apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I seriously don't think these are 30's era.Love 'em, but think they may be a *tad* younger.

DavidJ--

GREAT call... maybe even one of the Diamond/Barratta houndstooths. (Teeth?)

Hey Patrick - I was told they were '30's, althought I seriously have no idea. What age were you thinking?

Kelli,
I,too, am in Austin and if you have access to it, I suggest Stockton Hicks and Laffey for fabric. It's wonderful! Also, every now and then I find great fabric at Interior Fabrics on Burnet (I alwyas get great silks from there!) Also, if you are reading this today, or tomorrow, I was in Central Homegoods this afternoon and everything is being liquidated, including fabric. I think the last day open is Monday. As for the chairs, what a great find. I would lacquer them white and do an oversized caning print in black.

NICE score on the chairs!!

I'd do a chocolate and white (BRIGHT white!!) or grass-green and white trellis pattern, in a needlepoint if at all possible.

Do you have Calico Corners out there? They are a surprising resource, not as dusty or outdated as it would seem.

Show us an after when you decide!!!

I would so go for jewel tones- navy, or forest green;

you can find really nice striped fabric- with 1-2 inch stripes with differing "finishes" (satin and matte).

if you serve wine a lot, you may also want to go for maroon :)

Congrats! Those are beautiful - I'm thinking a solid velvet! Like a silvery-gray or coral pink. It really depends on the room you're using them in... what colors are you working with?

What's wrong with Hollywood glam...I see a white and chocolate brown with a pattern that would echo the pattern of the chair back but would love an animal print...I look forward to the after as well...good luck.

it's really hard to tell whether that's chrome or brass or what on the metallic part of the chair. which would probably dictate a color palette. additionally, the whole thing will depend how you're using it and what the surrounding room is like.

unfortunately, this chair itself is pretty 'hollywood glam'. i don't think you'll be able to bring it to its full potential unless you're willing to go there, at least a little bit. if you want to keep things simple, black is always good. maybe a taffetta or dupioni? the crisp lines and shiny reflective surface definitely point the whole thing in a more formal direction.

What are the colors of the rest of the room? from the picture it looks like beige & white. true? what are your favorite colors? do you like brights for accents or something more subdued? these are great chairs and they have strong, clean lines so you can do just about anything with them. the colors and patterns you choose are going to depend upon how you want to style the room in general. do you have a favorite pillow on your sofa? maybe pick a fabric that has a similar color as the pillow. or artwork on the wall? same thing. remember also that texture is important. suedes, linens, sateens for shine, nubby tweeds can all work. ask yourself what YOU like first. good luck! you scored a neat buy.

Thanks for all the comments so far. Regarding other colors in the room - we are in a transient state at the moment - currently in an apartment which forbids us from painting the walls, changing out the horrible blinds, etc. Soon enough these chairs will be in a formal dining room for which I've picked nothing else out. The chairs do look a bit bronzy in the photo, but they (all 8 of them) are actually bright chrome. I'm getting some great ideas for the upholstery - anybody have a suggestion for a dining table to anchor these??

I can't tell if the chairs are silver or gold so I am going with my first thought of silver.

I love Reprodepot and they have this sexy black and white print...
http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com/yokoblack.html

These poppies rock!
http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com/foblwh.html

or the grey and white "couture dot" from japan...
http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com/coudtg.html

lotus!
http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com/sbltl.html

gotta admit I still love Marrimeko
http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com/bonbon.html
http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com/sumagreen.html

some gnomes for fun?
http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com/hrgny.html

Okay- enough about reprodepot...
I also love going to ABC Carpet/Home and digging through their scraps bin... I found two totally differant but totally complementary fabrics to reupholster my old dining set with. They had similar colors in them and looked great alternated between the chairs! You can also try the New York Design Center.... They offer a free one hour consultation.

Good Luck!!!

You didn't say if you're going for formal or fun, period or update. For some quirky ideas of mixing vintage chairs with fun fabrics check out www.chaircouture.com.

enaje--

Too funny! I just posted about chaircouture on another thread (the one about the Oly Louis Zebra chair)

For the upholstery I would use a canvas textured Ikat fabric to contrast the slick shine of the metal. A very plain modern wood rectangular table would look good or a clean-lined glass table.

Kelli--

Without knowing too much more about your intended vibe, I'd pair these with a round pedestal table, to prevent two much "legginess" from going on in the dining room. And I'd go all white (IKEA has a Saarinen-inspired number) or something with a glass top to keep the chairs (and their eventual upholstery) the stars of the show.

I'd also pull two out of the set (you lucky devil!!) and use two as occasional chairs elsewhere. The full 8 in one place may be a little overwhelming.

I'd also look to Mr. Adler, Kelli Wearstler or LuluDK for fabric inspiration, although they may be too regency glam for you.

Also look at the fabrics from Maharam for additional inspiration. Or some of the crazy overscaled but tradtional-based fabrics from Timorous Beasties.

Hey...you are good "8" chairs. I would love to see those chairs around a highly lacquered black parsons table "in perfect a life" or teak...if you found a round table of the right size you could do a great "New York" feel drawing room look. Those chair could/will add a great deal of drama so either very clean or very over the top. If you have side chairs then you could use a slightly different pattern in the same color as the rest. Clearly I have bonded with your chairs.

i can't believe you found those on austin craiglist, i never see anything good on there!

i'm in austin too - have you been to Interior Fabrics? it's on burnet immediately south of anderson lane (in that shopping center full of crappy furniture stores). i have found some surprisingly great stuff there and the prices are very good.

i think a vivid solid silk would look smashing - what about pink on one, orange on another, etc.? too hollywood glam?

Also depending on the ultimate vibe, I could see these looking way cool upholstered in white terry cloth, perhaps with contrasting welting.

Hello,

Kelly Wearstler uses chairs like these all the time. She's got great pictures on her website, so you can use them for inspiration:

www.kwid.com

The architecture of the chair in itself is beautiful. I wouldn't choose a patterned fabric so as to not take away the eyes from the architecture.

Perhaps focus your budget on the color or texture of the frame. Black would make a statement within the room, but it all depends on your room's color scheme and inspired era. I once saw on a tv show where they coated wood with metallic finishes, which may be interesting.

I would also add other decorative pieces to the room to compliment the architectural form of the chair. Perhaps some deco sketches?

Must,leave now, going to Craig's list...just in case.

Mary

If you are working on a budget this site might be good: http://www.fabricguru.com/

They "specilize in fabric remnants, closeouts and special purchases" so you buy a set amount but it's super well priced. Plus shipping on anything is only 4.99. I've never ordered from them but was thinking about it.

Also, I just ordered some fabric from http://www.purlsoho.com/ last week and they were great to deal with.

i would LOVE to have some chairs like this. if they're chrome, i'd spray paint them a really shiny, reflective silver or white and use a really large-scale, bold black-and-white print fabric for the seat.

www.chaircouture.com is a good source for ideas. i think some chairs similar to these were featured in living etc recently, too.

Yes Patrick(the other one)!!! Maharam!!! They are fabulous! Also...Crypton. Crypton has some beautiful solid "suedes", velvets, boucles, and , gorgeous prints and I love the william wegman collection they have now. If you want some whimsy and really like dogs you can put a cute dog print on your chairs...

www.maharam.com
www.cryptonfabric.com

http://www.designcenterofaustin.com/
sorry, I missed the part about you being from Austin. Ignore the NYC Design Center and see link above for the Austin Design Center.

Good luck and please post pics later!

I think you kind of *have* to go full-on Hollywood Glam with these chairs ... they pretty much epitomize that look (and I'll take them off your hands in a heartbeat if you decide to go with something different!).

Kelly Wearstler just came out with a line of fabrics that would be perfect for these chairs. Check out the Gordian Weave, Emerald Cut, or Imperial Trellis patterns on her site: http://www.kwid.com (click on "products" and then "fabrics"). I'd do a black and white fabric, and pair the chairs with an ebonized or black laquered table). The fabrics are "to the trade only," but you might be able to order them through a design center or just look for something similar elsewhere.

So jealous!

I would love to investigate and find out what fabric and pattern would have been used for these chairs in the 1930's. It feels like a silk with stripes. A color block would also work well with these chairs, and give you the option of using the fabric on the vertical or horizontal.

In any event you can't go wrong because you will always be able to change the fabric and still have a great look.

I would go with a cool oversized black and white houndstooth pattern... very cool right now.

You guys are great - I'm ridiculously inspired now. Thanks for all the feedback.