Good Question: Help with these chairs!

Lisa acquired these elegant chairs and wanted some help modernizing them: I acquired these chairs from a friend of mine and would love some tips/suggestions on what to do with them. I love the design, but think they need to be brought up to date a bit. Any help is appreciated!

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Lisa, we're envious you've gotten your hands on such nice chairs and we see a few possible avenues you could take to freshen these up. A fairly easy option is to just repaint the chairs a vibrant new colour. The existing white upholstery would look great with a bright green or red finish, and this route would take very little time, effort and money for such a dramatic change in personality. What once looked traditional would look eye-catching modern with just a little sandpaper, primer and paint.

Another idea is to cover these chairs with slipcovers, like these tailored matelassé slipcovers, but I think that detracts from the charm and interest of the ornate Etruscan form of your chairs.

But if you wanted to go the route of reupholstering, we'd recommend you comparison shop your local upholstery shops (unless you're fairly confident about ripping apart the chair's upholstery and tackling the project yourself, a daunting first task without some instruction). You can go downtown to LA's fabric district and check out the selection at an upholstery shop like Michael Levine or browse/order online at sites like ReproDepot or Marimekko and find a new interior fabric that compliments the chairs and your existing home decor. There's a myriad of beautiful fabrics out there that would compliment the dark framed chairs (think high contrast in colour and even in era), and don't hesitate to bring home a selection of swatches to drape against the chairs to get an idea of how they look. Whatever you decide to do, we hope you share the results with us!

Comments (23)

Wow. I think they are FABULOUS just as they are.

Why change them? What about them doesn't work for you?

I think any of the changes would cheapen them, but that's just me.

Agree with clickchick, unless you've a tacky home... then they definitely would stand out as "the classy chairs".

These chairs need no help

I'm with clickchick: these are classics of modern design-- sleek, elegant lines, minimalist upholstery, a wide, stable stance, with only the single, well-placed flourish of the curled arm against a basically rectilinear form as "decoration"--and the fact that the chair it's modeled after was designed 2OO years ago, or that its model goes back to the ancient world has nothing to do with it. You can't get much more modern than this.

All that gussying them up with funky patterns & hot colors does is destroy their looks. If you want funky, hip chairs, go buy some, and send these babies to me. Magnaverde.

I agree with the rest, please don't paint the chairs. This will deffinitely make them look cheap. I think they are beautiful as is, but if you must, go with the reupholstery option.

Agree with everyone, chairs are beautiful as is.

leave them as is!... even if you need to reupholster, use a white or creme fabric to keep the look

I also kind of agree with keeping them as is, although I think a graphic black and white fabric would look really good.

I'm in agreement about the finish- don't mess with it. but if white isn't working for you, a classic leopard print is a possibility.

What is with the Domino product placement?

I love these chairs the way they are. I also love the silks that Boomer pointed out. However, if you plan on using these chairs a lot then silk is probably not the way to go unless you have the fabric backed. Silk is delicate and will go threadbare with frequent use. I'd go with something more durable or perhaps a silk blended with polyester.

If you want to paint them (I wouldn't) make sure you get a professional to do it so the paint is even all over and has a flawless glow to it. The trend today is painting furniture in the colors that West Elm tends to use - pastel blue, green, or even a lime or red. These chairs deserve something timeless. Black is great and if you take a bit of paint off (in an inconspicuous place on the chair) to see what the wood is you might want to just strip and refinish them

It's interesting to note that none of you've asked what Lisa's own existing decor and preferences are...like we've all skipped the actual question in hand. The best answer would be for her to define the changes according to her own home decor and her own idea of color. She might be averse to traditional colors and styles (LA people seem less scared to go all out about "tacky" risks...God bless us!), and there are PLENTY of modern upholstery or paint colors that might spruce these admittedly already lovely classic chairs to whatever will fit best with her home.

In everyone's defense... I did begin by asking what about them was not working for her.

I like the chairs as they are, too, but Lisa obviously wants to change them, and I think colors/prints would look just fine here in SoCal.

What does the rest of the room where they'll live look like?

Why couldn't you "update" them by using low throw pillows? That way you can "update" as often as you want (and easily, too)!

one word: flokati.

LOVE them, don't change!

I'm in agreement with the previous posts.

At first glance I thought these chairs were a pic from the new issue of Domino (and was wondering how I could've missed them, they're beautiful!).

But if Lisa wants to change them, how about some new white fabric that's a bit more user friendly--the white black combo is very popular these days, right? And add some tufting, perhaps with buttons.

This is my first post, don't be too harsh on me guys, thanks!

I agree it would be perferable to see the room that they will be in. And would help the readers choose an appropriate finish or fabric. I would suggest keeping them the way they are, but have them monogrammed.

I'd leave them or add a zebra print...

Regarding the concern to use silk on the chairs - if you find a silk you like you can definetely use it but use backing as Anne says. I also have been very successful to use silk brocade. It is heavy weight silk that is so resistant, it will last forwever. Most of the designs are asian inspired with very bright colors. I can see these two chairs in a deep burgundy and bright warm green silks. They would look hip.

Have you seen the fabulous prints by Alexander Henry?
the " go for baroque " print might be a lively & unique
way to spice up your chairs. http://www.ahfabrics.com/products.php?cat_id=104

Black barkcloth fabric with bright tropical flowers.Some fabric mills have reproduced vintage patterns.