We finally scored some chairs for the dining room, thanks to this craiglist ad emailed to us by our friend Sandra (muchas gracias!).
You’re probably thinking: what are they thinking?! Parsons chairs? Yup, that’s exactly what we’ve wanted since day one. Thirty bucks? Yeah baby. Weird green and blue swirly pattern? Um… no comment.
But since the price was right (we actually bargained them down to $25 per chair, coming to $200 total for all 8) and the shape/lines were right (they’re solid and very well-made) we figured it was time to pounce (with some reassurance from a few online tutorials about dyeing fabric, making slipcovers, or reupholstering parsons chairs). So in the end we hope to end up with eight affordable and well made parsons chairs without this… uh… “unique” fabric. Hopefully sooner rather than later…
As for how we got them home, I borrowed my sister’s Explorer (since I knew we couldn’t fit them in our Altima without making at least three trips) and drove 90 minutes round trip to Mechanicsville to pick up the chairs. I wish I’d brought the camera (or was fancy enough to have a decent cell phone cam) because the guy selling them lived on a giant horse farm, so the scenery was beautiful. And since Sherry and Clara stayed at home (to make room for more chairs in the car) I wished that I could have taken some photos so they could see it.
The guy selling them was a real character. I expected to pick up the chairs from his dining room, but instead he led me back to a bunch of large storage crates in his backyard (I must admit this is where craigslist horror stories started flashing through my mind and I wondered if I was being kidnapped). Then he rolled up the door to one of the storage crates to reveal that it was FILLED TO THE BRIM with these chairs. I never got the story behind how he ended up with so many, but my guess is that they came from some hotel auction or something. All that mattered is that they were in good condition (solid, sturdy, clean, no pet/smoke odors, etc) and that he was happy to let me put a dent in his collection and leave with eight of those babies.
Here I am back home with my booty (that’s not a butt reference, I mean the chairs), cheesy pose and all (sometimes I defer to cheesy poses when Sherry runs towards me with the camera, you know, just to humor her). And yes, I was extremely proud of fitting all eight of them into my sister’s car in one trip. There was even a call to Sherry where I told her I could only fit six so I needed to make two trips with a big fat “just kidding!” at the end.
As a reminder, here’s what the dining room looked like back when it was chair-less…
…and here it is now with eight new occupants. Actually only seven are pictured because Sherry likes that more breathable look for “everyday” (we can easily add in the eighth one when we need it – until then it’s hanging out in our chaotic playroom with 99% of our other “extra stuff”).
We keep having to remind ourselves to look past the crazy pattern and enjoy the fact that we scored a serious deal on the exact style of chair (with clean lines and solid construction) that we’ve been eying.
The best price we’ve seen so far on any new parsons chair is around $85 (Pottery Barn sells similar ones for $299!), so as long as we can correct the swirly fabric for less than $60 per chair, we made the right call. Even if it means that our dining room looks a bit like a hotel conference room for the time being…
Sherry found a few online tutorials for dyeing fabric directly on furniture that we might try (although dye = scary, so we might skip right to the next step, which would be to make slipcovers or reupholster them in the crisp apple green color that Sherry has been dreaming of from day one). So that’s the story of driving out to a farm and squeezing eight $25 chairs into my sisters car. Maybe you guys have recent craigstlist deals to share? Or an “I can’t believe I got that to fit into my car” tale to tell?
sarah b says
I work in commercial furniture and I knew that fabric looked familiar!
https://www.themomgroup.com/servlet/quickSearchSpecs.jsp?prodNo=09044308&patternPos=189&colorPos=5&chairImgKey=&backToPage=/servlet/quickSearch.jsp&favorites=&navDirection=detail&searchType=library#
The nice thing, since this is a commercial grade fabric, those are more than likely, commercial grade chairs, which are built to withstand a lot more wear and tear than your everyday dining chair.
One thing to note, that fabric will probably not dye well. That pattern has a Crypton backing, which was originally developed for healthcare. It’s impermeable to moisture and if you do a little test with pouring a little water onto it, the water will bead up and not seep into the foam. It’s a really cool technology but doesn’t lend itself to dye.
So whatever you do, in the long run, I’d totally recommend leaving that fabric underneath whatever you do. It will protect the foam with a water proof barrier and make the chairs last a long time!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! That’s what we thought when we googled the manufacturer. They’re very strong sturdy chairs that we hope will last for a looong time! As for dyeing, we’re over that idea. We’re thinking that reupholstering or slipcovering is the way to go!
xo,
s
Connie says
I agree with Meghan-I wasn’t sold on the table till I saw the chairs around it :) and I’m gonna have to join Team “I don ‘t mind that fabric so much”! It’s kinda fun.
Tara says
Hi,
Love your website.Why don’t you try IKEA and see if you can find dining chair slipcovers for the dining chair collection they carry. You may even find a color similar to the sofa you have just incase you choose to match.
Jenny B says
And it has the peacock feather look as well..that etsy shop is FAB!
Lilly says
Oh yea the pattern didn’t look too bad dolo but when I saw the whole pack it tollaly gave it that conference room look. But it was still a major score at $25 a piece they look very well built and the clean lines none of that curved in the back top stuff. Cool. i love it when I can get my hands on something totally awesome for alot cheaper than it would be. I’m a heart craigslist. Just bought a (pottery barn) crib skirt and bumper for only $15 & a 20 min drive not bad. it really goes for $90 bumper & $50 skirt. Also got a new kitchen cabinet for free the same exact color, style and size that I needed. A NEW micro/hood for $50. A huge 70″x38″ wooden wall art $40 I needed to fill a huge wall in the living room and it has the same exact geometric pattern as my bed bath and beyond sconces from the wall across. So it fit the bill perfectly. OMG I can go on & on about my cheapo, green shopping craigslist finds. My new dinning table $100. new, wooden, sleek design. . . Told u I heart craigslist.
kim b says
I actually like the fabric and it matchs your colours.
Lindsay says
I recently upholstered a dining chair from Ikea with no pattern and no experience. Not gonna lie: it nearly killed me. For one! If I were going to do it over again I would have bought a slipcover from Ikea to use as a pattern. My (unsolicited) would be to try to remove the fabric from one of the chairs and use it as a pattern to make your covers. Good luck!
Val says
I have an “I cannot believe I could NOT fit that into my car” story. I finally found great outdoor chairs (recycled plastic and made in the US!) at Target but could not fit them into my car and was too wary of doing the drive-home-with-the-trunk-tied thing. Need a friend with truck, stat.
I would go straight to slipcovering, as welting seems difficult to me. Plus they would be washable. Congrats on the find!
Kalei says
I have a similar Parson’s chair car story. My husband and I found 6 microsuede Parson’s chairs at a store that was going out of business. Each chair was $40 and was exactly what we were looking for. At the time neither of us had an SUV. I traded my gas guzzling Expediddy for a money and gas saving Prius. Determined not to spend anymore money on getting the chairs home via Home Depot rental truck, I managed to puzzle piece 5 of the 6 chairs in my prius. The other lonely chair fit nicely in my husbands back seat. All I could say was, STOKED!
Congrats on the crazy chairs!
Sharon says
I just recently discovered your blog and have enjoyed reading about your DIY projects. You are where I was about 25+ years ago! I have plenty of experience sewing and re-upholstering and thought I’d give some advice. I never heard of anyone dyeing furniture. I don’t think I would try that, especially on a fabric with a strong pattern. You may even cause some damage to the stuffing. Slipcovers are a practical choice for dining chairs in a home with children. Make a pattern out of muslin or something similar and then use it to cut out your fabric for all eight chairs. The slipcovers could be easily removed to be washed and at a later date if you change your decor or want additional “seasonal” slipcovers, you would have a pattern to use. Also, at a later date, you could re-upholster the chairs which would be a relatively easy project given the style of chairs. But re-upholstering is more labor intensive because you have to “strip” the chairs before you can recover them. If you don’t like the look of slipcovers, and prefer the more “tailored, neat” look of upholstery, then the parson chairs would be a good first time project.
Corinne says
Wow, what a great steal! I think I’ve been in a hotel that used those chairs too……Anyway, kudos on getting that all to fit into the truck in one shot too!
I recently sold the swing set that I inherited from my house’s previous owners. They had kids, I don’t, so it just sat in the backyard looking pathetic and unloved. I put it up on Craigslist at 3:30pm on a Thursday and had sold it by 7am on Friday! I was concerned when the buyers showed up in a minivan to haul it away, but they were able to get the entire set into that van in one try. There was a little merry-go-round cemented into the ground too! I was impressed but also happy to see that thing get a new home.
notlaura says
here i thought i was being helpful sending you these on twitter. i guess you already had your eyes on them!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it was so sweet of you to make sure we were in the loop!
xo,
s
Noel says
Congrats on the chairs! One plus about upholstering them yourself is that you can choose the color and fabric you really want, rather than get stuck with that dark olive color you read on some reviews. I understand your fear of sewing machines- I even have one but I’m too chicken to ever use it. Once you’re comfortable, I bet you’ll be a sewing queen!
Noel says
Oops…I meant making slipcovers, not reupholstering. Duh! It’s still early, haha. Whatever you decide to do will look great!
Gaidig says
I would not recommend dyeing them because you don’t know what the fabric content is. Different types of fiber need different types of dye. If they are commercial chairs in pristine condition, then they are most likely treated with something that makes them resist stains, and would make it even more difficult to dye them. Furthermore, if the fabric is wool, the dye would need to be heat set. If the fabric is synthetic, then most of the dyes for it are very dangerous — the sort of thing you work with under a ventilation hood — not safe for you in your house, let alone Clara. Even if you do manage to dye the chairs, the pattern appears to be woven in, so the swirls would still be visible. Unless you use something like a discharge paste, you will have to dye it at least as dark as the darkest color. You would also want to use something like sodium alginate to thicken the dye so that you can paint it on evenly without it being a mess. Furthermore, you don’t know what the dye would do to the padding, etc.
You could paint it as mentioned above, but I wouldn’t expect that to be durable, especially on top of a commercial grade fiber like this one, which is designed to resist wear nd be easy to clean, and it might have a strange texture.
Slipcovering or even reupholstering would be so much easier and more likely to have a positive result. You could even purchase cheap slip covers and dye them much more easily and with more success than dyeing the chairs directly. You would just throw the slipcovers in the washing machine with a package of Rit or iDye. It even looks like you can buy patterns for parsons chair slipcovers, and I think that they would be an easy entry project for learning how to reupholster.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we’re officially over the dyeing idea. Too scary! Haha.
xo,
s
Mary says
My best cragislist score: solid oak bookcases with base cabinets below. $40 each. Mint condition. Got 3 to go across a wall in our home office. Which also includes a soild wood mission style desk with matching leather chair, an upholstered chair and round end table, an “Ott light” for the desk — the entire room total = $196.
Instead of calling it the office, we refer to it as “Craig’s Room.”
Sharon in NYC says
i’m glad a lot of people said they didn’t mind the fabric, because i actually think it looks good with the dark interior of your built-ins playing off one of the swirl colors and that particular vase on the table. i LIKE it!
homeatlast says
I have the Napa dining chairs from Pottery Barn with a set of slipcovers and the shape is very similar to yours. Since they only offer a small selection of both long and short slipcovers, I’m thinking of using one of my slipcovers as a pattern and having a new set made in a fabric I love so that I can change them out when the mood strikes. Would you consider slipcovering your new chairs using one of PB’s as a guide?
The idea of dying or painting the fabric on your chairs calls to mind visions of the dye or paint winding up on my bum!
YoungHouseLove says
Sure, that could work!
xo,
s
Tiff Morrison says
Way to go!I’m a big fan of the Parson chair as well. Can’t wait to see what you guys do with the fabric. Good luck.
Ginger says
Congrats on your awesome score! I haven’t read all the comments, but I’m wondering if you have considered spray painting the fabric that is already on the chairs? I know it sounds crazy, but I have had TWO different friends spray paint couches, and I would never have known if they hadn’t told me. The couches were still soft and seemed like they had regular fabric on them. It just seems like it would be an easier/cheaper option than recovering or slip-covering, and if it didn’t work, then you could always still choose one of those other options.
Have fun with them, whatever you choose!
Katrina f says
The fabric on those chairs is a special type called Crypton, which is made to resist staining, so dyeing is probably not a good idea. The fabric info can be found at https://www.themomgroup.com/momtex.html Just search for pattern: Schmooze, color: Lake.
I’m a commercial designer working for a furniture dealer, so that fabric pattern immediately looked familliar :)
That’s a great deal on those chairs!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we’re officially over the dyeing idea. Too scary! Haha.
xo,
s
Monika says
Great Craigslist find!
I have a few suggestions about sewing slip covers if you decide to go that route:
– If you acquire a large roll of paper (kids art paper could work) you can measure the chairs and draw a simple pattern.
– You can sew a test slipcover out of a really inexpensive fabric (like broadcloth) using the pattern you made on the paper.
– Once you have your finished test cover you can see how it fits on the chair, and make any necessary adjustments to your pattern.
– You could sew a second test cover with your altered pattern or if you are confident in your changes you can get started on sewing the slip covers.
This system will allow you to make mistakes inexpensively and allow you some time to practice sewing before you start on the real deal.
Looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!
Monika
Heather Beals says
I haven’t seen the dye before, but I’ve found Fabric spray paint at Michael’s and online in several colors and it intrigues me. I’ve been too scared to try it out though! Can’t wait to see what you decide!
Fiona says
Wow! The room’s really coming together. Somehow the chairs make the end product much more imagine-able. Now I can really see how with the opening to the kitchen the room will just shout FAMILY TIME
Mary says
ha – that desk is solid wood – not soiled wood as you might wonder with my typo.
Tanya from Dans le Townhouse says
Great find! They do look much sturdier than similar ones that can be found in certain stores. And, in the pics, the fabric isn’t even that bad! I wouldn’t suggest keeping them, but definitely livable while you figure something out.
nina says
I got four parsons chairs on craigslist and covered them with the fabric you used on Claras window panels. I love the way they turned out but I’m not gonna lie, it was a lot of work. I agree with dye =scary. My mom is a designer and has worked with home dye and done some textile design. She tells me to stay away from home dye. Its too messy for inconsistent results. Good luck with your chairs, I’m sure they will be beautiful!
Sara @ House Bella says
Haha, that’s too funny, because my exact thought when I saw the picture was “umm…interesting.” So I’m glad you’re going to reupholster them! Great find.
annabelvita says
To me it looks more like a hotel in the chairless picture – like you’re so fancy you can have an enormous entry hall with a random massive table in it for interest.
I don’t have any craigslist stories, but it was freecycle and serendipity that brought me and my boyfriend together!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, oh yes, all we were missing was a big crystal chandelier and a butler. Haha.
xo,
s
taysha riggs says
I actually really like that pattern :-) Maybe slipcover 4 in white so every other chair is unique.
Regina says
call me crazy… but I LOVE the fabric!
Megan @ reFind says
I love how they look around the table (well, the shape of them)… Can’t wait to see what you do with them. Are you going to paint the legs? Or is the slip cover going to be long?
I can also see you doing many different solid colors – maybe 4 different colors, 2 chairs each?
I recently DIYed my first slip cover chairs (pretty similar to these)… it was fun, and turned out much better than I though :) My tip: make about 12, because there will be about 8 that you like. It will take more time, but you wont be annoyed at the end.
Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re planning to keep the legs as-is since they work so well with the table. We’ll do short slipcovers or upholster them so they stay leggy, haha.
xo,
s
Oona says
At least the temporary fabric semi-coordinates with your color scheme! You should have saved this one for the 1st and told everyone how excited you are about your new fab, swirly chairs… Haha!
xin says
Great finds. You should definitely make some slipcovers for these babies. It’s almost all straight lines for these slipcovers. Just need to measure twice first, and make a practice run with an old sheet first. Then that one to cut your more expensive fabric. You will then fall in love with sewing, and cannot stop yourself, especially now Clara is bigger, there are so many cute things or dresses you can make for her.
Anyway, this is my story. Years ago, I drove home with some lumbers and several bags of gravels and soil in our brand new Subaru Forester, alone, from our local Lowe’s, which is about 5 minutes local. I always fit the lumbers lengthwise in our cars, but that time I forgot about the heavy bags. I made a left turn a little too fast at intersection, the bags moved, and pushed the lumbers tightly against my steering wheel. I couldn’t make the slight right turn right after the intersection, drove right at the incoming cars! Luckily, we both stopped in time! Never told this to my hubby! The lesson learned from this, always have ropes in the trunk, so I can secure everything before leaving the parking lot.
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow! So glad you’re ok!
xo,
s
bryn alexandra interiors says
I have six upholstered chairs sitting in my garage that need new upholstery which I can’t yet afford. I’ve actually had them a year! But I’m so glad I got them when I did because they are awesome, well made and were a great deal. As they say, you gotta strike while the iron’s hot!
Brynne says
My husband and I were super excited to find a Lovesac brand sectional sofa on Craigslist for 1/5 of the normal price – these are seriously the comfiest sofas ever. One of the selling points of this sectional is that it breaks down into “bases” and “sides” so you can reconfigure the sofa and add pieces later. Also that it can fit in your vehicle when you’re bringing it home…… So we brought our little VW Jetta confident that it should fit. Well, we spent an hour pushing pieces in and taking pieces out and trying to get in touch with friends who own SUVs, and finally we fit it in!! We drove 30 miles back with couch pieces stacked to the roof and our seats scooted up to the dashboard, but by golly we got our awesome couch that I had been stalking Craigslist for months to find!
Krystyl says
Maybe you can enlist the help of Ana White….
http://ana-white.com/2010/11/drop-cloth-parson-chair-slipcovers.html
Kinda funny cuz I found you guys from following her. :)
Love a great deal!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tutorial!
xo,
s
Dawn says
You know…you can PAINT fabric as well. All it takes is some priming paint (in basically the same shade), the color you want to actually paint, some water, and a bottle of paint conditioner (it makes the paint softer, so you don’t end up with crusty chairs…:) ).
I tried to find the tutorial for you, but couldn’t. SO…basically, you clean the surface of the chairs (no oil spots). Spray them with water, and take your primer with some water added, and a little bit of conditioner. Paint WITH the fabric grain if there is any. Do two coats letting them dry in between. Then using your paint full strength plus the conditioner, paint the fabric with the color you want the fabric ultimately to be. Let them dry and VOILA! You’ve got pretty chairs…:)
bryn alexandra interiors says
One more thing – I think slipcovers are your best bet on these chairs. Unless you are great at a sewing machine, I’d have them made. But here is a little designer’s tip – go to your local dry-cleaners/seamstress instead of an upholstery shop. Usually they can do simple slipcovers like this and charge a lot less.
Samm Spangler says
Isn’t Craigslist just the best?!
I found a little treasure of my own about a year ago when I was looking for an entertainment center for my new TV… found a gorgeous black wood one which I talked down from $125, to $75. Two weeks later walking through a furniture store and saw my EXACT center for $599!! I think I may have even screamed a little in excitement, had my fiance take a picture of me next to the price tag, and then proceeded to literally skip out of the store…
I still brag about it to this day… hooray bargains!
-Samm in Dallas
P.S- I totally love that you found those chairs in a town called “Machanicsville”… just awesome…
jackie says
I think you should reupholster the chairs!!
Actually that’s because I have been considering reupholstering some similar chairs and I would love to see how you do it…so that is a totally selfish suggestion. :) Good luck with whatever you choose!
Lisa says
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?
Kristy DIY slipcovers everything.
http://www.pinkandpolkadot.net/
bethany says
you know what’s crazy–i actually LIKE that pattern!!
Amber says
Don’t be afraid of reupholstery! I recently reupholstered some chairs I found in my basement (Ick, ugh, they made your fabric look fabulous!) and they came out great, it only took me about ten minutes a chair. Repainting them was a different story ;D
Anessa says
Man I am so jealous! I have also been on the hunt for some parsons chairs for my dining room table. Unfortunately I can’t manage to find them at a price that I can afford right now:(and I live to far to make a trip to that man’s storage shed :( So I guess I keep hunting.
Yuliya says
Honestly guys it doesn’t look that bad. Really. They kinda go… just sayin.
Jenn says
I’m curious–when you buy things from other people or when you were in the process of buying/selling your house, do you tell people you interact with that you have one of the most popular home decorating blogs on the internet and that their house/furniture/decor item may end up seen by millions? Or does anyone that you buy from recognize you from the blog?
YoungHouseLove says
We never bring up the blog since we don’t want special treatment or to freak people out. Haha. It’s just awkward to say “we have a blog by the way” haha. So we just post our own pics and description or reach out to people that we’re interested in buying from as real people- not bloggers. Of course when we sold our house we told the buyers about our blog, just so they were in the loop. Haha.
xo,
s
Paige says
nice score! Craigslist rocks–except for their personal ads.
Can’t wait to see how you improve the chairs!
Heather says
My find to date is off of Uncle Henry’s. I’m going to pick up a Nikon D50 with an extra lens, filters, extra battery and a speedlight flash, and a couple other things for $550. It was super well taken care of. The girl simply upgraded to a new camera.
I’m also eyeing a set of four antique chairs with caned seats that need to be redone. I learned how to cane by stroke of luck from an older gentleman at a local ag fair we had our tractor in. Since then I’ve been trying to find the perfect chairs to work on. The fiance likes to note that I need to get through the wedding before I start caning chairs and turning some reclaimed turned table legs into lamps haha.
Lindsey says
At least the pattern tones work in the room for the time being, that is DEFINATELY a great thing.
Sarah says
I actually like the pattern with your color scheme… In the craigslist picture it looked bad but when I see them all together (kinda the opposite of what other people are saying) I think they actually complement what you’ve got going on… and really bring out the color in the built ins