Young House Love

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Getting Cheap Dining Chairs From Craigslist

We finally scored some chairs for the dining room, thanks to this craiglist ad emailed to us by our friend Sandra (muchas gracias!).

DChairs Craigslist Ad2

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…

DChair Close Up Pattern

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.

DChairs John With Truck

As a reminder, here’s what the dining room looked like back when it was chair-less…

DChairs Before Straight

…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”).

DChairs After Straight

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.

DChairs Vertical

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…

DChairs Up A Bit

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?

Comments

  1. Laura O says

    I don’t mind the pattern! Not in my home but I feel like it matches your style, color scheme, and of course; napkins. Just a thought! Love the look of the parsons chairs around the circle table like that!

    Reply

  4. Melody Strayer says

    GREAT deal!! And while I agree that they are slightly hotel-esque, I love that they are not *horrible* in the room as is… so if it takes a long time to find something that works as a slipcover/reupholster solution, at least they are kinda matchy-ish. Could definitely be worse!

    Reply

  5. Kendra Bester says

    Love the chairs, what a great deal!
    In the future are planing on putting up a hanging light above the dinning room table?
    Just curious because I am guessing you will have to hook up new wiring!
    Looking forward to seeing what you do to re-vamp the chairs.
    Kendra

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, we’re big fans of bringing in the experts for things like that. So just like we paid an electrician $100 to drop a pendant light over our last dining room table, we’ll do the same in there! Details when we tackle that for sure!

      xo,
      s

  6. r8chel says

    Wouldn’t you love to know who designs fabric like that? Does some designer go home at the end of the day, proud of having created that?! :)

    Reply

  7. Meggan says

    Every spring is my favorite time of year in MN. Because of the long winter, yes, but….there is a city clean-up that is better than Christmas for me! It’s essentially a free garage sale. Do you hear the angels singing? :) I have found the most spectacular things. So, picture this…I’m 6 mos. pregnant driving around in my husband’s pick-up with a 2 year old in my backseat. I live in the woods, so am always looking for benches, chairs, etc. I came across an A Frame swing that is HUGE! Of course the street is deserted, but my prego butt is physically not able to leave this thing that obviously wants to come home with me! I hefted the entire thing up onto the truck. It was surprisingly light, just awkward. My husband thought it was the Beverly Hillbillies when I came up the driveway! What I won’t do for a great find! My heart is beating just thinking about the scores I’ll find this year ;)

    Reply

  8. KK says

    A trip to Mary Jo’s Fabric Store is in order! OOOh, I can’t wait!

    I got my Parson’s chairs (plain cream) at Garden Ridge Pottery for $35/each. Just in case one snaps or something, they have the same ones there, ready for upholstery!

    Reply

  9. Emily says

    What a steal! These are great! I actually don’t mind the pattern (you know, since it’s not at my house and I don’t seem them all day, every day). I can imagine some gorgeous table settings with them, as is. They kind of match your napkin (Sue, is it?).

    Reply

  11. jbhat says

    Two things. One, I am dying of happiness for you about this amazing score/feat and am on the edge of my swirly-fabric’d convention center seat to see what you come up with to make them into your dream chairs.

    Two, did John do the house crash from the recent post when he went to get these chairs? Or was that asked and answered already?

    jbhat

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, nope those were two separate trips. We all went to the house crash out near Northern Virginia. But the trip out to Mechanicsville was just John so we could fit those chairs in the car. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  14. Janet says

    I once fit 14 boxes of bamboo flooring into the back of my ’96 Volkswagen Golf. I was so proud of myself, until I realized that it killed my shocks and struts. Wah wah.

    Reply

  16. erica says

    In a strange early 90’s hotel sort of way. . . the chairs look cool, for now! Great deal. I’ve furnished my whole house from craigslist- took 3 years though!

    Reply

  17. Katreena says

    When I was in college, I drove a 97′ Chevy Cavalier…2 door! My best friend and I would go on regular thrift shopping trips all over the state of Indiana (literally). On one particular trip I scored an awesome recliner chair and matching storage ottoman for $30…total! The only problem…we were about 200 miles from home driving my 2 door cavalier. Low and behold, we actually managed to get the set into my backseat. To this day, I still don’t know how we did that without having to take apart my car.

    Reply

  18. Callie says

    I know you guys are all about taking risks and all… But before I had time to read the actual post, I just saw the pictures… I was about to be VERY worried about you two.

    Reply

  19. Lisa Gonzalez says

    I LOVE how they look around your awesome table. Can’t wait to see how they evolve :)

    PS Guys, I adore your site and am so happy for you that you’ve been able to make it a full-time gig. WAY TO GO DREAMERS!

    {sorry for the cheesy-ness but absolutely love a ‘Good things happen to good people’ story and yours is one of those :) }

    Reply

  20. Lauren L says

    The IKEA hendrikdal (is that the name?) is a parsons chair for which they have awesome slipcovers for cheap. they just might fit…

    I’d make/buy extra slipcovers and scotchguard them all thoroughly. I scotchguard EVERYTHING, including placemats!

    Reply

  21. Erica says

    I can’t wait to see them after you work your magic on them! I can see the dining room coming together! Right now we are up to our eyeballs in dust…We are tackling remodeling the full bathroom! I’m talking ripping down the plaster walls! FUN!!! Why is it that they don’t make very attractive bathroom exhaust vents? Any tips?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Our tips would just be to try to have fun and do things one step at a time. It can be really overwhelming if you don’t take it day by day. Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  22. Carmen says

    Sweet! What a great deal! I actually made a slipcover for this same chair for 2010 Spring Quilt Market for a display and it was amazingly easy. I’m certain you guys could do it, too!

    Reply

  23. Kara says

    I would love to find a deal like that on craigslist for some parsons chairs! Fabulous. We just picked up an amazing, solid-wood buffet/TV console this weekend after months and months of looking through, well, lots of junk on craigslist. I was about to give up and pony up the moo-lah for a pricier one at World Market, when voila! There’s nothing much better than finding exactly what you want for a great deal!

    Reply

  26. Rachael says

    I love the Parsons chairs with that table! They’ll look great when they’re covered in another fabric. Are you thinking of changing the wood color too?

    Reply

  27. Val says

    We got our dining room chairs almost exactly the same way. A local restaraunt was going under and had hundreds of solid wood chairs to get rid or. $25 a piece on Craigslist and I NEVER find deals like that. We were so stoked and they have held up great.

    Slipcovering those babies should be a breeze (but I don’t think you’ll be able to get away with the iron-on stuff for this).

    Reply

  28. Krystal says

    Can’t wait to see what you do with these chairs!

    A week ago for spring break I managed to get two extra large suitcases, a duffel bag, my backpack, my laptop bag, 9 weeks of laundry (= 7 laundry baskets), my purse, 8 bags of groceries, a new tire, and myself inside my teeny tiny Hyundai Accent. It wasn’t a comfortable 4 hour drive back to school, but I managed and I was impressed with myself.

    As a kid I remember my parents folding down the back seats of our Durango and sliding in pieces of lumber that would end up hanging out of the windows and then they would tell me to get in. I’d maneuver in through the small open spaces like I was crawling through a complex security system, and once my parents would get in the car they’d say something like “Now, we know you can’t get a seat belt on, so try not to move around too much and make sure you don’t damage the wood.” I also remember when they bought my new bedroom set and managed to get a dresser, two nightstands, a headboard and footboard, a bed frame, and a vanity in the Durango. I still haven’t figured that one out.

    Reply

  31. Tiffany says

    Great deal! I’m so happy you guys were able to find some chairs. Honestly I’m not crazy about the pattern but it doesn’t look bad in the room.

    Reply

  33. oneida says

    yay, i’m excited that you found the chairs that you wanted!

    we had to gut the kitchen in our new house because it was a short-sale, and, well, the cabinets were rotting (not to mention the washer and dryer were next to the stove in a very small galley kitchen). we decided to get new ones from IKEA, which is in phoenix, 2 hours from where we live in tucson. we spent 8 hours at IKEA trying to figure out the right cabinets and dimensions, then after finally ordering, loaded everything into our ford explorer, which is so old that the speedometer has gone around 2x so it ‘only’ has 7000 miles on it :) anyway, we strategically loaded all the boxes in until it was packed to the brim. the uncut countertop was even a mini-wall from front to back so we could barely see each other in the front seats.

    anyway, as we were driving away, i said, ‘ wait, where was the sink?’ they forgot to give it to us! so we turned around in the parking lot and came back to get it. we had no idea how we were going to fit it in; there didn’t seem to be even an inch of space left. but somehow, like mary poppin’s magic purse, we managed to fit it in and clunked our way back to tucson! and our kitchen looks amazing.

    Reply

  34. Jenny says

    Great find! I once bought an old hotel amoire for a steal. But please reassure me that you did a once over for evidence of bed bugs. Those things can live a long time without a meal. eeks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Of course! John is a freak about that. They were being kept outdoors over the winter in a non-heated container so that was a relief as well (putting things in the freezer kills bedbugs for good).

      xo,
      s

  35. JODY says

    I see blog threads all the time abt re-upholstering chairs. I recently scored a super cool mid-century mod chair in faux green leather for free! VERY cool- So I called abt custom upholstering…. $400 !!! NOT including fabric- SO Ive GOT to learn to do it myself!! (my project would require sewing tho) ;-(

    Reply

  36. Carolyn H. says

    I know I’m not the first one to leave this comment, but I kind of like the chairs just the way they are. The bar is set pretty high for re-doing them; it’s going to take a lot to improve on them.

    Good thing that the guy has many more chairs. If something goes wrong with the re-do, you can drive back to the horse farm and pick up a spare.

    Reply

  38. Jill Stigs says

    Can’t wait to see how you fix these chairs up………what a great deal!

    I love CL. Bought a wooden trash bin for $40 in great shape (they retail for over $250) and sold my old oak armoire when I was redecorating my room and bought a wooden bed (not mattress or boxspring though) and 2 floor lamps with shelves to use as nightstands with the money!

    Reply

  39. Kayt says

    I like that fabric, actually. Kind of much with eight of them all together, but I think it’s kind of fun, and it looks nice with the blue built ins in that room. The apple green will be soooo pretty, though!

    I managed to fit three dressers (one highboy, two long and low) and a matching nightstand into my Exploder. I was super impressed that the guy from Goodwill managed it for me! Even better, they’re solid wood dressers, and I scored them for $10 each! They’re scattered throughout my house, and I love them.

    Reply

  40. Yulia says

    Minivans always get a bad rap, but we’re constantly amazed as to how much we haul especially since the seats are removable. One time we moved a full sized 3-seat couch and the tailgate closed fully behind it! Then last spring, Lowes had a buy 1 get 1 free sale on mulch bags and we fit 42 bags!

    Reply

  41. Malisa says

    I’m so excited you posted this. I just bought my first house and while not technically a fixer upper I still love DIY projects. I’ve also been on the hunt for parsons chairs. I needed 5 though because my new table will have a bench on one side then three chairs on the other. Since I’m in northern Virginia and you said this guy had loads of the chairs, I called him up to ask how he felt about “splitting up the set” (sneaky sneaky) and he was on board. I’m hoping to be able to fit 5 in the back of my Santa Fe this weekend. Thanks!!!!!

    Reply

  42. Donita says

    Those look perfect *minus the fabric* ;-) with your table. Don’t be intimidated by reupholstering, it is really not hard at all. We just use the pieces from the chair, etc, as the pattern. Check out Joann Fabrics online coupons, and then watch for their home decor/upholstery fabric to go on sale. You should easily be able to recover them for CHEAP. I bought the upholstery fabric and made couch pillows, 12.00, and the ones in stores would have been 35.00 – 50.00. Joann’s is the place to be. :-) *they did not pay me for this ad. HEE HEE*.

    Reply

  44. georgia says

    I love them chairs, there a little bit crazy in colour, maybe its the GEOmetric pattern… there practically names after me. lol

    Picture this: walking through ikea, sniggering at people whoi are struggling to fit things in there car thinking ‘hmm they should have measured that first’ well thats me usually….

    Until – we took the Fiance’s Landrover Discovery (very large 4×4) to ikea which is 50 miles away.
    We bought – Klippan sofa…. Klippan sofa didnt want to fit in the car i ended up with my seat so far forward i was scared of smashing the windscreen with my face…. pahaa
    i was literally an inch from the screen…

    Although it was worth it as im sat on said sofa now.. :o)

    Reply

  46. Erin says

    Congrats on scoring the chairs!

    Don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it (because I don’t have time to read the 356 comments before me…sorry!), but Bed, Bath & Beyond sells a Parson’s chair slipcover for $7.99. Couldn’t you just buy eight of them in white and dye the slips apple green? Seems it would be a whole lot easier to control than dying the original upholstery.
    Here’s the link:
    http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=16848069

    Reply

    • RA says

      Polyester fabrics have the dye manufactured into the fibers. They cannot absorb dye as natural fibers do. The cotton/poly blend would not dye evenly.

  47. Erin says

    Another thought: you could buy the Bed, Bath & Beyond slips and dye them two, three or four different colors found in Sue the napkin. I love it when dining room chairs aren’t all exactly the same.

    Reply

  49. shar y says

    Great find! They will be perfect and don’t look bad now. You guys were in the Houston Chronicle yesterday. I felt so proud that I already knew all about ya!!!

    Reply

  50. Dianne says

    OMG I can’t wait to see what you do with these chairs. This will definitely make for an impressive before and after.

    I would vote for slipcovers though I don’t know how you will be able to achieve that for $60 each. Unless, you sew them yourself. But don’t be intimitated by a sewing machine. I learned to sew 2 years ago and I LOVE it. I only wish my grandma could see me now.

    Dianne

    Reply

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