apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The problem here is that the lines of the furniture are not sleek or modern or overly ornate (like the chair couture example) and that's the biggest obstacle to overcome.

This means that you will have to use color and pattern to bring them up to date with your lustfull kitchen.

THe kitchen is essentially red-orange/brown and black- both very seductive deep colors. I would look into spraypainting them with a blood orange- something that resembles the color of the cabintes in an attempt to tie them together. And I say spraypaitning because you want the finish to be brushstroke and drip free and essentially you want the wood to look plastic-hyper slick and glossy. I would then look to a very bold black and white fabric. Your cabintes are bamboo (?) or at least have that look so perhaps a bold print of bamboo leaves.

You could then make a throw pillow or two in the same blood orange color and perhaps some in the bamboo fabric-tie it all together.

Or sell the set and buy something with more modern lines...

My first thought: paint the table top a black lacquer. We did that with ours and it came out beautifully... And that's a lot less work than dealing with the table legs! :)

As for the chairs, I'd be tempted to just slipcover them, using the fabric to add a modern feel. But that's because I'm lazy and there's no way I'd really get around to painting all those chairs...

I was so excited to see my question posted - thanks! Although I'd love to eventually replace this set with something simpler and more modern, I am committed to keeping the hand-me-down for now.

I think that I am willing to be a bit adventurous with color and pattern, but am afraid that black might be a bit harsh. A glossy white or color might be a little less scary. I can't wait to hear more people's ideas!
Thanks Julian and Virginia for your initial thoughts.

-Amy

Had a truly lazy thought -- throw a piece of plywood on top of the table to create a rectangular line and throw a fabulous tablecloth on top of that. Something like:

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=440&f=13074

I agree, painting a glossy color would look good - particularly the chairs. It can be very modern to use a chair like yours as part sculpture - focusing on the shape which is why most of us are thinking of black.
Think of West Elm's chairs with the overlapping squares - it is a traditional idea made sculptural with the glossy paint. They were most popular in lime green and red - which was hot.
I'd reupholster the chairs in a neutral - perhaps a simple bleached canvas, hopsack or muslin as a contrast from more elegant fabric that would be traditionally used.
Looking at it a little differently -- it would be great if you could split up the set and mix with something very modern. The table looks to have leaves - could you reduce the size, use it elsewhere and get an inexpensive modern table? Or use the chairs elsewhere?
I think the chairs would be interesting with a parson's table with a metal or concrete top. Or the table with very modern chairs - I'd go very contrasty - perhaps soomething like the plastic outdoor chairs by Phillippe Stark. Ikea would be a good source for an inexpensive modern chair. And the contrast between a simple inexpensive outdoor chair with the rich table could be interesting.
I usually like the mix of old and new - I think it is more refreshing than all modern or all traditional. But it is, of course, your personal taste that matters .....

How about glossy red? I did my cheap pine bookshelves and they look fabulous. But make sure you use oil-based paint for red. Red can be very streaky and the latex I tried first was impossible to get even. I used a Benjamin Moore premixed called Carnival Red, I think.

girlarchitect -

I had also considered doing a mix-up. I have a simple crate and barrel table that we're using in the bsmt right now (see http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=884&f=6854), which I have considered bringin upstairs and mixing with the traditional chairs (once painted and reupholstered). I could use the traditional table (painted black) in the basement with some inexpensive modern chairs like you suggested....hmmm

it's a possibility. If there's a way to keep the set together without it looking too matchy, I'd prefer that though....

Go crazy with the fabric of the chairs, something really mod would help lift them out of their traditional coma.

Check out the current issue of Blueprint. They showcase an apartment of a woman who white lacquered her heirloom dining set. It looks fantastic.

It would be a lot to work to refinish the table and chairs if you aren't in love with them. You might consider mixing a new table with the chairs. There is a great Ikea table, the Bjursta, which isn't that expensive. Very clean lines and it would be fun to use with the chairs. The chairs could then be painted white or made to be a darker brown/black. I have used that table before and it is very sturdy and would be great to have the clean lines of the table mixed with the older style chairs. I would then either use a fabric with a bold print or a rich green or orange velvet for the chairs. That is easy to change out so you could do something seasonal for the chairs. Make sure to add some pillows that coordiante to the couch.
Have fun, great new kitchen

Amy- here's what I was talking about with respect to fabrics, I love the 2nd one, not a graphic and bold as I was thinking for your chairs but still nice and sophisticated. I was also thinking that you could go crazy and take a hint form one of the most recent house tours and chop up some of them Mizrahi tablecloths for the chairs. It would be a bold pattern indeed!!

fabric 1

Fabric 2

Tablecloth

I'd love to see the chairs ebonized with a grey metallic silk for the uphostery-- Something that eludes to stainless steel...it's the new neutral.

the guest blog on design sponge has a great list of upholstery fabric sources.

http://dsguestblog.blogspot.com/

The previous commenters would likely disagree with me, but assuming the finish on the table and chairs is in good condition, I would keep the table and chairs as they are and reupholster the chair seats in a contemporary fabric. I'm thinking of something colorful and bold rather than plain.

If the dining table and chairs are made of mahogany, as they appear to be in the pictures, it is simply a travesty to paint over their finishes. Attempting to restain the set to match the kitchen cabinetry seems an exercize in frustration as color matching a stain between different woods is difficult under the best of circumstances.

Consider that people purchase or inherit potentially conflicting furniture all the time and keep different pieces in the same room. Celebrate the differing styles and colors of your furniture by creating an eclectic interior. Consider tying the spaces together with similar floorcoverings and/or wallcoverings/paint. Placing your table set and living room furniture on one large neutral rug permits them to stand out on their own like sculptural artwork. Using the same, similar, or derivative fabrics for the dining chairs and accent pillows on your couch and other living room seating links the two sets.

To finish off the space, place nice centerpieces on your dining and cocktail tables, link the spaces by using pieces of different size made of similar design and/or materials.

Enjoy your inherited furniture by celebrating its diversity. Don't destroy well made, well preserved, precious wood furniture by painting it. More woodwork and furniture in this country has been destroyed by people chasing the latest design trend than probably any other place on earth.

I agree with John. A bold, dark fabric in maybe green or blue might be nice for the chairs. And that would be much easier than refinishing everything.

perhaps replace (rather, put into storage) the existing table legs with something sleeker. It seems the top is fairly non-descript so it may work with less ordained legs/supports.

I saw this on sunset magazine online. Might be a good option for the chairs.

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/home/article/0,20633,1226984,00.html.

A common thread to the posts seems to be keep the shape but modernize an aspect of it, i.e. reupholster with bold or modern print, paint with glossy bold or another neutral color.

Another version of the keeping-the-shape-modernize-the-look approach is to refresh the stain but opt for a more modern finish that constrasts with the classic shape of your chair and table. Not the glossy but more of waxy finish. Our church group volunteered to restore the rectory of an old catholic church on the South Side of Chicago and you won't believe how beautiful the odd assortment of old library chairs, confession chairs, captain's chairs looked like after long hours of stripping, sanding, and staining. If I get a chance, I'll take pics and post them.

Thanks to everyone who came up with good ideas for me! I'll post photos of the finished product once we decide what we're really doing, and get it done.

Thanks again!
-Amy

I agree with John, too. That's a great looking table. With all the leaves in you could probably fit a cozy ten people around it for fantastic dinner parties; the more people you can squeeze around it, the more fun the party -- which is the whole point of a nice table. The cost of replacing it with another table that can fit that many people would be pretty expensive. I'm also for keeping it as is. What you do need are new chairs; something with simpler lines -- just keep your eyes on craiglist or this site and I'm sure you will find something very soon. Good luck.

I guess I'm the only one, but I wouldn't touch that furniture, especially those chairs. I love the chairs. The backs are something special. Your sofas are way too modern for the furniture. A quick fix, put neck roll pillows at the ends of the sofa, and maybe one or two in the middle. Then center pillows along the back of the sofa between the neck roll pillows. Think Coco Chanel's sofa. (The FRAZIER sofa was a copy.) If this was my dining room set, I would decorate the apartment from the chairs. I would put all the colors I am going to use in the apartment in the seat covers. I would repeat the shape of the back of the chairs whenever possible. I would use a pale color in the walls and draperies so as not to upstate the furniture. That furniture is making a STRONG statement, and musn't be crossed. For a color palatte I would use three or four light shades of the same color with textures and very light very small prints mixed in. This reminds me of Mark Hampton. He would put very strong furniture in very pale settings. That furniture is going to be the focal point of the apartment anyway, the way I see it, so honor it.