apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Can't i.d. them, though they sure look like they are from 1960-65. I love your 2-fabric upholstery idea! That allows you to use a basic fabric on one side and a smaller amount of something really lovely and expensive on the other.

Will these chairs be in the same room as the piece with the fabric you love? If not, I don't think it's an issue. I like seeing something repeated in a subtle way in different rooms. Helps tie a space together.

I recently did a blog post about 2-fabric upholstery, if you're interested in some more inspiration. Good luck!
http://www.inspiredroomdesign.com/blog.php?post=14

What a shame that you have to paint the wood...I don't know what the rest of your interior looks like, so I don't know if this would work, but maybe you could try smt different and use some Indonesian indigo batik on these chairs. Something along the lines of this:

http://www.stoneserendipity.com/fabricbluewhitedots.jpg

or maybe even bold African fabrics (not necessarily those colours btw)
http://greayer.com/studiog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/8-14-kente-varaschin_1_rect540.jpg
or
http://www.furniturestoreblog.com/2009/05/24/binta_armchair_featuring_traditional_african_fabrics_by_moroso.html


Menno
http://newangles.wordpress.com/

or if you would like it a bit more subdued, then of course I would pick fabrics such as Kvadrat/Maharam or De Ploeg.
Maybe this could work (you could paint the wood either black or white): http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl0/6/61259/12_2008/zm_12218_10.jpg


Menno
http://newangles.wordpress.com/

These DO look to be either actual Danish pieces or inspired by the Danish Modern aesthetic. I would not paint the wood but have them restained in the same or very close color of what's on there now and I'd do as had been suggested, go to Danish design sites for ideas as I know stripes were used on some pieces back in the day.

But a lot of what you choose will be largely determined by your overal style and yeah, it'd be too matchy, matchy if the fabric you love is on pieces in teh same room as these 2 chairs, I'd find a color that is in that fabric and chose it in perhaps a solid to counteract the pattern so you have some varied interest and also varied texture to the space. I'd look into something in a different texture so if the fabric you love is smooth like a chinze, then I'd go for a more rough texture such as a boucle(sp?) for the chairs.

Some thoughts anyway.

I would not do two different fabrics on these chairs, they lean towards clean and simple lines. You could add a cushions (pillows) rectangle shape with a bold black and white print, then use the pillows somewhere else in your home when you get tired of the look. Something like the black and white pillow like Menno above posted would look great.

I think a nubby wool blend textured fabric would look best, you could do one chair in neutral like cream, off white or grey and the other in a deep bright color like burnt orange, red, blue or gold.
I would re-stain the wood dark walnut, bring it back to life.

Fabrics like these from Knoll-
http://www.knoll.com/products/textileproduct.jsp?prod_id=642&flag=cat&cat_id=86

or classic Boucle - nice colors
http://www.knoll.com/products/textileproduct.jsp?prod_id=162&flag=cat&cat_id=86

I met to add to show you the shape of the pillows to add in a black and white print-
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19217&catalog=room&category=rm_accessories&subcategory=pillow_throw

sorry me again, just ran across this pillow this is nice and a great price.
http://shopdistant-la.com/shopdistant/product.php?productid=105&cat=9&page=1