I can't see Karin's pictures either.

kitchendetective thanks for the welcome back. :) I need to clean up more of the areas and take more pictures. And I'm trying to do some mock-ups (trying to figure out layers in Fireworks) so I can put different patterns on the chairs.

Working on more/better mockups but here are a couple I did:

This one looks better to me but still not right. I wonder if it's the rug? I could lose the rug but then I have so much ugly cold white tile. (and I will never be one to spend big dollars on a rug) Maybe I should try a gold of some kind?

These are the chairs that actually came with the table. I love them and am actually thought about just trying to find more of them.

I could put the original chairs back with the dining table and then upholster the other chairs to coordinate with the Wavery valance? But the chairs I have in the dining room now seem more like dining chairs to me.

Can you tell I am dazed and confused about all of this? I really appreciate feedback. Thank you all so much.

I like the second fabric (cream background with large-scale blue floral) on those chairs a lot! Since YOU mentioned the rug, I'll add that I think the rug is the problem - it's too somber. I'd find the fabric for the chairs (and maybe an inexpensive polypropylene type rug) before choosing paint color. B-t-w, your kitchen is LOVELY! Chandelier, blue and white dishes, the dog painting - the whole thing. In both kitchen and dining, a much warmer paint color would look great I think.

gwbr54, thank you for the kind words about the kitchen. I'm really loving it (except for the pink counter and the white tile) I need to arrange the sideboard still. I was thinking of more blue and white plates (because I have another stack still) on the wall above the dog picture.

Yes, the more I look at the pictures, the more I think the rug is the problem. Tomorrow I'll roll it up as much as I can (because I can't quite photoshop it out) and see what I think with the fabrics. The upholstery guy is bringing some samples tomorrow that are more in line with the kitchen valance and I really think that's what I had in my head.

And surprise surprise, hubby said he was okay with the rug going away and we could pick up another one, later, after the chairs and the painting was done. Wow! Now if I could just convince him to go straight to the wood floor we could skip the rug completely. :) (not going to happen for a while on the floor since he wants bamboo and we have to have it installed and we need to do the kitchen, dining, and want to add the living room to unify the space.)

Thanks for weighing in on the rug. I really need sounding boards for this topic.

I love the other chairs, but these look more comfortable for dining. Of the fabrics so far, the last one looks best to me. Honestly I think the rug is dragging everything down. It just seems too formal with the upholstery fabrics you have tried. I really like solids under dining tables because all of those legs get visually confusing to me. (Sorry, I edited out everything from your photo. It is easier for me to see the bones of the problem that way.)

{{!gwi}}

With the Waverly, toleware, and your current fabric options, it kind of feels like you are drawn to French country. If so, you can work in a little fabric variety could be by covering the chandy shades in the room. A small blue check perhaps?

And just to add, your cabinets look like they are in good shape from what little I can see. Have you thought about painting them, perhaps an aged cream or French blue? Paint paired with an inexpensive new butcher block top (check out IKEA) would really freshen the look. Allison's kitchen with her French blue island with butcher block top keeps coming to mind.

I think you could have the start of a really neat space if you can narrow your focus. I've never had a formal dining room (always ends up eaten by the piano) so it is really fun for me to play with yours. Thanks! :O)

Would love to see something like the Batik Indigo that Jan found at HouseFabric on the front and seat of the chairs, with a check like the one shown below on the backs. I definitely think the upholstered chairs are much prettier for the dining room, and don't think you should switch them out with the ones in the kitchen. The ones in the kitchen look great just where they are. You might consider a solid color rug, instead of a pattern, if you do decide to remove the one that's there. Perhaps a nice banded grasscloth would work.

Here is a link that might be useful: checks

Gee, Jan and I must think alike, I just realized the check I linked you to was the same one that she picked out earlier! Sorry about that, we obviously BOTH had the same idea as to what we like!!

paint_chips thanks for the visual. (May I ask, is that layers that you use to be able to change the fabric on the chair? I want to figure it out so I can mock up more of these things myself.)

And a big WHEW that no one suggested swapping the chairs. I just love them in the kitchen with my antique table.

I hadn't thought of a solid rug but that's an interesting idea. Hubby doesn't sound completely opposed which is a plus. :)

nanny2a - do you have any idea how grasscloth holds up with dogs? Since there's so much tile the big dog has figured out how to run from rug to rug - haha

So we pondered the idea of painting the cabinets because yes, they are in great shape. Only one of the kickboards is a bit tired so that's not bad at all. And probably the reason they're holding up so well is they have a super thick coat or three or ten of varnish on them. We had one guy look at them for sanding to paint and he said it would be pretty expensive. (We aren't do-it-yourselfers at all, unless it comes to computer stuff.) But I think I could live with them if we swap out the counter. There's a lot of counter. I know the granite guy said it would be 3 slabs. Hubby (the guy who does all the cooking and kitchen cleaning) wants engineered stone.

So which would you swap first, the counter or the floor? Because I think they're going to be about the same and I can't do both at once.

Whoops...one more question I forgot to ask, would it be horrible as in too matchy matchy to use the same fabric on the chairs that's on valance in the kitchen? The Waverly Imperial Dress?

don't know if you decide yet but have you ever thought of doing it in a ticking stripe? or a blue white stripe? If you do a floral, then the rug has to be changed to something plain & neutral. (sea grass? Jute? blue/white stripe?)

I love how they combine the stripe fabric with nail head on the back of the chairs here. Style of chair is very similar to yours.

Here is a link that might be useful: ralph lauren inspirational chair

this one has darker wood like yours.

Here is a link that might be useful: chair

Here is a link to a very inexpensive rug I saw at Target. You might also think of one of those indoor-outdoor, sisal-looking rugs...good in a dining area, perhaps.

I would pick a rug first and then the fabric. There are far more fabrics to choose from than reasonably priced blue and white rugs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Target

I like the blue & white check as well as the suggestion for a blue & white ticking stripe. With your mockup of the check, I think the scale of the print is throwing it off. The check seems quite large in porportion to your chair. You need to check the scale of the checks as well as stripes very carefully to get the look you are after. I'd suggest ordering samples of some of the fabrics--many of the online stores will send them for free or a nominal charge. It may even be worthwhile to order a yard of a few of the top contenders to get the overall feeling. If you have a Calico Corners nearby, they will let you check out bolts of fabric to try it in your space before ordering.

I also agree with suggestion to leave the paint decision until after you have selected your chair fabric and rug.

I love the lines of upholstered chairs--plus they look more comfortable for dining room seating.

bellaflora - Thanks for the links. (I gulped HARD at the price of those chairs...oh my!) The pictures help me with trying to visualize things.

amysrq - thanks for the link to the blue and white rug. Yes, very reasonable. I am confused now whether I should be considering a rug with a pattern or a solid color one such as sea grass/sisal (okay with big dogs?)

valinsv - good points on the scale though I think on my mockup I didn't reduce the picture of the fabric correctly when I did it. I need to do it again and with other fabrics.

The chairs WILL be comfy when they are redone. Right now they are rockhard. I have no idea what they are stuffed with.

I had workmen here all day so I had no time to practice mockups...will try again tonight or tomorrow.

Questions of the day:

1 - solid color rug or blue and white?
2 - avoid the same upholstery material as kitchen valance?

Thanks again for all the feedback. You guys rock!

OOPS! Fixed it for you- hope you can see the pics now :)

Just my opinion, but I like the large-scale blue and cream fabric on chairs with a sisal-look polypropylene rug, possibly with a custom border. Also like the blue checked fabric on chairs with a blue and white patterned rug. Without a close-up view of the kitchen valance pattern, I'm guessing, but my hunch is that a more sophisticated pattern would better suit the dining room.

karin, thanks for the inspiration photos!

gwbr54, thanks for the opinion. I need them! I'm feeling better about the idea of a sisal rug though I do wonder how it will hold up to a big dog running across it.

Here are more colors I like for the chairs.

This is the material on the valances in the kitchen. It's Waverly Imperial Dress.

Here's a cleaner pic of the area. I tried, but I can't move the rug enough to get a clean floor shot.

The built-in ironing board is gone so after the area is painted I can center the buffet and the picture. This gets some light from library and kitchen but I'd like more. Would a mirror on that short right wall help?

I like #3 and #11 because they tie in with your print on your wall. I had forgotten about that print, I remember it distinctly now, beautiful!

I'm wondering if after you paint, will the richness of your new wall color breathe new life into the rug??? Maybe part of the problem with the rug is the light walls and floor, since there is no color for the rug to play off? Are you up for "painting" the walls in your mock ups? I also like the idea of a mirror.

I'm always up for painting in mock-ups, I just don't always do a good job. But this came out okay, I think.

This is BM Sherwood Green which is the other green I'm leaning toward in here.

I thought I liked this fabric a lot but seeing it here it looks to formal and I'm trying to make it more welcoming.

I liked the colors in this one and thought it tied well to the red in the library and in the living room but maybe too red.

This one I like a lot.

3 looks good with the new paint color, but the rug would definitely need to go..... I'd love to see a solid sisal, grasscloth or sea grass on the floor.

nanny2a - I'm okay with losing the rug. not sure if I can manage a mock-up on the rug but I'll give it a try.

Speaking of sisal, grasscloth or sea grass, any pluses or minuses for me to keep in mind on them?

Okay, here's giving the rugs a try. My mock-ups are getting cruder and cruder but I just don't have the kind of control you need in your hand to be able to do the fine detail work.

I don't know. Does the bird on the upholstery look funky or detract from the art on the wall?

The rugs? I really don't know. They seem kinda blah to me....but of the two I like the first one best.

I think the first photo looks really nice - the warmer toned rug definitely is better. The warmer colors in the fabric make the green wall color come alive. I like the dining room a lot by itself, but I'm not sure how it would relate to the kitchen, which is visible, I think? I hate that term 'flow', but that's the question that I'm raising.

gwbr54 you make a good point. I don't know that it would flow at all and yes, the kitchen is visible. But so is the library and the living room from other sides. The whole downstairs is open. I can do a matching rug under the table in the kitchen but that's about it. I LOVE my valences and the way they look with my blue and white plates.

BTW, the dishes I would be using on the dining table are blue and white.

Sigh.

The green wall would be going partway into the kitchen because I can't break it at the door to the bathroom and it will probably look like #$#! against the pink countertop but that counter is going to be there a while.

So I'm guessing, no flow.

This is about the point in the exercise where I alternately cry and then think about giving up. Bah. I hate feeling like this about it.

Ah, give yourself a little time, and it will all be revealed! :-) Probably in the middle of the night, so keep pad and pen handy.

Susan, instead of the green on the walls how about a color like SW Ivorie? It reads as a soft yellow in my kitchen and would be beautiful with your blues. You could paint the kitchen and dining room the same Ivorie color and it would flow and I don't think it would fight the pink counters since the color isn't a strong one. You would have to see how it looks in the light in your room and with your cabinets, curtains and countertop but I know it would flow with the red in your library (I think it is the next room over) because I have red accents in my kitchen. Just something to think about.

I also see a nice warm-toned (heading towards yellow) beige for the walls. A classic combo with blue.

gwbr54 - I am approaching year 3 of trying to figure this space out so in my head, it's had more than enough time. :)

carolfm - Though my first choice is green for the living room/dining room, I'd love to find a soft yellow that would work. I haven't looked at SW colors much (Always been a BM girl.)but I'll think about getting a sample of Ivorie. Thanks. I was thinking green to link the living and dining room. I couldn't go yellow in the living room at all. I had a color consultant out here about a year and a half ago and told her I really wanted to do some kind of yellow in the kitchen to go with the blue and white stuff but she really was against it with the pink counter.

I'll have to look again. I know one problem is that I have a lot of natural light in the kitchen but much less in the dining area and then pretty much none in the living room. The idea of one color working in three places is very unlikely.

I'm really not much worried about flow to the library because once you're in there, you don't see the dining table or the kitchen and just the edge of the living room. It's trying to flow from living room to dining to kitchen and oh yeah, the entry hall.

Oh gosh, I know some of you folks find this fun but it's so painful me. I really appreciate everyone's thoughts.

Okay, because I keep picking at it like a scab. :)

A gold fabric

This is the same fabric as the valance in the kitchen. Doesn't work at all for me.

Here's a view of how close the dining is to the kitchen.

And here's the mockup. I'd stop the green right there on the wall with the tole tray.

So could this work?

Okay, a couple more mockups trying to make sure of the upholstery. Anyone have any thoughts? Do any of them say warmer, more welcoming, come in and stay a while?

1

2

3 (this isn't the same as the kitchen but it similar)

I think a stripe that coordinates with your kitchen valance would look nice, and would look great with your blue ware.

What does your dinnerware look like?

It sounds like you have excellent ideas, but are being stymied by that pink countertop. Maybe the solution is to to replace the pink countertop with inexpensive neutral formica right away (laminate materials look really good these days). Then you can do a yellow or yellow/beige in kitchen and golden beige/tan in dining - both very welcoming colors, IMO. Do I understand that you would paint living room same as dining? I haven't seen your living room, but the right version of golden beige is likely to live happily next to most colors. If you have photos of living room, it might trigger some more suggestions from the group.

I still really like your bird fabric and the large-scale blue and cream fabric. If you settle on the fabric, that's progress!

Just re-read from the top -- so an alternative suggestion would be to replace counter tops with the engineered stone your husband wants now, and delay floor change 'til later.

Regarding the bird fabric -

When I first saw that fabric at Calico Corners, I fell in love with it and I actually bought a yard of it thinking that I'd live with it for a while. I'm glad I did, because I got tired of it very fast. Maybe this is weird, but I found the print "heavy" and hot.

bird_lover6 - thanks for that info on the fabric. That makes me feel better about the fact that DH said no to the birds and to the checks.

gwbr54 - these are my dishes:

I really don't think doing the counter is an option for a while. That's something that will take thousands of dollars compared to the upholstery which depending on the fabric, I will be able to have done for around $1K or less. (Really cheap on the reupholstery work.) When we moved in I had estimates on granite counter and was told we would need 3 slabs to do it all. I don't know how much engineered stone but that's a far amount of counter and I don't have thousands to spend. What I'm trying to do is make big impacts in the house with smaller dollars. So everything is getting painted, upholstery, etc.

Now that DH has weighed in I'll go back and do some more mockups later.

I keep stopping at golds for some reason. But I like the stripe too. I guess now I'm thinking if I am in the living room which has woods and right now a couple of reddish chairs with flecks of gold in them, will I feel like it's jarring or can I connect them? That's why I wanted to try to paint the same in the living and dining area, to join them. Then whenever we can do wood floor and extend it to the living room, it should help join too. Link to living room below.

Here is a link that might be useful: This is the living room which, if you step backwards from the dining table, you step down into

Oh, THAT's the living room - (duh)!

LOVE your landscape painting, and it really ties into the color palette you're using in kitchen and dining. I could see the new bookcases antiqued with color from the painting, sort of like:

And now, back to my work -- your rooms are just too much of an enjoyable distraction!

I don't really see gold working in your space, given all the pretty blue/white already there. From the fabrics you posted, I like #6, #10 and the blue/white check. Another option would be to pick two coordinating fabrics and do the backs in one fabric, fronts in another. Slipcovering the chairs, instead of reupholstering could be another option to give it that less formal feeling you desire.

Please don't stress! It is fun to consider all of the possibilities. Here are some of the selections that you are considering:

{{!gwi}}

With a bit of editing, I think you have several excellent possible outcomes. Oh, I gave you rich cream walls, a wood floor sample (to better see the contrast with the rug), and I would also move the living room picture to over the buffet where it can shine so pretty against your colors.

paint_chips, thanks for more to think about. On my monitor the paint looks about like the wall is now. If you look at the very first picture I posted in this thread it shows the wall now. But I'm willing to consider a cream.

Hmm....I hadn't thought of moving the art from the living room into the dining room. This is the living room

And this is the print that's there. Couldn't get a good shot from glass but I do love that peacock and he was going to be my inspiration for colors in here. I suppose if I move things, he could always go in our bedroom. I haven't done that yet.

Just found these fabrics at Calico Corner.

Will do more mockups and these and some of the blue and creams later tonight.

I appreciate all the comments/suggestions folks. More than I can say.

I really like the fabrics you posted from calico corner. I think the first one would be perfect on your chairs.
with the walls painted a bit lighter shade of the green you mocked up.

Pretty fabrics! I like the floral for the fronts and stripe for the backs or alternatively, slipcovers in the floral.

lyban & valinsv , thanks. Hubby is not a fan of slipcovers so those are out which makes picking the final fabric really hard. No slipcovers, no checks, no birds and he's not sure he's that okay with stripes. I'm more confused now than when I started, I think.

Several people have commented to me (away from this forum) that by putting so much focus on the chairs, I'm making them the focal point of the room. Also that anything with a pattern is going to tiring after a short time. And lastly, I wonder, if I do a pattern like the floral with a mostly light background, am I really getting anything different than the white damask that's on the chairs now?

This is the Calico Corners fabric:

Blue stripes

Maybe I should just go to a brown?

By painting the walls green and adding the sisal rug, you are really changing the feel of the room & making it less formal. I bet you would like the current chair fabric then...

Wow, lots of great stuff going on with this thread. Mock ups are a wonderful thing!

My favorite is #2 you posted on Wed, Jun 23, 10 at 1:35
I love the colors with your kitchen fabric. Love the new rug and the green paint choice.

I also really like #3 right below it.

The Calico Corner striped fabric reads more formal to me for some reason but I like the Calico floral.

I don't care for the brown seats.

I'm excited to see what you pick!

I'm going to 2nd what Loribee said. Paint first, and then see. It will also allow you to time to keep looking for fabric. Men always make decorating interesting. I was chuckling when I was reading his list of unacceptable prints!!!

Thank you all....sheesharee and Loribee, I don't know about leaving the chairs white. Just looking at them says formal to me no matter what room I move them to.

I'm off to see if I can find some inspiration rooms with floral chairs.

I'm going to disagree with advice to paint first and hold off on reupholstering the chairs. You say you've been waiting three years to do this. Selecting fabric can take a lot of time--esp. when working with an open floorplan where you want the colors/fabrics to flow from room to room. You have some lovely fabrics to choose from that can be incorporated into your space in a variety of ways--or even into the adjacent rooms.

I recovered my DR chairs last year and am so glad that I did. Mine also were hard and uncomfortable--which you said yours are as well. One thing that was important to me was the fabric not only coordinate with my DR, but my LR since I planned to occasionally move the DR chairs into the LR if I needed extra seating for a party. Personally I found a stripe to be the most versatile choice. I do also agree that you are more likely to tire of a floral or find it more limiting as time goes on. To me, your ivory will always read more formal due to the sheen of the present fabric--not so much the color. If you still like the floral, I would again consider using two complimentary fabrics and use the floral in smaller doses. For instance, you could do the host chairs in floral and others in stripe or solid, or do different backs/fronts as I suggested earlier. Or bring in your floral fabric in a less permanent way via a table or buffet runner. Calico Corners is also really good with suggesting complimentary fabrics. It may be worthwhile to bring in a swatch of the valance fabric and ask for advice on complementary fabrics.

valinsv - thanks for the support and the feedback. I am looking forward to having the chairs be more comfortable, for sure. And I agree, the white is always going to feel formal which SO isn't us. Good point on the moving the chairs because I can't have all of them in there at once. I have 2 arm chairs and 6 side chairs. I need to measure but I don't think there's room for 2 of the side chairs on either side of the buffet so I have to think where 2 chairs, maybe the arm ones are going to live most of the time. Perhaps they will work in the living room.

Again, thank you so much!

I don't think I want to paint until I pick this fabric. I wasn't able to work on it at all today as the handyman's been working on the garage. Tomorrow night I hope to be able to look at fabric some more.

I love your upholstered chairs....but have you tried putting four of the old wooden chairs on the sides of the table and just using the two upholstered arm chairs at the ends? Maybe use your valance fabric on the upholstered end chairs, and put flat cushions on the wooden-back chairs in either the same fabric or a soft golden yellow. That might "casual" up the look enough that your existing rug works fine...just a thought!

I just realized the other wooden-back chairs that came with the table are that rattan/straw (?) seat....so I wouldn't do a fabric cushion as that would be a little too kitchen-y casual I think. The fiber seat would already add a little touch of natural tan/gold which might go really well with the rug you already have. You seem to be leaning toward soft golden yellow/tan background and etc.....and I think a little more of that might look just fine with your rug and then your blue and white china stuff would pop as accent. I actually like elegant ("formal) rugs with more casual furniture, I think that combo works just fine especially with a little bit of an eclectic mix with decor items. If all that makes any sense, LOL.