Love the chair!! I debated on whether to recover a barrel back wing chair that belonged to my Grandma....then did it, but kept a swatch of her fabric for a memento. If your couch is oatmeal, the chair would look great in either a complementary or nice bright color...!

Durn, that is one awesome chair!

If it were me personally, I would do a stripe. Maybe like matress ticking? Or maybe bolder? But probably black and white, or grey and white.

If you're not sure yet, you could keep it like this for now (I like the current colour) and add a couple of bright pillows to see what colours you like and suit your room best.

Or, go with what would be my favourite: black upholstery and silver painted wood.
You can see an example of it here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=986461&id=747353154

I would do something bold and unexpected, like hot pink or peacock blue velvet.

Any fabric, please, just don´t paint the wood! It´s beautiful. Why why would you do it?

I love this chair! In fact, I own one very similar. The great thing about this chair is that it can be used in so many different decorating styles. Traditional, contemporary, and transitional décor. There are a number of ways you can spice up the chair to make it the piece of art it is. Painting the wood is one choice but this would be the hardest to change at a later date. If you want a time honored fabric that will not go out of style, try an animal print for the fabric. Animal prints have been around through out furniture history. If you are going to change out the fabric anyway, one other quick change would be painting your own design on the existing fabric. If you are not an artist, you could locate stencils at your local hobby store. There are many, many ideas you could try, one last idea for now, is just changing out the cushion fabric and leaving the remaining fabric the same on the chair. Hope this helps.
Remember, design should be fun. <

Great chair! I actually like the current setup - the upholstery and wood both look in good shape - and its luxurious feel (at least it looks that way in the picture) offers a lot of flexibility both now and down the road.

I have a few similar chairs from my grandfather, an upholsterer, all done in bright and bold fabrics. While I love them, and they ARE fun, I'll admit that it can be challenging to incorporate such patterns in the long term.

So, I'd second Tse Moana's suggestion of keeping it as is and adding a colorful pillow or two (perhaps you could pick up a color from something else in the room that you love).

Unless you can't bear the fabric, of course! Then, by all means, upholster away....

Good luck and keep us posted!

I want that chair I have some many fabrics I want to use. I would figure out what accent color in your place you really want to pop and let this be the piece.

Cork fabic would be fun.

oh yeah don't paint the wood.

I would do a patent leather, and...gulp...I'd paint the wood.

Let the collective groan of pain from the natural wood lovers begin...

Okay. I suggest this, because I assume that you want this to be something of a statement piece. Check out the white chair and ottoman here:

http://jessicaclairesworld.blogspot.com/2008/04/patent-pieces-to-love.html

I would also do it in a neutral color, just because I find that my more radical style choices get more longevity that way. I save the hot pink for the walls.

:)

Good luck.

If your sofa is a neutral oatmeal i would strip the wood to its natural color and leave it unvarnished and then reupholster it in a subtle menswear stripe a la Paul Smith for Maharam:

http://www.maharam.com/maharam.html

Ask yourself a couple questions before you do anything: One, is this chair going to be the most "important" piece in the entire room, or do I want it to blend in? If you want it to blend in, go neutral. If you want it to stand out, pick your favorite piece of artwork in the room. You know....the "standout" piece that is the focal point of the room...you do have a focal point, don't you?

To make it stand out, paint the frame either gloss black or gloss white (if you change the upholstery later, black and white go with almost everything.) I'd then pick a heavy leather in a color closest to my favorite piece of artwork in the room. I'd have the back deeply tufted and the seat would be upholstered with a tight overstuffed seat. Very contemporary yet also very traditional. It would well with just about any decor.

BTW...I covet your chair.

Ack! No animal prints! They only work on a smaller scale and that is a sizeable chair.

I recommend going bright and/or patterned (I once had a pink chair in that shape and it was beloved by all.) And don't be afraid to paint the wood in a color that plays up the upholstery color. While attractive, it is not a valuable antique and will not lose its value with a new finish.

how about suede in a neutral color, it's weight and texture will look great with the curves of the frame.

Something subdued but with interesting visual texture, like a colored houndstooth fabric would be nice. Sort of a masculine contrast to the feminine lines of the chair. I wouldnt paint the wood either.

Something more bold? Great idea! Paint the frame glossy black, upholster with a wide black/white stripe.

Ps, why are so many of you trying to convince the chair owner to go 'neutral', 'subtle', 'subdued'? I work at a home furnishing store and am continually amazed at the sheer number of people buying beige curtains to go in their beige rooms with beige pillows on their chocolate brown sofas and then wondering if it all will match. How dull. Live a little bit!!!

I'd use a natural coloured linen for the 'underneath' upholstery look!