The land of orphaned chairs (my basement)
Our first house was formal, with a formal DR ... and hence we chose a formal Kindel DR set. Ever since we moved to CT, which has a less formal DR that is more like a greenhouse. So that table was de-leaved and used as an entry table, and the chairs have been orphaned in our basement.
Meanwhile, here is our DR in Maine:
I want to try to use the orphaned chairs from our old DR (below) in Maine. We host dinners there fairly often, and play games. The chairs we have in Maine came with the house and they are not that comfy. My Old DR chairs are very comfy. I think I have 8 side chairs and 2 arm chairs. Here is the old set in our first house ( we may have taken a leaf out in this pic, as I only see 8 chairs and I think we have 10).
So here are my questions:
First, assume the tables are ~ same size or can be, based on how many leaves we choose.
Second, assume we trade tables and use the fancier one here in Maine and switch it with the one we use as an entry table.
Third, assume the pillows and windowseat cushions can change if need be. I'd rather not change the wall color (light gray with, I think brown undertones? Can't recall the name.
ETA - I plan on slipcovering my old sidechairs, the tall ones with a sleigh back, in white duck (surprise!) like these are.
1. Is there any universe where the curlicue armchairs would work in this setting? If not, what kind of chairs would you get for each end?
- would you consider a lacquer paint for the Windsor ones that are in Maine now?
2. If you think I can use the curlicue armchairs at each end, would you
a. Slipcover them, too?
b. Reupholster them in a print?
c. Reupholster them to match the side chair slipcovers, and then use a lumbar pillow in a pattern?
d. Use the curlicue as occasional chairs against the wall flanking the buffet, and use two more sidechairs at each head, but distinguish each of them with a lumbar pillow?
Thanks in advance.
Comments (73)
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bbstx
7 months agoWould you consider a brown and white (probably cream IRL) stripe like this from Dan Carithers - if you chose not to do plain white.
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Arapaho-Rd
7 months agoThinking something to coordinate with this Quadrille fabric would be nice. Not sure about all white. But I get that might be the look you want. Tried to find a coordinating stripe but my Covid head is not helping so this is all I could come up with.
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Kswl
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoMaybe instead of all white, brown and white? Or brown and white instead of blue? I knew I had saved a picture that was germane to this discussion, but it took me awhile to find it. (note to self: start tagging pictures!)
or white and blue…..mtnrdredux_gw thanked Kswlmtnrdredux_gw
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agomtnrdredux_gw
7 months agomtnrdredux_gw
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoIn terms of selecting a fabric for the head chairs and the lumbar pillows, the room has:
- original heart pine floors (as shown above), a brick fireplace
- white trim and warm gray walls (forget the color but it matches this:
- and a 15' long window seat with a custom cushion covered in this fabric, below. It doesn't read quite as bossy as this looks because it is only on one plane, horizontally. I don't love it but it's fine and I am keeping it because it is pristine.
Nothing is sending me:
Kswl
7 months agoSerena and Lily has a pretty toile in Belgian linen that seems particularly suited to your location
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7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoI think something bolder might be good, and have always liked this Quadrille print.
This could be interesting but might get lost:
Last night i went down a rabbit hole looking at Indian block prints but nothing was quite right:https://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/a34013571/etsy-block-print-fabric/
palimpsest
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoAll Thibaut
Tybee (medium large)
Cornwall (medium small)
Javanese stripe (large)
Indian Panel (54" horizontal repeat)
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palimpsest
7 months agoLes Touches is one of my favorite fabrics, but you need a Lot of it, I think, to read what it looks like, or it kinda looks like spots.
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7 months agolast modified: 7 months agopalimpsest
7 months agoQueen of Spain is another of my favorites, but it may be too abstract. It has a very large repeat 48" x 35" something like that. It would be a completely different feel overall.
mtnrdredux_gw
7 months agomtnrdredux_gw
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoThinking of adding another color to the room -- maybe lime green? For welting on the blue and white fabric, and then some solid pillow on the windowseats ....
mtnrdredux_gw
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoI think I am flailing here. Three ideas. Each shown with "welting"
palimpsest
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoI think that you are looking at florals that are too close to what's happening on the window seat, without actually being the Quadrille/China Seas companion version like we talked about.
I am throwing out a couple of things here that are Not floral:
mtnrdredux_gw
7 months agomtnrdredux_gw
7 months agoSafe. BTW I have extra of the floral windowseat fabric. I could do lumbar pillows in that fabric, stripe for the armchairs, and duck for the sidechairs (short, probably scalloped).
palimpsest
7 months agomtnrdredux_gw
7 months agoAnother lousy mock up… i use Word of all things.
Please note my table has no gold leaf: this was the version on Kindel’s site.
Is scalloping odd with stripes?
palimpsest
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoSchumacher Acanthus Stripe. 10" horizontal repeat
The ground on this definitely seems white...
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7 months agomtnrdredux_gw
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoSo, I am running into a snafu. I have contacted four different fabricators.
One asked for clarification, twice but still has not given me an estimate.
One told me she did not do scallops, only pleats. I said ok, quote me pleats. Then a few days later she told me the did not do slipcovers for wooden chairs. Hmm ok.
Then I contacted someone I have used a lot in CT. She said she would not make slipcovers for sleigh back chairs ....hmm.., which now makes me suspect of anyone who thinks they can.
A fourth person got back to me only yesterday and I sent her the details.
I am starting to think I may have to just reupholster them. 😢
So, this is the room and what I was planning (NOTE - this is my table but w/o gold leafing)
So now if I need to reupholster, keep in mind chairs have not just a seat, and a back, the back has two sides. Would you just do an off white, Sunbrella type fabric? Would you mix in a complementary fabric, maybe just on the backside of the back? I would still make some lumbars for the head chairs and maybe for the arm chairs.These are some of the fabrics still under consideration:
1929Spanish-GW
7 months agolast modified: 7 months agoIt would be really difficult to accurately fit slipcovers to these chairs. I like either of these two options. For the green option I would use the small orint for lumbar. For the yellow, match lumbar to back. I’d probably put the print on the back, stripe on the front. ETA I would use the same fabric combo on all chairs.
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7 months agopalimpsest
7 months agoLes Touches is a Big pattern. But it's a pattern enough that it does not look like dots used in smaller pieces.
palimpsest
7 months agoAnother favorite.
I am sure this makes most pattern-phobic Americans want to poke their eyes out, but I would have a room like this and a suit made to match, if I had the money.
mtnrdredux_gw
7 months agolast modified: 7 months ago
palimpsest