Margarita is going for a "Boho Modern" look like her inspiration room, shown above, and is looking for some advice: "I'm looking into buying a chair and matching sofa from Craigslist to go with the "bohomodern" look I am going for with my living room decor. My questions are....

A) How much should something like this be worth (chair,shown here, and sofa)--I have never bought real furniture from Craig's List?
B) How should can I hook this chair/sofa up so that it looks more fabulous? Should I paint and get it reupholstered--or should I leave it as is?
P.S. I've also attached a photo of the vibe I'm going for (top pic, above the jump).
Any advice on Craigslist pricing and buying along with suggestions for possible makeovers of the pieces are welcome in the comments below...
If you don't like the fabric you could always have it reapulstered.
view Nevis's profile
Oh, and definatly paint it!
view Nevis's profile
For the Boho look, you're going to have to break up their matchy-matchyness. In fact can you buy just the chair? Those pieces are very difficult to be re-upholstered--you need a professional and they're mega-bucks.
As for what furniture "should" cost--just keep browsing the craigslist in your area to see what's reasonable.
view Alana in Canada's profile
Craigslist/eBay Rule #1: It's worth whatever you think it's worth for you to have it - If someone else bids more and gets it, so be it.
Re: Chair - I think it's great the way it is, but if you have the budget, I'd suggest getting the chair recovered in a Leopard print and the sofa done in a Royal Purple velvet.
view bepsf's profile
I wouldn't paint it, but I would redo the fabric with something funky, like the (really fabulous) tubby-chaise loungy thing in the inspiration photo. I think one of the tricks to making this kind of project work is to use fabric that is, umm, unexpected. Bold. Really fun and full of color. But personally, I think painting that chair would take it too far from it's roots... so instead of working WITH it, you would almost be denying it's inherent charm. Does that make sense?
I have no idea about craigslist pricing... so much determines furniture "worth", like time period, style, quality and demand... but you could float around ebay and see what similar pieces are going for (and why).
Nice inspiration room! This is all totally my style!
view porterjess's profile
I don't see a sofa... are you guys referring to the inspiration photo? All I see is the chair, but nothing matching it.
view porterjess's profile
Reupholster it in a bright solid color (or animal print - but solids will be more lasting). I would do the suite the same since they are SO Baroque already. The pair will anchor the room, and then you need to play around and off of them. If you find a Baroque-ish ottoman reupholster it in a totally different color/pattern.
I would forgo the skanktastic wheeled-charred-barnboard-cum coffee table in the inspiration shot and go something ACTUALLLY industrial - find three or four matched (or not) sturdy wooden crates - wax/shellac them and fix them together. I'd skip the lamp in the shot as well and go for something more industrial: a photo umbrella, or some clip spotlights splashing against the white brick wall.
A couple of emeco navy chairs would work well in the space too. I'd stay away from patterns in long term pieces (couches, chairs, and to an extent - rugs) but go crazy with texture & color in art, wall hangings, room dividers etc. And send us pics when you're done! :-D
view Modfan's profile
I kind of like it the way it is. If you can just get the chair and then go with another couch for some contrast that would be cool.
view bumblebeechicago's profile
If budget conscious right now, I would leave the furniture as-is if the upholstery is clean. I would add a mixture of brightly patterned pillows and maybe a leather pouf and table in unexpectedly bright solid colors, along with drapes similar to your inspiration photo. Mix it up!
view polkadot's profile
I agree with bepsf, for craigslist/ebay/whatever pricing, decide what your willing to spend then start your search. I've found that when I see things I like that are out of my preset range, I can usually get the person to come down on their price through emails. I think most times on craigslist at least, people are just looking to get rid of things quickly.
view elizabethy's profile
Craiglist is all about coming to agreement. You can always ask the seller if they will negotiate and you name a price.
I have never heard of "boho modern" but I'll take your word for it. OPTION 1 If you want to go cheap I would do as Alanna suggested above and buy only one piece and then hope to find a couch/chair in compatible style.
OPTION 2 Buy the chair and the couch. Then take the chair to be reupholstered if some swanky contrasting fabric.
Before deciding on either options look up some upholsterer in your region and get a price quote for the work by emailing them a picture of the chair. Button tufts and piping are much expensive.
view Trumystique's profile
I agree that what you should spend on CL is what you can afford to spend. Take into consideration that you might need to re-upholster one or both pieces & negotiate as needed. The chair appears to be in pretty good shape; perhaps the cushion could use new stuffing, but that shouldn't be too costly.
What you might consider is using the sofa in the living room and the chair in the bedroom. I believe the BoMo concept is about mis-matching pieces and I think it might be too much to have them together.
I echo the above comments - I wouldn't paint the wood, I like it as-is... it seems to have a cool little gold embellishment.
view sweet t's profile
I actually like the color of the fabric, maybe it could be cleaned, I think this chair would look cool if the rest was painted lacquer white
view LauraZ's profile
What a beautiful chair!!!
I wouldn't put a print on it, that would detract from the gorgeous detail in the wood. But if you wanted to reupholster it and your color theme is the same as the photo, what about a plush bright turquoise or bright lime velvety fabric? I like the idea of something bright in the fabric, and I like the idea of velvet or something equally rich.
Also, don't paint the wood unless it's really dinged up.
view dblitz's profile
Please don't paint! It's beautiful as it is and I think it would ruin the chair and make it look a little cheap. I'd try to bargain the price down a little if you can and either reupholster (velvet - purple? blue? grey?) or, as someone mentioned above, clean and add a graphic pillow for now.
view sherry2's profile
The top picture looks very Anthropologie-ish to me . . . is that where the photo is from? If not, that's a good source for you for boho stuff, especially for drapes, rugs, pillows and knick knacks.
view Birdy's profile
i buy off craigslist all the time.
if u really like it...buy it as soon as you can. many times a lot of the good stuff really nice cheap stuff go fairly quickly. if you are frequent of craigslist as i am...buying and selling...get a smartphone...pda...so u can stay connected to see whats being posted in your area.
check the item throughly b4 u buy. there are no returns. if it is damage point that out and see if they will lower the price a bit. if they dont and u really want it and can live with it. buy it. the worst thing is to find out a week later u really couldve used it.
always ask if the item can be viewed in a central location, to avoid dangers.
take someone with you.
shop often and bargain often
view 519Wilson's profile
the chair looks really dirty so i would paint the trim white or complimentary color to whatever fabric and reupholster it. that chair is too formal to be boho modern the way it is. its not vintage or modern just old fashioned. marimekko makes a nice bold fabric which they also use at anthropologie which i believe your inspiration pic is from. fabric is expensive but worth it, you will make this piece something you can use and love for years. or try amy butler, more affordable similar to your style and fun colors. no matchy matchy, if you get the couch cover it in a different fabric but i would avoid that, you are better off buying a new solid color couch then spending money to reupholster one.
view emmoran's profile
With very few exceptions, I wouldn't reupholster anything bought off craigslist. For the trouble and expense, it's more sensible to wait for the right item to come along, as is.
Part of the bohomodern look is an eclectic element, in which disparate pieces work together in almost accidental ways that ride the fine line between harmony and contrast. So it's okay if the vintage fabric of one piece is a little off in relation to other pieces. To me, this is far better and more authentic than a self-conscious attempt to match fabrics, etc.
view lightspeed's profile
sweet chair, but i would agree with only getting one.
also, "skanktastic wheeled-charred-barnboard-cum coffee table" would have made me spit out my coffee, if my office had decent coffee to drink. thanks :)
view akostalas's profile
re: reupholstery
If you don't want to learn to upholster yourself (which is offered at the City Colleges and other places) check to see if Christopher House, the settlement house on west Fullerton. They used to run an upholstery shop as a "transition to work" program --don't know if they still do.
Check around--you might find a decent and inexpensive upholsterer.
view eg's profile
Yeah, the first thing about going "boho" is NOT getting a matching sofa and chair, unless they're going in separate rooms. The whole point of it is to be eclectic with all your furnishings.
Have fun mixing it up!
view Ironsides's profile
Please do not upholster the chair in leopard print.
view rebecca326's profile
PS: I actually like the chair the way it is (as long as it's clean -- hard to tell from this photo). I also agree that you should get one or the other but not both.
view rebecca326's profile
I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that the main difference between the chair you want to buy and your "inspiration photo" is that the first is fairly ornate and loud, whereas the latter has a quiet elegance. I love this picture, the tufted couch is simple yet incredibly stately.
If I were you, I'd paint the wood black and reupholster with a simple, light, clean fabric (a lot like that couch).
And by the way I love the inspiration photo! I now know how I'm going to reupholster *my* couch!
view ajh's profile
I kind of like it. Have it cleaned or clean it yourself to get rid of odors. If you do get both pieces for a steal and can't afford a big ticket re-do, consider draping one in some outrageous fabric or faux fur or animal skin. Could be just the thing until you can get a chair or sofa that's better and sell this on Craigs List. That's what it's for. If you can't split them up from the seller, maybe you could sell just one of the pieces or trade for something that works better for you.
view Carol K's profile
if you get both the chair and loveseat, they should not be used in the same room together, or be upholstered in the same fabric. It would actually be cool to have both pieces -- perhaps the chair in your bedroom, and the loveseat in the living room.
Please don't paint the wood -- it seems interesting as-is. Painting it would push it into a whole different aesthetic, and would destroy (what looks to be) a very tactile and attractive patina.
Depending on what else you do in your home, there are 2 ways you can go with the upholstery -- a very rough natural look (i.e., linen or something similar) or something more bold. For inspiration on the latter, check out
http://www.designersguild.com/all-collections/
I had never heard of "boho modern", so I googled it, and found that it was invented on Holly's Decor8 blog in relation to what seems, to me at least, to be a very different sort of look. I think this might be a riff on Boho Chic, which is particularly popular in the UK and such magazines UK Elle Decoration and Living Etc..
view monika1's profile
Wow, Absolutely love the inspiration room. I buy stuff off of Craig's list all of the time to redo. Part of the Boho look is ecelectism which is to mix instead of to match things. You may not want to buy a matching pair of chairs and sofa, just choose either the sofa or chair. Or you could split them up and use them in different rooms.
I love the chair you chose - it looks like a victorian chair and I've seen them cost anywhere from $200 and up. Some people sell the chairs with their sofa as a set. If you are going for a more modern vintage look - definitely redo them by reupholstering and refinishing the wood in what you like. After all, that's part of the charm of a modern bohemian look - taking things you like although they are different and pulling them together.
view Alkemie's profile
Margarita here.
Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions/tips. I decided after all to NOT get the chair after seeing it in person--it was terribly soiled and appeared impossible to clean at a good price.
However, I still have my heart set on finding the perfect vintage chair to achieve the look I'm going for...and yes, it's a photo from Anthropologie. I'm big on the style, but not on the price.
I should have mentioned that I was looking to get the sofa/or chair, not both.
Thanks again!
view margarita's profile