Whatever you do, do NOT repaint them. Even 19th century antiques can be valuable, but if you paint them, you destroy their value. (Serious collectors won't buy anything that's been repainted or stripped.)

P.S. Anyone who tells you to paint should be required to watch a season of Antiques Roadshow, where furniture-owners are routinely told, "Sorry, if this were in original condition it would be worth $100,000, but with the renovations, it's now worth only about $100..."

Yes: they may be 19th century reproductions rather than 18th century originals, but they're still nice pieces that should be kept as close to their original condition as possible. They do have an intrinsic value, even if it's in the thousands rather than the tens of thousands.

I'd talk to the appraiser or a good auction house to see what upholstery company they recommend. I don't think you go 'cheap and funky' on this one.

Oh, and they're lovely, BTW.

Wow, I have 2 very similar chairs that we've referred to as "Florentine Chairs" that were inherited from grandparents. I can't tell on yours, but ours has a lot of detail in the paint with what even looks like a little bit of plaster laid on top of the wood, then painted.

Anyhow, ours are upholstered in old, stained fabric and I've also wondered what to do with them. I'd never repaint, only upholster.

Considering mine has detail painted all over (they're a very light robin's egg blue with tiny flowers all over, and gold trim), I thought I should go with a simple fabric... but then I worry they'll just look like "Old Lady" chairs.... so I have considered something really bright and bold.

In terms of upholsterers, you should be able to supply your own fabric, or the upholsterer should be able to refer you to somewhere to source your own. Since mine won't be sold because of their sentimentality, I'm not worried about upholstering them in a non-traditional way that could devalue them...I don't think we'd ever sell them so why not do what I like with them? (one day... for now they stay as is)

in addition to preserving the finish, you might want to preserve the fabric (or any under fabric)...if it is original. that doesn't mean leaving it be, you can have a good upholsterer put fabric over whats there. but original fabric also adds to the value as these age.

i recently bought an italian modernist chair over the internet, thinking i'd reupholster. it arrived covered in original fortuny silk worth more than the chair frame.

most upholsterer sell fabric, or have access to it, but don't object to you bringing your own. while i wouldn't recommend a bold print or a knoll geometric, i've seen them on similar chairs done quite successfully. i'd go with a neutral linen or mohair and let the frames detail and even that nicotine patina sing.

Ho.
Please go to the website www.brownstoner.com and click on the forum.
Go to topics and scroll down. You will find plenty of info.
Brownstoner is mostly for people living in Brooklyn with all sorts of personal referrals.

What are you talking about? THESE ARE GORGEOUS THE WAY THEY ARE (though they may need a washing....) If you want something funkier now, give them to a relative or store them until the urge to irrevocably "alter" them passes. If you want something sprucier, hit IKEA.

IMO, with a piece like this, you don't change it to match your decor. You build your decor around it.

Lovely exuberant chairs, I would leave them as they are. In a modernist interioir, they'll just stand out abd create a nice contrast in any room. However everyone is right to tell you not to paint them, even if the fabric cans be changes or at least covered if its the original.

However, even if it seems that these are late 19th century pastiches, and its true that they do have an Italian flavor, the style isn't Louis the XVI but a bit older, Louis XV, which you can reckognize by the curved legs and arms, and the "rocaille" decoration (the weird shell-like-flower things). Louis XVI is more rigid, neo classical, from the late 18th century.

An authentic Louis XV armchair :

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_AJ5KHQCElWQ/RmX8J3A6X_I/AAAAAAAAAu0/od2lKh-49K8/IMG_2130.JPG

here's an authentic 18th century Italian Chair, with "rocaille" ornamentation and paint:

http://www.dorotheum.com/fileadmin/old_srv/pressedata/presse/1478/sessel_pr.jpg

This is Louis XVI (authentic) :
http://images.chapitre.com/ima3/big1/910/5725910.jpg

And a Louis XVI chair from the same period as yours, late 19th century :
http://home.nordnet.fr/~eremy/FAUTL162.jpg

Anway, you're lucky to own such lovely pieces!

Oh geez, sorry about the typing errors... -_-

amusemusically--
Sorry, but that upholstery is neither original to the chair nor attractive. And I can pratcially smell he smoke...

If the appraiser gave you a value, ask him (or her) what refinishing the wood would do to the value. A restoration (versus stripping or overpainting) may preserve or even improve the value.

And re: "If you want something sprucier, go to Ikea"

Sprucing something up doesn't *only* mean dipping it in silver paint and slapping some Marimekko on them.

But, since this reader wants to honor the origin of these chairs, she also needs to make them work in her home to do so.

And if the grandmother were a glamorous woman, she'd no doubt be the first to keep them au courant with a facelift...

In that case, I think that a fabric with no patterns on it would enhance the fine woodwork.

You can find remnants of fabulous fabrics (Scalamandre, Brunschwig et Fils, etc.) on eBay. For about $50, you could get a big enough piece to cover a couple of chairs (saving hundreds of dollars off buying retail from the bolt). The current fabric on the chairs doesn't look original to me, so I don't think you'd be reducing value by reupholstering.

Or, if you want an Elle Decor look, find an old suzani and have the upholsterer work with that. Check out the magazine's archives to find antique chairs upholstered in suzanis paired with other "ethnic" texiles and furniture for a fresh, modern look.

Bravo Daniel! I was just about to type the same thing! Definitely pure Louis XV.

Your chairs are a lot nicer than the ones in the following images. The ones coming up have far less detail. But I did want to plug in a few, just for ideas. They're your chairs now, and you can choose to restore in any way you wish.

Black wood, black patent leather:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/Feb/15/interior-designers-take-a-shine-to-patent/

Leopard (that appears to be cheetah, though):
http://www.domestications.com/Products/Furniture/Leopard Chair/16000/16300/D18435x/Nao/15/R/18435A

White with striped material:
http://divingmeet.blogspot.com/2008/06/yipes-stripes.html

And the Good Golly, Miss Molly site of them all:
http://www.theultimatelouis.co.uk/chair_options.cfm

Another example of a modern material:
http://stylecourt.blogspot.com/2007/12/congratulations-anne.html

Scroll down here, and look to the right for a black on black:
http://www.housecouturier.eu/furniture.htm

And certainly don't overlook a soft gray color:
http://www.hotfrog.com.au/Companies/Vintage-Glamour_1468821/FullPressRelease.aspx?id=4784

While yours do not have back cane, look at how stunning the leather seating is on this chair:
http://www.prices4antiques.com/itemsummary/152496.htm

And have a few more chairs:
http://www.wowchairs.com/cart/home.php?cat=469&sort=orderby&sort_direction=0&show=all

That ought to get your mind whirling with the possibilities.

I think that if you decide you want any kind of vaguely modern take on these, consider some kind of solid fabric that has some kind of damask pattern in the weave of it, so that you still have some of the period "busy-ness" that's apparent on close inspection, but has a certain simplicity from any distance. Since there's probably at least SOME gold on there, I'd consider some kind of dark gold-ish or bronze-ish fabric that will give a little sparkle without completely overwhelming the "real" part.

I was afraid to suggest my very first thought when I saw them but then I saw that true blue made a similar suggestion. In my space they would get the black patent leather treatment. I know that you purist are gagging right now at the thought but the frame will remain intact just freshen the look with a little fabric (it is can be brought back to its original glory by someone else that inherits them after me).

Those are absolutely amazing. I'm so jealous, I can hardly say it!

I would not change a thing, except to have them professionally cleaned. Otherwise, they're just perfect as they are!