i think the white will obviously tie in better with your bookshelf and fireplace, and i love the contrast between white and wood.

have fun painting!

Don´t paint them! They´re perfect! I´ve painted my dining chairs and I am sorry I did. The wood is beautiful and with the dark ones it makes nice contrast. Everyone is painting chairs black or white now, be original... I´m totally envy of that set.

I wouldn't paint theose chairs - They're coordinated perfectly with your room and they are the colors that they're supposed to be.

If you want white chairs, sell these to someone who will appreciate the beautifully stained wood and get some others - or you might consider painting the table white.

BTW - Your Billy Bookcases are overpowering your beautiful fireplace - Can they be moved somewhere else?

I like how they are, the contrasting colors are interesting. If it were me, I'd probably paint the table white instead.

funny. i would paint the table white. or as comicgeek mentioned swap the chairs for white ones - they're great chairs btw, don't paint them!

Whatever you do, don't try to strip and re-stain. Those dark ones will always look different. There's no way you'll get them all to stain the same color, unless you try to stain them all VERY dark.

I say paint them! they look way outdated.

As is they are awesome, don't paint!

The chairs are absolutely awesome! Don't paint them! If anything the table should be what's white and the chairs the colour for the table.

Especially in that photograph, the table seems to be the thing out of place. If you paint them white.. the table will still kind of sink into the similarly-colored floor.

At the risk of being too matchy-matchy, the darker chairs match your lamp shades and the lighter chairs match the wall. A white table would match the fireplace and bookshelf, stand out from the floor and go well with the chairs :)

Please don't paint your chairs! They are perfect the way they are. You could paint that cabinet and the table though, in a colour more akin to the colour on your wall (or black or light blue). It will make your beautiful fireplace stand out better.

Love the chairs; great colors, great grain. I'd paint the table. The color does not go with the room or the chairs.

I think you need the white chairs to provide continuity with the bookshelf. As it is now, the room is a hot mess.

nooooo--don't paint your chairs-- they look beautiful already with your other furniture and accessories. Just buy different white chairs and store these until you come to you senses! :-)

Don't paint them, please. I think this look is great....much more character than boring white. The colors of the wood look perfect with the wall color and other accessories in the space.
If you are set on white chairs, I agree that you should just buy some white chairs and sell these for someone else to enjoy.

I think they should stay as is. In the photo, 3 of the chairs match your wall color and three match the lampshades on the mantle. If you paint them white they will blend in with the fireplace surround and the bookcase. I think the space doesn't quite work as well as it could but the chairs aren't the problem. The table seems kind of blah, maybe consider painting the table or getting something else that is more stylish. You could also get some white slip covers for the chairs, so you could have the white look on occasion without permanently changing the finish.

I'm of the no-paint crew. I think the changing out the dining table could help. Personally I see a nice antique round pedestal style table working well. Or if you want to go more modern - something metallic (to match the metal in the chairs).

My very first thought was you should paint the table. The chairs have a wonderful wood grain. From the picture, I don't see that the table does. Also, if you're going for modern, the chair colors work better than the table color.

Another option would be to compromise & paint or whitewash the light ones, but leave the dark ones as-is. (Or vice versa.)

I agree that the chairs look great as is. I'd paint the table white, although it might be a lot of white in the room.

Your shelves display is nice, so you may not want to do this, but maybe you could add fabric or paper to the glass in those doors to introduce a new color and provide a little break in all the white and allow the fireplace to stand out more?

Your bf is right on this one. The chairs look great. It's surely bad karma to take wood and make it look like plastic. Maybe you could paint your table or put a rug under it.

I think you should also paint the table white and do something with your bookcases. At least paint the back wall of the cabinet or wallpaper it. Or, paint the doors and outside of the bookcases so the inside stays white...

Leave the chairs as they are. They provide much more character to your home than they would if they were all white or black.

I think the room looks great the way it is - I really like the chairs in this room. But, I also understand that once you decide that you don't like something in a room and want a change it's hard to not just DO something, i.e. paint chairs. I'd suggest painting/changing out the table OR adding some drama to the bookshelves (paper the interior?). OR just re-sell the chairs and get something that you and your boyfriend both love/enjoy/tolerate. Good luck! Whatever you do, be sure to post a follow-up photo.

They're gorgeous as-is and they work perfectly in the room.

Thanks everyone! I'll take all your comments into consideration =)

"I've decided my boyfriend is wrong."

Nice.

The table throws me off more than the chairs in your space. My advice would be to strip the table and then dry paint it black, or replace it. The chairs would then match better, or could be stripped to natural wood. You can test strip the chairs on the bottom without risk.

I would also skip the chairs on the table ends to reduce clutter and guide the eye to the gorgeous fireplace. Replacing the Billy bookcases with a low white sideboard would bring much more attention to the fireplace.

I think they look great as is. If you wanted them to look more like a "set" maybe get some thin cushions made in a fabric that combines the two colors, though that would cover the seat detail in the woof. Or, consider getting a black table - that's actually the color that seems most out of place in the room.

I meant 'wood' not 'woof'... !

Leave the chair alone.

One more vote for leaving the chairs as-is and painting that table white!

The first thing I thought was that the chairs were really awesome looking the way they are but don't go with the table at all! I say paint the table white or get another one.

Ditto. Table white.

My first thought was paint the table! The chairs look good in the room, the table color is what is throwing things off. I like the bookcases!

i agree don't paint love them the way they are.

Paint the TABLE white...

This is a relationship question, not a design questions... white would look nice with the fireplace and bookshelf, while the yellow and gray match the walls and lamps. So really, the question is, whose turn is it to be right?

Also, though I do love orange tables, I agree with the Paint It White contingent...

TOTALLY white wash them! that would look amazing!

I agree with the others that it's the table that needs to change. Those chairs are great as is. Whatever you do, make sure you follow up and let us see the results!

Ordinarily I am all for neutralizing items such as chairs, but in this case I feel differently. Those chairs have a beautiful wood grain that the color enhances, and I really dig the color combo of the whole set - complimentary without overpowering. Especially given all the white surrounding it. I'm trying to be bolder with colors these days, and this is something I'd walk through and think "wow, THIS is why I need to be more liberal with color!" Just the right amount of pop.

I agree with the bookcase-overpowering-the-fireplace issue, though, bepsf. Could it be moved further away? Also, if you choose to paint the table white, I think there'd be way too much white in there (looks like there's even another piece of white furniture on the other sidee of the fire) - in that case you'd have to get that bookcase outta there.

I really like the wall color. What is it?

Triple ditto - chairs as is, table white!
Relocate the corner bookcase to another area, and put the single unit on the other side of the double unit/

I say paint them. They add nothing to the room right now. The design is great, but they look blah.

Chairs are good as is. Table is fine as is, though the centerpiece arrangement is a bit too small in scale.

But something must be done to tone down that monstrous white IKEA thing in the corner. Painting or wallpapering the inside a deep tone would make your pale collectibles stand out and would make the whole piece recede back into the corner as it should. I suggest RL Galvanized.

I'll say regardless of the surroundings, those chairs just wouldn't look that good painted white.

They aren't playing nice with the table, so yeah, something has to change.

Paint the outside of the bookshelf the color of the walls.
Replace the table with a round, black pedestal table.
The room could use another warm color. Perhaps a few orange bowls and vases. Or paint the inside of the shelves chili pepper red.
I love the chairs just the way they are.

it's not the chairs, it's the table. the color doesn't fit with anything.

i did not read any other comments. I suggest white washing the table. The chairs & table with both stand out and complement each other. i am jealous of your good chair find!

Ok people, i'm asking specifically about our chairs, not our bookcases, which no, they do not have any other place to go. they actually look sort of small in the space, we have really high ceilings, and we had to get them to replace our old entertainment unit that was huge and had tons of storage. We also ordered the table online, and it wasn't the color I was expecting, so now I kinda just have to live with it. I change everything around constantly and always want new furniture, and it drives my boyfriend INSANE. And by new furniture I mean something I spied on CL or ebay. Today I asked if we could sell the table and the chairs because I decided I'd rather have a round table with vintage style metal chairs... or something more rustic looking. Yeah, he got really upset.

Oh, mattab, I don't know what the name of the color is. It's a rental so it was this way when we moved in.

If it were mine, I'd paint the table BLACK (or replace it with a black one), leave the chairs, leave the billy shelves, and hang a mirror over the fireplace that has a more massive frame -- either black or white. And keep the tops of the shelves clear -- there is enough busyness inside, the stuff outside starts to seem like clutter instead of decor.

I think the chairs look great just as they are, and you'd loose the nice feel they give if you painted them.

Leave 'em alone.

my advice is to relax a little. it's just chairs. things work out over time if you have patience. nothing can come together right away.

i only know this because my condo is so disorganized after moving and not having ANY money to do anything and i see beautiful rooms on AT and in mags - but slowly things are coming together. so i'm not one of those advise-y types!

the table is your problem - let boyfriend win.

Those are nice the way they are, I would leave them alone.

KEEP THE CHAIRS AS IS!

I like the whitewash idea! But I'd do it to the table, too, to keep continuity. Your bookshelves are gorgeous!

Keep the ones that seem to look greeny in the pictures and paint the black ones white

Paint the table. Not the chairs.

The room is perfect. Leave the chairs as is. It all works together perfectly.

I like the chairs the way they are. Don't paint them. I would paint the table, but in a muted red (love red), or another muted color other than black or white. You have a lot of white with the fireplace and bookcase. A pop of color would be nice.

I agree with the "paint the table white" group. The chairs match your decor, but the table does not. It would help lighten up the room, significantly.

Emily

What about bringing in textiles? Adding a modern table runner or a thin modern cushion on the chairs might help. I always find inspiration with Amy Butlers work. Just a thought!

Wow, those chairs are so spare in ornamentation that the only thing interesting about them is the wood grain and the wood color. Do not paint these!

A big trend now in decorating is to pair brighter color with charcoal accents. You are now on the cutting edge whether you realized it or not. I like the chairs as a foil for the bolder color on the wall. You have a lot going on visually in this room with the fireplace focal wall and the competition with lots of line in the bookcases. Let the chairs fade into the supportive background and work on developing your focal points in the room. In my work I often find that my clients focus on a "bad boy" in the room as their problem when really it is some other issue. Here's how you will pull your room together:
1) Your mirror over the mantle is too delicate and diminutive. It also is making the room a bit "matchy-matchy" white mantle, white bookcase, white mirror....Go for something big and chunky here. Try to stay away from white again. You have a chunky bookcase adjacent which is competing for visual interest, don't let it win.
2) You need a bigger table dressing than that little vase. Again, big bold chunky and you need height here.

Do these things and your room will magically pull together