Traditional furnishings typically aren’t my style. But, this pair of chairs has so much character that my brain immediately went into overdrive, thinking of all the ways they could be modernized and quirkified. Ok, so I made that word up, but you know what I mean.
The unique shape of these chairs deserves a unique fabric, but it’s got to be bold. It should complement the dark wood frame, but shouldn’t be too serious.
The solution? Take a cue from Grace Bonney’s headboard and introduce a high contrast, red & white, Mexican, otomi-inspired fabric.
I found this print on Spoonflower and it’s absolutely perfect! The scale of the pattern is just right. Plus, the strong red & white tones will loosen up these stiff chairs.
If you’ve never ordered fabric from Spoonflower before, it would be a good idea to first order the Spoonflower Fabric Sample Pack. It contains swatches of all of the fabric options that your chosen design could be printed on.
When shopping online, it’s nice to be able to have a reference that you can touch and feel to get a sense of what you’re buying.
In this case, the upholstery-weight twill would be the way to go.
When I picture a final destination for these chairs, I envision them utilized as additional seating in a living room space, rather than as dining chairs, which was their intended use.
To make these chairs work in a dining room setting (given that there are only two) you could place one at the each head of a rectangular table. Opt for simple white chairs (that are a little more on the modern side) for one side of the table with a banquet or bench-style seating on either side.
Each chair was listed for $19.99. You could expect to pay a few hundred dollars for each chair to be reupholstered, plus 3-5 yards of fabric per chair. That puts your total at around $315 – $380 each.
You decide… Is that price tag worth it to have two quirky, one-of-a-kind chairs?
Lia Fagan is the blogger behind 
Love these chairs – so much potential. I am in need of two chairs for my living room/tv area. Thanks for the inspiration!
Reupholstering chairs isn’t difficult to do– if you did the work yourself, it would definitely be worth the cost of fabric + chairs! I love that fabric. (And Spoonflower!)
oh i love those! i know what you mean i am not normally a traditional furniture girl either but i love pieces like that where you could just re-upholster it and match it with a few modern pieces.
I’m with smidge girl! DIY re-do those chairs and then they truly will be priceless!
Totally! I’d even be tempted to paint those frames a glossy white – LOVE the way the animals on that print look like a medieval feast!!!