These photos were intended to be included:

any color Solid upholstery.

Get a boarder print area rug for a pattern. No Florals, except in a fresh arrangement.

If the terra cotta chairs didn't add too much color then the blue certainly won't. The blue is more neutral than orange/pink. I would find some blue fabric and drape it over the chairs for a few days and see if your eye likes it. I love how the fabrics change color! It would be like redecorating ever few hours, haha. I have to tell you how much I love your room. I would bring some blue in oher areas of the room if you choose blue. Maybe a large pot on the round table. I think the pillows are enough of another color for you not to have to bring in a third. You have a very neutral room, do you want to keep it colorless? You could take the easy way out and just match the dog.

Thank you. Regarding an area rug, we have a jute area rug that soon will be put in the room. I may later layer another area rug on top of that. Whichever upholstery we go with for the club chairs, it will be solid. The blue and the ivory shown are the finalists. :)

I like the blue too, unless that dog will be using it. Then the ivory, obviously.

Definitely blue!

lol!! Laughing at Gigi’s and Iri’s comments!! Thank you, and thank you for the compliments on the room. It’s a work in progress, like everything, I guess. Fortunately, the sweet pup stays off the furniture. :) I love neutrals, and have a lot of cream and white in the house. Thought it might be good to introduce color to keep furniture color from being all about the same. Good idea about draping blue fabric over a chair to get an idea of what it might look like - I’ll do that!

Lafayette · More Info

Your house is very different than mine but you can guess I will vote for the blue!

It's pretty neutral for a blue. It'll settle in pretty quietly.

Can you combine the blue and pattern?

Combine like this or opposite idea?

I'd go for the white. I actually think it is a more daring choice and makes a real statement to have all white furniture in a room with white walls and the fantastic contrast of the wonderful wood. No brainer. It looks classy and casual at the same time. Beautiful space wonderful dog.

I generally love color, but I think this room could totally pull off a sophisticated monochromatic look too.

Yes, the blue is very pretty and clearly looks different in different light. Any color will work with your subtle house. (Which is lovely.)

@Kendrah makes a good point about keeping the room monochromatic.

If you did the chair in an ivory, you could bring in color with throws and pillows. THOSE you can change every season! Some purple in winter, green in spring and flowered in summer (?)

The blue is a good blue, so if you want a color that will do the job.

I would go for all cream/white since everything is in those tones and use the print and blue for accents in the room (throw pillows, throws, lamps, etc.).

Great colors until you look at the fabric you plan to use for throw pillows. IMO that floral doesn't work with the design of your room at all.

That pattern is a throw back to the 60s. I think there are more inspirational patterned pillows to consider. All shown below are pillow covers from Etsy.

I think how you incorporate additional blue will be key and with adding a hemp rug, suggest more relaxed accessories that are refreshing and complementary/pulling in your creams so room flows.

Reupholstering is a big commitment, as the outcome can be disappointing (I had two hits and two misses over the years). Have you considered green; I think it could be stunning.

I would go with the blue and the other fabric for the throw pillows. Will look nice rather than so much ivory.

I love the ivory if you can swing it and not worry about keeping it clean. And I really love the floral for the pillows! Beautiful and totally in style. You have such a nice space!

The dog hair matches ivory. Just sayin’…..😊

I also like the ivory. Beautiful room and dog!

Blue for the chairs, but not the print for pillows. I use a 22" inch pillow with a 24" stuffer for a sofa. I want the prints to line up with one another. I also don't want the pattern repeat larger than the 22". I'm not lovin' the print for your room...too shabby chic looking.

Schumacher pillows.

I think you might like Whitney McGregor's designs. She uses lots of layers and chintzes and it's not shabby chic. Grand Millennial is stylish right now. And timeless.

Thank you BeverlyFLADeziner and elcieg for the pillow ideas. Those are some lovely picks. I’m comfortable with the floral (Lee Jofa Althea in Citron), though, even if old. I think it’s classic. I also think it will work well with the old furniture, and I like the nature theme, which works with the whole house. (I’ll probably only do two of them, so there’ll be other pillows in the mix, likely including pale blue and ivory.)

Thank you Maureen for the beautiful pillow pairings and exquisite artwork that ties so well with your gorgeous images.❤️ I agree that reupholstery is a big commitment and I understand about the hits and misses. I also agree that the green is beautiful, but I’m still between the blue and ivory.

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts!! I really appreciate it!!! I was surprised by the near equal divide regarding which color to go with — there’s about the same support for each color with blue having only a slight edge! It helps me forgive myself a bit for having trouble quickly deciding the point.

I do love the ivory and a monochromatic look — our den has only creams and whites and the look is lovely. I also love the look of light upholstery with color introduced with throw pillows, as noted by RedRyder and lisedv. (Still laughing about the dog comments!!) I’m loving getting lost in Furlow Gatewood and Nora Murphy interiors (and exteriors) these days. I’m not sure yet what I’ll decide. I’m considering the blue simply to break from every last sofa and chair in the house being cream/white. I may look into how easy it is to keep ivory Crypton looking clean. If there’s an advantage to blue in this regard, that would be a factor to consider.

I really appreciate this community!! Thank you all so much!!!❤️❤️

There is no wrong or right answer in this case. It really depends on what look you are going for and what you want to do. And that includes the floral pillow fabric. You can make that fabric as traditional or contemporary as you want to, based on the style of pillows you use the fabric on, and the general pillow mix that you use. I’ll post some examples.

The simple way to understand it, is that the pillow floral fabric is classic. So some people may like a particular floral fabric‘s design, while others may not. Simply a matter of personal taste and opinion. Then there are some people who may not like any floral fabrics. And some of those people may immediately write any floral fabric off as ”traditional” i.e. (in their minds) old fashioned. But this is not the case.

Look at the MCM type room pictured just below. Sofa is a big floral statement.

Florals will never go out of style. Ask Fortuny.

It all depends on the pillow style, what you put on it, and with it, etc. - as far as the look you are going for.

These rooms pictured below have a ton of floral - much more than you are planning with just your few floral pillows. But just to show that florals do not necessarily have to be traditional, etc. unless you want them to be (which is also fine if you want to lean more traditional.)

So the point is: Whether you use the blue or ivory fabric on your chairs and/or the floral fabric on your pillows - it is simply a matter of what you want to see in your house. All of the options work, and also work together.

I’m also researching ivory upholstery fabric right now and found some really pretty ivory herringbones that have a little pizzazz. They have a touch of beige in them, which is more interesting that just a plain linen ivory.

That being said, if the other rooms have a lot of ivory furniture, then I understand the need for colored chairs in this one.

I don’t love the pillow fabric only because it doesn’t “feel” like your room. They would work better in an English cottage.

It seems that you can't go wrong with your upholstery choice since both colors are gorgeous! Do you have blue in other parts of your house, or do you want to incorporate it? That might help you decide.

I didn't realize that chintz was polarizing. To me, it goes with everything and looks especially fresh mixed with other patterns or modern art.

Most of these images are a bit over the top, but you can see how the chintz mixes nicely with so many patterns and styles.

What an absolutely stunning room! Love the woodwork and flooring.

I disagree that the floral doesn't work in the room. Lee Jofa florals are gorgeous and you might consider upholstering the chairs in it if it's in the budget. If not, the blue would be beautiful too.

I'd like to see more of the room and the furniture you are going to reupholster.

The chairs to be reupholstered are a pair of matching English roll arm chairs like this:

This is the only other photo I have of the room. It’s bare bones (no small items or accessories) as I’ve been painting, but you can see the white sofa and two chairs that are another project I’ve been planning to reupholster in ivory (maybe that Crypton velvet).

I also love that style chair, and the photos that stiley posted are so fresh and pretty! I say use the floral chintz with abandon.

It's rare that I see a room/space on these boards that I love so much. What a fabulous blank slate--you are indeed lucky to live in this home.

First off you have a gorgeous room! I'm liking the neutrality of the space. So, think I will suggest the ivory fabric. Think I would also suggest using smaller items (pillows, artwork, etc.) to introduce dramatic pops of color. Wouldn't suggest primary colors but dramatic tones with a bit of darkness to them or something like floral print pillows that have contrast (perhaps blue and white).

I'm a girl who loves blue so I'd go that route. Also, the print for throw pillows is lovely.

Here are two of the fabrics in contention for my wing back chairs.

Those are both nice, Red Ryder.

I like this one also for texture, softness, and a bit of Luxe - yet it’s “Heavy Duty” rated, as well.

It is classic striping sort of thing - but the stripes are not fighting for center stage. :) Subtle.

I love wing chairs.

Here’s fabric company link. https://www.kovifabrics.com/pages/kovi

Red Ryder - Of the two you show above, I like the second one the best.

Found that one online. It’s really pretty in person. It’s not chenille but it’s softer and thicker than a lot of other fabrics. Gives a “cushy” feel. It would work nicely on the English arm chairs Holly has!

After seeing that second photo I think I misunderstood the assignment. I thought you were reuphostering the other chairs. I think for me this changes everything because if you are keeping the terra cotta chairs in the room, then blue for the other two changes the neutral feel of that seating area. Are you keeping the terra cotta chairs? I think to decide color you need to show the entire room, what if any other colors are in there on the other side. Everything I see in the first picture is very neutral in color. I feel like you may need to make a choice between color, however subtle, and a monochromatic room. Me, I would choose some color because it would cheer up the room. I think I didn't consider that those two beige chairs as wingbacks in your first post. It really doesn't matter what you do, that room is so stunning. If you want it to blend with your other rooms maybe post a few photos of that decor.

eta, because you chose that pillow fabric, I see that you do want some color in the room. How much is the question. I want to see more of your fabulous house! How old is it? I reminds me so much of my grandfathers living room, his included a huge walk in fireplace.

Fun story, my parents were vacationing in Hawaii in 1980 and were staying at a lodge. My dad mentioned that it looked so similar to the house he grew up in and asked who designed it. Turned out it was Paul Fagan, the architech who built my grandfathers home in Woodside Ca.

I think that the terra cotta chairs are the ones to be reupholstered--they are English arm chairs that Holly said she is recovering.

The other two (the French bergere chairs) are another project, according to Holly.

Yes, the terra cotta English roll arm chairs (there’s a glimpse of one in the left margin of the first room photo) are the subject of this post. The ivory bergere chairs are a separate project.

RedRyder, I really like your herringbone swatches for your project. I find myself leaning toward your swatch #1, I think because I like the way the herringbone pattern looks in it.

Thank you for the beautiful images, Stiley, and I appreciate your comment about whether there’s more blue in the house and/or the extent to which I might want to incorporate more blue. Everything else is neutral — we’ve been so busy working on the house that we haven’t decorated much. I don’t know how much blue I’d need to add to tie in the chairs if I go with the blue fabric, but I’d be hoping only a little would be needed (🤞🏻) — maybe a blue planter, maybe just a couple of throw pillows with blue in them, maybe a blue vase, or a blue and white chinoiserie garden stool or planter?

Thank you for your comments, Gigi. There really isn’t more to show. To the extent there’s anything else, it’s all neutral. There’s a fieldstone fireplace in that room, but the house is not old — it dates from about 1963. We had to replace windows, and we chose the windows for a timeless look that I think works well with French/English country (among other aesthetics). Love the story about your grandfather’s dreamy house!!

Thank you all for your kind comments! The house has been a lot of work just to get to this point, and I’m still sanding, etc…! :) I really appreciate the input. It’s so helpful to have fresh eyes on something you’ve been looking at so long….