I did this a few years back with 3 chairs. I bought glorious thick brocade silk in different colors and reupholstered the seats, the chairs I scrapped completely and refinished them by staining them in the same color (of your choice). it was a project that I did one chair at a time and each lasted a few weekends. Everyone commented about them at the time.

My idea is VERY basic but white on that Louis XVI chair would just be great, and about any cloth would do.
You could easlily find other chairs of a similar style (inexpensive copies) and have a semi-mismatched set.

What a great deal, good for you. go mod. Sand and paint the chair a lacquer color of your choice. I've seen some great shiney turquoise or lipstick red, but I prefer white or black lacquer. How fun. How to do the upholstery on the bottom part though. I would be clueless. Good luck!

Maybe I just have Spring Fever, but I think bright colors would be great on this! A glossy turquoise, yellow, or grass green for the chair and then a bright patterned print for the seat. If its just one chair, it would make a great statement!

Good luck - and post some 'after' photos!

Paint the chair a glossy white and reupholster the cushion in fuschia pink.

I would spray paint white (spray paint is so much easier when dealing with the details of that chair back) and use a bright, patterned fabric to reupholster the seat.

You should be able to remove the seat from the chair pretty easily. Then, if you want to simplify the reupholstering, take off that original fabric, and the piping detailing on the edges, before adding your new fabric.

If you're looking to really jazz it up, you could bring out the details of the chair (the vertical scribed lines on the legs, the molding-like edging on the chair back) in a contrasting color, but that takes a serious amount of time and a very steady hand.

what about painting the frame one color (I LOVE a nice silver) and then the woven part (okay ATers, pounce on me for not knowing the correct term. I ready for ya!) a different color? For 2.99, you have nothing to lose. Go crazy with it!

I'm going to go with red lacquer and a gray felt seat. Over-the-top colors only look good with an equally flamboyant interior, so hopefully the red/gray combo would add enough color to be interesting, but remain somewhat muted.

I have a set of four dining chairs that are very similar- I've got them painted a very high-gloss white with gold velvet seats.

If you're going white, be sure to go glossy, otherwise it takes on a shabby Grandma-ish look.

When I was searching for fabric for the seat, I realized that a solid color definitely works best. Patterns tend to compete with the caning. The velvet was a little dressy, but also very modern when paired with white.

Have fun!

i agree with everyone that whatever the is it color should be high-gloss, but what about just doing the frame in the color, and then leaving the woven back the sort of natural color that it is now? it seems like sometimes spray paint gets gooey and built up on delicate woven work like that.

Would be helpful to know what kind of colors you have in the room it's going in.

I don't know why, but the first thing that popped into my head was, PAINT IT BLACK!

Seriously. I could see a black frame with black Josef Frank fabric like this: http://www.svenskttenn.se/textiles.asp?LangId=2&Cat=16

Or the Ikea cheaters fabric versions: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10154191

For less of a statement, paint it white with lighter fabric colors.

It would be helpful to know what the rest of your style/decor is like

Thanks for the tips everyone. The colors going on in the rest of the room are similar to the chair as-is and what is shown in the picture. Medium and dark woods, and warm neutrals with metallic accents (copper, brass, silver..) I like the idea of glossy white or a dark matte grey. Maybe eggplant with a gold fabric for the seat? hmmm I'm definitely feeling more inspired!

PS is it absolutely necessary to sand before spray painting? I'm lazy :p

I have seen that chair's twin at a flea market in NH!

I'd go with that (I think it's Krylon) hammered bronze spray paint -- has a little texture, but is essentially a brownish metallic color. I'd upholster it with a shiny heavy brocade, maybe a Chinese design which includes a bronze color in the pattern. Maybe make a matching back cushion to place over the caning. (That's me -- even for you, I'd choose a metallic paint or else a metallic leaf -- the shape of the chair seems to call out for that look! You might prefer a plain color upholstery, too...)

For a three dollar chair, I'd wash the chair down with some degreasing cleaner (Dawn dish detergent?) and dry thoroughly, and call it good enough. In my opinion, sanding is the step you take for something you want to keep for a long long time. (You might want to rub it down with a little steel wool, easier than sandpaper, to roughen the surface so the paint adheres better...)

paint it glossy black, blue, or red.... and if you go with black upholster that chair in a deep purple or even a faint print... damask might work. *thought provoked

Sounds like that room needs to be livened up!

I agree with Sherry, give it a clean and paint that sucker.

I say go Glossy white and some kind of shiny fabric with a striking pattern.

I'm usually very against this, but I say paint the legs and framing black and the weaving white. Reupholster with a white fabric to coordinate, maybe a pattern echoing the weaving.

My first impulse was to paint it black. Obviously the seat could be reupholstered to reflect any sort of theme you have going on, but more importantly, I think you should pick up some embroidery floss to thread through the mesh-y part of the chair, in random cross-hatching patterns -- a few vertical strips here & there, crossed with horizontal ones, all of varying lengths & colors. I would probably go with a solid, complementing color for the seat cushion. Pick a color scheme & roll with it!