I would do a narrow pink and white stripe. But I am super-girly.

mourning the death of wood to make way for glossy white. i honestly thought this had already passed. bummer.

If the chair will stay beneath the prints on the wall, I would choose a solid fabric that matches the color on the prints/frames (I can't tell if it's brown or gray).

It looks like the wood is in good condition, so why don't you just keep it that way? Painting in it white would ruin it and put it in the too-cute category. IMO, the dark wood balances out the pink tiles and orange curtains in a nice way.

Having said that, I think you should go with some sort of stripes for the chair fabric. Nothing too chintzy or flowery.

I'd just swap the cushion fabric and leave the wood. I agree that glossy white is a look everyone's going to hate as much as Keep Calm in about five minutes.

I have no objection to painting wood, but I agree with Alexis that the dark color does balance out the rest of the room. To keep it in context, you could add an ebony stain and very glossy finish. You could also add decals or paint a baroque pattern on the splat.

I think white furniture is as timeless as wooden furniture, I doubt it's going to go anywhere.

I'd suggest upholstering it in the same fabric that appears elsewhere in your bathroom. (See Lee Radziwill's places in the current Elle Decor for my inspiration.) Whether you paint the wood or leave it as is, the chair will definitely fit into the space, and upholstering seats only is a 30 minute job that can give you updates whenever you feel like it.

silver silk dupioni for the seat, and keep the wood as is.

KEEP CALM
AND
PAINT IT
WHITE

I'd use the same floral fabric that you have going on all over the place.

Whether or not you paint it white, I'd go for a solid color that already exists in the room but look for one with texture. It could be ornate or just linen or raw silk, but adding another color, or print, would just confuse the pallet.

Maybe pull a colour you like from one of the smaller printed patterns on the bottom of the curtain. Striped sounds nice too, it might help in girly-ish overkill. The chair might disappear into the walls and curtain if you paint it white. The contrast as-is is nice.

As well, there are upholstery-weight fabrics, but I'm not sure if it's absolutely necessary for this project. Just don't pick anything that looks too flimsy.

If you wanted to cover the back of the chair I would try cutting a thin piece of plywood and inserting it within the frame of the back, with the splat acting as a support. It looks difficult to match the curves of that back though, so it might be wiser to leave it.

Think the chair would look nice white or natural, but I'd suggest a terry cloth seat cover. (If you want to try an upholstered back, that's up to you, but it doesn't need it and it might be a little tricky.) You could use a bright pink or orange, or (if you leave the wood natural) even white. You might even find a stripe with the right colors, probably in a bath towel. The texture would be unexpected and fun, and totally appropriate for a bathroom.

I'd use silver fabric. Could be a damask or boucle with some minimal pattern, but overall silver. Or gray, maybe. Gray wool would be nice.

Um, I really love white paint. It's beautiful, clean, and fresh. Fresh isn't a trend. Paint! :)

Leave the wood, or stain it darker, and cover the seat in a calm green or blue (green and blue stripes would be nice!) to tone things down a bit in that area.

I'd steer clear of the orange/pink as it's already a bit much and I don't see it in silver either.

This painted wood trend is just a little to cutesy estsy posterish for me. It works as an exception, not a rule. In this case, the wood looks like it's in good condition with a nice patina. Why ruin it?

Another vote against glossy white. It's nice in moderation or within a modern, minimalist aesthetic, but the whole paint-everything-white-because-everyone's-doing-it thang is, IMHO, sooOOooo old.

For me, the nadir came this week, with a Craigslist ad touting an art-deco bedroom set painted "creamy" white. Because Deco was all about the wood, so why.... oh, never mind.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone! I now have even more options than before! I figured I would get some flak for painting the chair, but the finish really is in bad condition, so something needed to be done there. Now that people mention how it might disappear against the wall, though, I think I will look into other colors besides white. I think I will forgo upholstering the back, as several commenters mentioned, and see how it looks, not to mention it's a lot easier. I really like the idea of using a solid colored, but textured cloth, such as terry cloth or linen, for the seat, as that will solve my problem of limiting everything going on in the room. I'll let you all know how it turns out!

-Laura

I think I'd go with a textured orange seat.