This flame stitch could be good for the welting on the upholstered arm chairs and would be period appropriate (likely too busy for anything else):

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I really like #2. #1 strikes me as being too busy. I think the little pointy "wings" sticking up would be too much, and the legs are not very gracefully proportioned, imo. For some reason #3 doesn't appeal to me much. I'm not sure why.

Was on 1st Dibs looking around at the variety of chairs and I was consistently preferring the soft simple curves on top for your space, very similar to your #2. See?

I also think a solid splat would look good, if you haven't considered it.

As far as the RH chairs are concerned, I would use two different fabrics. Wrap the back in a print and keep the rest of the chair in a solid.

You can go a little out of the box with fabric. Just to give you an idea, I am posting a picture of our accent chair in our FR. Most of the chair is navy blue tweed and the back was done in a print. The wood is not quite as orange as in the picture. This was when the room was in the process of being furnished.

I like the Henckel Harris (#2) or eBay chairs (#4) best. The Chippendale ones are pretty, but something about them looks more oriental than the table would look good with. The first ones are pretty, but the extra bit at the top seems ... extra.

Chairs are amazingly expensive, unfortunately. I wish it were otherwise.

For the upholstered chairs I like the previously suggested idea of doing the back in a different fabric than the front. But I think I'd want a pattern on the front because stains seem to show up more dramatically on a solid fabric. At some point, someone will drip the smallest speck of sauce or coffee or tea on the chair. So I lean toward a pattern that has some of the colors from your rug in it.

Your rug is so beautiful that I would be trying to bring out more colors from it. The blue paint on your walls works wonderfully. Here's a coral that could match for your chairs but I'm having a hard time telling if it would match or not.
diyupholsterysupply.com/PCV12/Premier-Cotton-Velvet.html

I prefer the Henkel Harris chairs. I have learned from experience, that older is better in furniture. These are solid chairs in a suitable style that will serve you well for years to come.I would do the seats in a rich solid color,maybe in a cotton velvet, perhaps pulling a color from your Karastan.
I still like the curtains, I think if you darken the gold frame of the mirror, or find a perfect one, then that will help re-unify the dining room room.
re the coats: Living in our houses dictates some measure of practicality so dont worry about it.

I do not like the Chippendale chairs for this space. Your room is becoming too contrived and the individual pieces will fight amongst themselves. Do slat back chairs without so much ornamentation and if you are going to do the Oriental looking Chippendale's, put the greek key come oriental mirror back and do slubbed silk, solid colored drapes.

Or just go back to where you were and get some simpleton chairs, and keep the drapes, the mirror that needs the brown glaze and for God's sake, take down that coat rack.

I want your rug and you cat, they're purrfect!

Hands down I like #2 chairs best. The top and back are intricate enough to belong in a formal dining room, without looking fussy. I prefer the straight legs as well, and I think they fit better with the upholstered RH straight legs. #3 and #4 are probably a distant second for me. I like the top of #4 (so similar to #2), but I'm not in love with the legs. #3 is pretty nice, but a little too intricate and the top feels a little too light/spindley in relation to the solid legs. I'm sorry I do not particularly like the top of #1 (too much fan and wings) and I don't like the legs either.

I can certainly sympathize with your chair cost angst. I found a really beautiful mahogany table more than a year ago and I still haven't found chairs that I like at a price I'm willing to pay. Most of the antiques I've found locally are in horrible condition and still expensive and new chairs are outrageously expensive or very blah against a lovely table. So I really look forward to your final selection. Also, hopefully no one will start throwing rocks at me, but I rather like the drapes.

Oh, no, I love your curtains! I think they give you just the right level of strength and drama, and are great with the table.

Because of the paw feet on your table, I'd choose the straight legs rather than the ball and claw feet. I love the mahogany Chippendale chairs with the curved backs. Much more original than all the others. Don't worry about the tone of the wood being a little different - I think that's an advantage.

As to the upholstered chairs, I would have them skirted to the floor - your chairs and table will give you enough legs in there. I'd do them in a very low pile cotton velvet in the gold of your curtain stripe, and I'd have them piped with black welting.

Then I'd do the chair seats in charcoal velvet, to make the most of their pretty wood tone.

Just so you know, this table is supposed to have Chippendale chairs; I didn't just come up with that on my own. Here's the actual table from the old Stickley catalog:

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Well, ain't I just Miss Smartypants!
You do have lovely taste, and I think you should trust it.
After you take all my advice, of course....
(winky smiley face here...)

I prefer the number two chair best, but it does depend on the size. I like a large (and comfortable) dining room chair at the perfect back angle. Some chairs are quite small and too small for my 6' but style wise, that is my preference.

What are the eventual plans for the room? What are you keeping and losing? I think it's confusing some posters who might not have read the various posts.

I like the new mirror and I can't decide if I like it better or worse than the old one! I liked that one too although this one seems more on trend.

Beautiful table.
I think you have great taste and even if you consult no one and go with your instincts, it will all be fine.
This is fun though!

Of course everyone, like me, prefers the used, 20-year-old chairs that are still outrageously expensive. But Stenella did just get a shipment of these new (as in just made) chairs from Maitland Smith. They're on sale for $254 a piece and are pretty damn close to what I was looking for (there is a tiny bit if carving but I think I can deal with it). What's your opinion? I think I may have found a winner despite all you Chippendale haters! (Mine would not have arms.)

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That picture you posted, Kevin, has a very lovely, open and airy atmosphere. Love that look.

That price on Maitland Smith chairs seems almost too good to be true. My sister used to sell that brand in the upscale furniture store she works in in Maine, and I couldn't buy a tiny wooden box for that price.

I agree that you have found a winner. It must be fate that Stenella had a shipment of them just as you were looking for chairs. I even have an old secretary that I bought from Stenella years ago via eBay and had shipped to me in Maine.

Very nice! And the best part is you don't have to reupholster.

Perfect!

I like Snookums' second from last. Am I a bad person?

What do you mean, kitchendetective? That it's not worth paying $800 per chair. Well it's expensive as hell, but, for the most part, that'll get you an American-made chair that was hand made, hand rubbed, and should last for the rest of your life. That's why the table that I bought is 20 years old but still looks fantastic. But that's also why that table would cost over $4K today.

But since I don't feel like spending a ton of money on the side chairs, I think I'm going with the $250 Maitland-Smith ones above because they appear to be the right tone and sheen and have very minimal carving and plain, straight legs.

Now, I stopped by Calico Corners today and got a quote on reupholstering the two arm chairs, and they quoted me at $650 per (including all materials and an expensive fabric). That's about $100 more than I had expected/hoped. But I found a fabric I really like that has the exact wall color and carpet color blended together with a gold and white classic herringbone pattern. It doesn't read as too busy and will be incredibly durable. I'm not sure blue is the right color, but I really like it. It's $50 a yard, however, on sale for $37.50.

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Here are some better pictures of the actual side chairs I'll be looking at (and hopefully buying) tomorrow morning:

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The Maitland-Smith chairs are very nice and the price is great. Looks like you have found a winner. Next to the very expensive #2 chairs above, which were my favorites too, I think you can't do any better.

wow, Kevin, you really lucked out! I really like the lines. They look perfect with your table and pick up the shapes in the rug nicely. Love the bolder curved skirt better than the hard straight lines of the others. I love Chippendales, too, and that one is simple enough that it shouldn't get cluttered in the small space. And at an a-mazing price!

I don't see the gold upholstery working but will look forward to seeing how you bring the fabrics together. I think gray blue is good, it goes with the rug and your beautiful dramatic wall color seems to be a blued gray. Really nice with the coral tones in the rug.

I was hoping you'd get a textured, masculine fabric. That's one of the things I like about the original room is the eclectic and masculine feel you brought to it. It's an unusual choice and I look forward to seeing the results if you get them done.

I would quiet the drapes as a backdrop to the chairs, maybe with some banding for interest. Then maybe the mirror will work as is. While it might fight with the brick, I think it does it in a good way, even picking up the feel of it. It's good to have something in the room that's a little off, or unpredictable, to relax things. Things can get too perfect, high pitched, iykwim. I like its masculine presence.

I imagine some coral red drapes with banding and the seats in a lighter shade of the very gray blue you have going on.

Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be original, a bit eclectic and fitting to your quirky old house!

lol, kitchendetective.

Snookums, so did I fulfill your hopes in finding a masculine fabric (that was the goal), or do you not like this blue herringbone one? Hopefully I can make the seat fabric work. They usually have a couple of options at Stenella. So I'll see if they have a whiter poly/cotton blend one.

Honestly, I can't see blue or gold in the fabric. It looks gray so doesn't seeeem to blend with the rug. I can't picture herringbone. But I was imagining something textured that would keep the room masculine and eclectic. I know you will somehow retain that, because you are you! Right?

Are you covering them the same way as they are now? I was confused one is an armchair and the other isn't?

This post was edited by snookums2 on Mon, Jan 7, 13 at 23:45

It is a bit confusing. I have two arm chairs and two side chairs (one is next to the desk and the other is in the corner by the window). I had the other arm chair stashed away upstairs. I'm going to keep the two upholstered side chairs in the basement so that if I ever need 7th and 8th seats, they're accessible.

The fabric is definitely blue-gray, just like the wall color and portions of the rug. It took the lady at Calico Corners and I a while to find it. I haven't decided on it for sure, but I like the texture and feel and it will be very durable and will hide stains well from any sloppy eaters/drinkers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's a link to the fabric online, but it still looks more charcoal than it looks in real life

I think the herringbone is throwing me off. Did you see this more subtle one? It appears to be a gray with blue.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ralph Lauren Home

This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Jan 8, 13 at 0:19

Not in the store because I only looked on the RL wall, not in the RL books. I have a feeling that's going to look very green in person.

Fantastic chairs and I like the herringbone a great deal...I need new chair fabric so I'm watching what you pick out.

Love that fabric! I would still like to see another pattern mixed into those chairs.Calico Corners has some great fabrics. I've bought my share there. Just had some pillows made for our sofa. $$$$ but the work is impeccable.

Since you travel to NJ. The Berlin Mart has an upholsterer who has been there for years. I bet he will be more reasonable then Calico. They may also pick up and deliver. I had him give me a quote on covering a chair seat and I think it was $25.00 or $30.00. Since I needed a such a small amount of fabric, he told me I was welcome to look through their remnants and he would not charge me.
I would have given them a shoot at my sofa, if I would have remembered about them. He does nice work.

I've used Pasquarello Interiors for reupholstering my sofa. They also made my drapes. More reasonable then CC. I know they pick up and deliver. Many decorators from the area use them. The only draw back, is the wait but they may not be as busy now. Check them out too.

I really LOVE the pricing on the new chairs (even if you have to put new fabric on the seats). The herringbone you picked for the head chairs is a good one - looks like good colors for the room and I also like the masculine feel, it will balance the feminine style of the side chairs.

I'm torn about the curtains now. I didn't mind them with the new table, but I think I'd have to see the room all together before I'd know if they play well with the new fabric on the chairs. They are beautiful looking drapes, will they find a home elsewhere in your house? Or would you Craigslist them?

Nope, I was just giving my opinion without price consideration, but, since I seemed to be very much a minority opinion deviating from the consensus, I asked that facetious question. For clarity's sake, I was referring to these:

I think you have done very well. And no, I would never criticize spending $800 on a chair--unless the value wasn't there. My late father and uncles were furniture people!

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Tue, Jan 8, 13 at 12:20

Your kitty seems to be checking out your fabric choices quite intently, adorable.

Love the Maitland Smith chairs! I have a round table of theirs that I bought one day when I was looking for a lamp. It's more ornate than anything I've ever chosen, but I just fell for its over-the-top-ness.

But I don't love the herringbone for your other chairs...it looks rough and uncomfortable for chairs that you want people to linger in...and I think the pattern is too rural New Hampshire for your very lovely Philadelphia room. I also think your instinct that blue won't help your scheme is right.

I think a stripe with some texture would work, or a fretwork pattern, but in a softer, more refined finish.

Peach, coral, or apricot.

I'm in that camp! Bring it in somewhere.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Tue, Jan 8, 13 at 11:57

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Same fabric but in "ginger."

Those are beautiful chairs, can't wait to see them in there with that beautiful table.

I LOVE that.

I really like that one too! Can you get a sample, real quick, to check it out? lol

When do you get the chairs?

I've been wondering if you could pull off some antique brass tacks on the chair or some other kind of cording detail.

I think this one's success depends upon whether it skews more toward the gold threads or more toward the coral IRL. I think the rose/coral emphasis would be wonderful.

Found these coral striped drapes....

I'm sure when I see it in person it'll read pink to me and will be rejected. I'm just arriving now to pick up the chairs.

lol, this is really real time. On the road, from your "ipad".

I'm not seeing pink, but this monitor isn't very good. I'm sure the colors are skewed. I wonder if there are any vintage fabrics around to check out.

I really like the Maitland Smith chairs you've selected. I think they have the right proportions (not too spindly on the uprights on the back) and the intricacy is just right (not too fussy, not too plain). I didn't like the #3 Chippendale chairs as much as the #2 chairs for reasons specific to the actual chairs. I don't think I have enough knowledge to tell the difference between what makes a chair a "Chippendale" or not. So apparently I don't dislike Chippendale chairs specifically since I really like the ones you've selected.

Regarding upholstery on the RH chairs, I really like the idea of using a dark blue. I like the material you've selected, but I tend to like herringbone fabric a lot anyway. I might suggest looking to try a sample even more dark and more blue if you can find one you like, since this does seem to have a bit of a grey cast to it. But overall I like the sample, and your assistant kitty is very beautiful.

Kevin, I can't find that fabric on line at the CC site. Do you mind telling me any pertinent names and numbers?

A vote for the peach, apricot, coral upholstery. I think the drapes will still look good, I really like them with the rug and wall color.

I've consolidated this with the mirror thread at http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg0121195224418.html?1